Best Hefei Travel Guide for You in 2025

Hefei, located between the Yangtze and Huai Rivers, is a vibrant modern city. It not only has a profound historical and cultural heritage but also rich natural landscapes, making it an ideal place to explore Anhui’s culture and natural beauty. Come and take a look! 😀

✨ Recommended Attractions

Baogong Park

Baogong Park is a garden built in memory of Bao Zheng, a famous honest official in the Northern Song Dynasty. It is mainly composed of attractions such as Baogong Ancestral Hall, Baogong’s Tomb, Qingfeng Pavilion, and Fuzhuang, showing the life of Bao Zheng with the characteristics of “loyalty, filial piety, integrity, and honesty.”

• Ticket: Free
• Opening Hours: All Day
• Address: Baohe District, Hefei City, Anhui Province
• Transportation: Bao Gong Park Station of Metro Line 1

Mingjiao Temple

Mingjiao Temple, formerly known as Tiefo Temple, is also known as Mingjiao Platform and Cao Cao’s Reviewing Platform. It is a famous scenic spot in the Yangtze-Huaihe region, one of the eight scenic spots of ancient Luyang, and one of the top ten landmarks in Hefei.

• Ticket: 10 yuan
• Opening Hours: 07:30-16:30
• Address: No. 44 Huaihe Road, Luyang District, Hefei
• Transportation: You can navigate to Mingjiao Temple by self-driving.

Li Hongzhang’s Former Residence

This is the former residence of Li Hongzhang, a famous minister in the late Qing Dynasty. It is a typical residential building in the Yangtze-Huaihe region in the late Qing Dynasty. It is divided into five sections from south to north, namely the Entrance Hall, Front Hall, Middle Hall, and the Horse-Running Revolving Heart Building.

• Opening Hours: 09:00-17:30 (Stop selling tickets and checking tickets at 17:00)
• Address: No. 208, Middle Section of Huaihe Road Pedestrian Street, Hefei City, Anhui Province
• Transportation: You can take buses such as No. 15, No. 106, No. 137, and No. 143, get off at the “Xiaoyaojin” station, and walk to it.

Hechai 1972

Hechai 1972 is the first art park transformed from a former prison site, which can be regarded as Hefei’s version of 798. The park is free, and an additional fee is required for individual exhibitions. The circular fortress is the landmark of the park and a must-take photo spot for tourists.

• Opening Hours: 09:00-21:00
• Address: Intersection of Jinzhai Road and Tiantangzhai Road, Baohe District, Hefei City
• Transportation: Get off at Yaogongmiao Station of Metro Line 4 and ride an electric bike/bicycle for about 1.6 kilometers.

Anhui Museum

Anhui Museum is a national first-class museum. There are currently more than 220,000 pieces of cultural relics in the museum. The characteristic collections include bronze wares of the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, Han Dynasty stone carvings, etc.

• Address: No. 288 Jinzhai Road
• Transportation: Get off at Anhui Museum Station of Metro Line 3 and then walk about 500 meters to reach it.

Lei Street

Lei Street is the most famous food street in Hefei. It not only gathers local specialties from Hefei, all over the country, both sides of the Huai River, and well-known snack old brands of catering from all over the country.

• Address: Intersection of Ningguo South Road and Shuiyangjiang Road, Baohe District, Hefei City
• Transportation: Exit C of Qiupuhe Station of Metro Line 1, Exit A of Wanghucheng West Station of Metro Line 5

Chaohu Lake

Chaohu Lake is one of the five largest freshwater lakes in China, integrating landscapes such as lake scenery, mountain scenery, hot springs, karst caves, rare flowers, morning glow, forests, celebrities, former residences, ancient temples, ancient pagodas, and ancient human cultural sites.

• Suitable Season: Summer
• Ticket: 40 yuan
• Opening Hours: 08:00-17:00
• Address: Laoshan Island, Chaohu Lake

🚗 Transportation Guide

Arrival Transportation

• Airplane: Currently, there is no subway connected to Hefei Xinqiao Airport. You can take an airport bus to the city center, which costs 25 yuan per person and takes about 50 minutes.
• Train: You can choose Hefei Railway Station or Hefei South Railway Station (High-speed Railway Station). After getting out of the station, you can take the subway to the hotel or attractions.

