1 Sunlight Rock
To start your visit, take the cable car to the top of Sunlight Rock. Here, 90 metres above sea level, in the middle of Xiamen Bay, you get an idea of just how well this city has managed to balance old and new. To the east, the skyscrapers of Special Economic Zone Xiamen rise like a wannabe Hong Kong. To the northeast, the city's crumbling colonial-style old quarter staggers on as it has for more than a century (although now it's covered in washing lines and rooftop huts). And to the west, just 3.6km away and endlessly patrolled by naval and tourist ships alike, is Quemoy Island, the Taiwanese-controlled island nearest to the mainland. Best of all is Sunlight Rock itself, at the centre of enchanting Gulang Yu Island. It's an inspiring view - and a celebrated proposal spot. The nearby stall does a roaring trade in red roses. Cable car: 40 yuan.
2 Gulang Yu
This pedestrian-only island, about the size of Hong Kong's Peng Chau, is one of China's most famous tourist attractions. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, it was home to western traders and legations, particularly the Portuguese. Today, its narrow cobblestone streets are crammed with crumbling, creeper-covered colonial-style buildings. A large number are deserted and derelict; others have been taken over, their ornate ballrooms and drawing rooms partitioned into apartments. The island also contains many old churches and graveyards, offering fascinating glimpses of the past. The five-minute ferry ride to Gulang Yu leaves every 15 minutes from a pier opposite the Lujiang Hotel on Zhongshan Road. It's free on the way over and two yuan on the way back. An extra yuan gets you a seat upstairs.
3 The House
Down a quiet side street on Bai He Lu is the House (tel: [86] 592 204 4358), the city's best western restaurant. You can go for the full white tablecloth and candle experience or just drop in for coffee. It makes full use of a beautifully restored 1940s Art Deco townhouse with a big garden terrace, balcony and its mascot Chubby - a huge, friendly St Bernard. The Californian-style menu, devised by Tomer Biran of Los Angeles' hip 208 Rodeo, specialises in pasta, steaks and great desserts. Upstairs is the bar, with a pool table.
