How to get from Guangzhou Baiyun Airport to the city
Read the terminal on your ticket first. Terminal 1 (T1) has been closed to passengers since 2 am on 7 May 2026, so you will land at T2 or T3. T2 is served by Metro Line 3 at Airport North station (机场北站). The government's T3 guides do not list a metro station at T3. From T3 you take the intercity train from Baiyun Airport East station (白云机场东站), a 2-yuan shuttle bus to Gaozeng metro station (高增站), an airport coach, or a taxi or ride-hailing car.
Which terminal am I at? What the T1 closure means
The city government's guides tell passengers to check the terminal on the ticket before setting out. Here is what changed in 2026:
- 7 May 2026, 02:00. The 11 domestic airlines at T1 moved to T3: Air China, Shenzhen Airlines, Kunming Airlines, Shandong Airlines, Tibet Airlines, Hainan Airlines, Capital Airlines, Tianjin Airlines, West Air, Urumqi Air and Xiangpeng. T1 is being upgraded. Pages dated 4 and 8 May 2026 say only "temporarily" and give no reopening date.
- Two stations are out. Metro Airport South station (机场南站) and intercity Baiyun Airport South station (白云机场南站), both at T1, cannot be used for now. Trains pass through without stopping. Do not plan a change there.
- 22 January 2026, 11:30. All international and regional flights of the 30 international and regional airlines that had been at T1 moved to T3. So did the international and regional flights of China Eastern, Hainan, Shenzhen Airlines and Spring Airlines. That report covers only flights that were at T1. It does not say whether any international flights still use T2, so trust your ticket, not a general rule.
Entry paperwork is on a separate page: China arrival card 2026.
Metro from Baiyun Airport: direct at T2, a change at T3
From T2
Metro Line 3 Airport North station (机场北站) is at T2. The city government's 4 May 2026 T3 transport guide gives no first or last train times for Line 3 or Line 9 and no fare from Airport North to a named station. Its only line on hours is that metro operating times follow Guangzhou Metro's own notices.
From T3: metro plus shuttle bus
- Walk to the Tourist Bus Hub (旅游巴士集散中心, East passenger station) on the first floor of the T3 transport centre.
- Take the bus "Airport Line 2 branch" (空港2线支线) to Gaozeng station. It takes about 12 minutes.
- Change to Metro Line 3 or Line 9 for the city.
The bus costs 2 yuan and accepts Yangcheng Tong (羊城通). From the metro side, leave Gaozeng station by Exit B (B口) to find the bus; the trip to T3 is about 15 minutes. Gaozeng to T3 runs 06:15-23:15 and T3 to Gaozeng runs 06:35-22:40. Buses come every 5 minutes at peaks (06:15-09:00, 13:00-15:30, 18:00-22:00) and every 10 minutes otherwise. The last bus from T3 leaves at 22:40; taxis at Gate 75 run 24 hours.
An English page from 27 October 2025 called this shuttle free and said it ran every 15-20 minutes. Pages from February to May 2026 say 2 yuan, so plan for 2 yuan.
Intercity train: Baiyun Airport East (T3) and North (T2)
Baiyun Airport East station is on level B2 (the second basement floor) of the T3 transport centre. From the arrivals level, walk down to B2. The terminal is 3 to 5 minutes' walk from the station. Baiyun Airport North station is the T2 stop. Trains leave T3 every 14 minutes on average. The city government's 4 May 2026 T3 transport guide and Guangzhou International's 27 October 2025 T3 travel guide give no first or last intercity train times; they direct you to Guangdong Intercity's official releases or 12306 for timetables.
If you are already on the metro, you can change onto the Guangzhou East Ring intercity at these stations:
- Guangzhou South (Lines 2, 7 and 22)
- Dashi (Line 3)
- Pazhou (Lines 8 and 11)
- Keyun Road (Line 5)
- Longdong (Line 6)
- Guangzhou North (Line 9)
- Zhuliao (Line 14)
- Airport North (Line 3), the T2 stop
The fare between Baiyun Airport North and Baiyun Airport East is a flat 4 yuan, so you can also ride Line 3 to Airport North (T2) and change to the intercity for the one stop to T3. For other East Ring trips, from 22 June 2026 the Monday-to-Thursday fare is as low as 75 percent of the published fare, and other days are 90 percent. Guangzhou Metro's 22 June 2026 fare notice gives no fare from a city station to the airport. You can ride with the Guangzhou Metro app intercity ride code, with a real-name-registered Yangcheng Tong, Lingnan Tong or national transport card, or with a 12306 ticket. The page does not say how a visitor with a foreign passport completes the real-name step.
Airport bus from T3 to the city
The city government says 8 city bus lines run from T3 to 8 districts: Tianhe, Yuexiu, Haizhu, Panyu, Zengcheng Xintang, Nansha, Huangpu and Liwan. Fares start at 19.9 yuan and you do not change. For timetables and fares, follow the WeChat official account "Baiyun Airport Kongang Express" (白云机场空港快线).