Urban Transportation

• Subway: There are currently 5 subway lines in Hefei, namely Line 1, Line 2, Line 3, Line 4, and Line 5. Taking the subway can basically reach all the attractions.
• Bus: Hefei’s bus system is well-developed, and there are many bus routes that can reach the main attractions.
• Shared Bicycles: Shared bicycles can be seen everywhere in the streets and alleys of Hefei. Riding in the streets and alleys of Hefei, you can enjoy the scenery along the way and feel the unique charm of this city.

🏨 Accommodation Recommendations

• Binhai New Area: Close to the municipal government and Dashushan Forest Park, suitable for business trips.
• Downtown: The old urban area of Hefei, with a lot of delicious food around.
• Near Xiaoyaojin Park: Close to the city center and subway station, with convenient transportation.
• Near Swan Lake: Basically belongs to the wealthy area of Hefei, with a beautiful environment.
• Sanxiaokou: The earliest prosperous commercial block in Hefei urban area, with many accommodation options around.
• Near Lei Street: Lei Street is a food paradise in Hefei, and there are also many accommodation options.
• Near Hefei South Railway Station: Convenient transportation, and there are also many accommodation options.

🗺️ Recommended Routes

• Day 1 – Historical and Cultural Exploration Tour: Xiaoyaojin → Huaihe Road Pedestrian Street → Mingjiao Temple → Li Hongzhang’s Former Residence → Chenghuang Temple → Baogong Park → Lei Street
• Day 2 – Modern and Natural Scenery Tour: Shuguang Road Vegetable Market → Anhui Museum → Anhui Geological Museum → Hefei Three Sets → Hechai 1972 → Swan Lake
• Day 3 – Art and Leisure Tour: Anhui Art Museum → Anhui Celebrity Hall → Crossing the Yangtze River Campaign Memorial Hall → Chaohu Lake

Food

🥟 Sanhe Rice Dumplings

Intangible cultural heritage food. The dumpling skin is made of indica rice flour, and the filling is made of ingredients such as streaky pork. It is fried golden and crispy, with a slightly crispy outer skin and a delicious filling!

🥣 Li Hongzhang’s Mixed Dish

Intangible cultural heritage food. It is a traditional famous dish in Hefei City, Anhui Province, belonging to the Hui cuisine – Hefei cuisine. It has multiple flavors, with a mellow aroma, not greasy, and is savory and delicious.

🍪 Luzhou Duck Oil Sesame Cake

Intangible cultural heritage food. It is a recommended food in Hefei by Jolin Tsai. It is very delicious when paired with duck blood vermicelli soup or red bean paste.

🦢 Wushan Gong’e

Intangible cultural heritage food. It is made from free-range white geese in rural areas. After multiple processes and brine made from traditional Chinese medicine, the meat is tender and mellow, savory and fragrant, with a unique local flavor!

🧆 Glutinous Rice Balls

Intangible cultural heritage food. Glutinous rice lovers will be delighted. The freshly cooked balls have a crispy outer shell and a soft and glutinous inner filling.

🍜 Sweet Potato Vermicelli Cold Noodles and Rice Noodles

Characteristic food in Hefei. It is difficult to find sweet potato vermicelli in other places, and most of them are rolled noodles!

🥣 Hefei Spicy Paste Soup

Characteristic food in Hefei. The hot spicy paste soup is thick but not sticky, savory but not greasy, sour and spicy, and also contains shredded dried bean curd and kelp.

🍮 Osmanthus Red Bean Paste

Characteristic food in Hefei. It uses adzuki beans, and the red bean paste and soup are cooked into one. The sweetness is just right, and it has a sandy and creamy texture when eaten.

🍝 Braised Tofu Pudding

Characteristic food in Hefei. Different from the common tofu pudding, the tofu pudding in Hefei is braised in sauce.