The coach waiting area is at the West passenger station of the T3 comprehensive transport centre, with 15 departure bays. You buy tickets there. Coaches also go to Heyuan, Zhongshan, Shenzhen and other cities.
The airport website's city-coach tab lists six lines, not eight: Guangzhou Tianhe line (city line 2), Guangzhou Haizhu line (city line 3), Panyu line, Nansha line, Baiyun Railway Station line and Xintang line. The tab says tapping a stop name shows pick-up and drop-off points and timetables; the government guide gives no per-line details. Neither says where coaches stop at T2.
Taxi and ride-hailing (Didi) at T2 and T3
| Terminal | Taxi pickup | Ride-hailing pickup |
|---|---|---|
| T2 | East side of the transport centre (GTC), outside Gate 53; west side, outside Gate 50 | P8 car park, 2nd floor and 3rd floor (west side) |
| T3 | International arrivals, outside Gate 75 | Outside Gate 72 at domestic arrivals (fast pickup area); P12 car park 1st floor (1F), mezzanine (M) and 2nd floor (2F) |
Taxis. At T3, the government guide says the arrivals level at Gate 75 has long- and short-distance taxis, 24 hours a day, with prices clearly displayed. A January 2026 report says Gates 72 and 75 had separate short- and long-distance taxi areas, and a February 2026 report says T3 has 2 taxi pickup points, on the east and west sides. The airport website now lists Gate 72 as a ride-hailing pickup, so follow the signs at the terminal. Neither the government guide nor the airport website gives a taxi fare.
Ride-hailing. The government says T3 pickups are on P12 level 2 and level 1M, with 30 pickup spots. Choose the pickup point in your app and wait in the marked area. The P13 car park is a waiting area for drivers, not for passengers. The October 2025 page named P12 floors 1 and 2 only. Confirm the point in the app on the day.
Heading to the airport by car. Search for "Baiyun Airport T3 terminal" and choose the Airport Second Expressway first. Vacant taxis cannot enter the departure level, and the departure-level kerb is for drop-off only.
We can also arrange a private car from the airport.
Wrong terminal? How to get from T2 to T3
The 4 May 2026 guide describes a shuttle bus from T2 to T3 for transfer passengers only. It leaves from stand 30 at the T2 transport centre East passenger station, takes about 25 minutes and runs 24 hours. Departures are:
- every 8 minutes, 09:00-23:00
- every 15 minutes, 23:00-03:00 and 05:00-09:00
- every 20 minutes, 03:00-05:00
Other pages describe a free shuttle between the terminals without that limit: the October 2025 English page, the January and February 2026 reports, and an 8 May 2026 news report on the night of the move, which gives the T2 to T3 trip as about 20 minutes. The 4 May guide is the only one that says who may ride, so do not count on it unless you are a transfer passenger.
That guide names three other ways: the intercity train from Airport North (T2) to Airport East (T3), a taxi or a ride-hailing car. If you go to the wrong terminal, ask airport staff or call the airport hotline, 020-96158 (24 hours). If your flight is close, go to a service counter to ask about rebooking. A January 2026 report adds that the airport keeps emergency transfer vehicles on the departure levels. Domestic check-in at T3 closes 40 minutes before departure, and the boarding gate closes 15 minutes before. The 8 May report gives no check-in cut-off for international flights.
How to pay for the Guangzhou metro as a foreigner
Foreign bank cards. A Guangzhou government news page dated 12 October 2025 says that from that day contactless Mastercard, American Express, Visa and JCB cards issued outside the Chinese mainland can be tapped at the gates marked with the card logo at all Guangzhou Metro stations, without buying a ticket or downloading an app. It says nothing about fees, exchange rates or exiting.
The Guangzhou Metro ticket guide, dated 6 January 2026, lists these ways to pass the gates:
- The Guangzhou Metro public transport code, from the Guangzhou Metro app or from the WeChat or Alipay mini-programme.
- A UnionPay credit card with the QuickPass logo.
- A phone tap with Apple Pay or another UnionPay phone payment, with a UnionPay credit card bound to it and enabled for small payments without a PIN.
The ticket guide says to use the same code, UnionPay card or phone to tap in and out of one trip. Station machines sell single-journey tickets for cash and mobile payment, and accept WeChat, Alipay and e-CNY. A single ticket works only at the station where you bought it, on that day. The ticket guide does not mention the foreign cards in the October 2025 announcement, so look for the card logo on the gate. For cash on the wider trip, see Is cash accepted in China in 2026?
Fares, on the ticket rules page dated 28 June 2024: 2 yuan for the first 4 km, then 1 yuan more per 4 km between 4 and 12 km, 1 yuan per 6 km between 12 and 24 km, and 1 yuan per 8 km after 24 km. A one-day pass is 20 yuan (24 hours from first entry) and a three-day pass is 50 yuan (72 hours), sold at station customer service centres or eMetro machines. Children 1.3 m or under, or below the legal school-entry age, ride free with valid ID.
For what to see after you land, see our Guangzhou travel guide.
