The city's planning museum in Baiyun New Town, 3 km west of the mountain's west gates: a He Jingtang building with a grey oyster-shell-wall skin and a sunken Lingnan courtyard, four floors of exhibitions and the thing people come for — the whole-city model of all 7,434 km² of Guangzhou with a synchronised light-and-film show, plus a 4D cinema on the city's 2,200 years, a 'growing skyline' film on a light-transmitting concrete wall and the 1955 and 1978 aerial photographs of the city. Free, no booking, closed Mondays, 200 m from Baiyun Culture Square station (Metro Lines 2 and 12). It is the best hour of orientation the city offers a first-time visitor — go early in the trip, and pair it with the mountain's west side or Yunxi Botanical Garden rather than making a special trip.
HoursTue-Sun 9:00-17:00, last entry 16:50 (centre's website)Verified · 2026-09Source ↗
ClosedMondays except public holidays; festival closures postedVerified · 2026-09Source ↗
IDNo ID needed; security check only.Verified · 2026-09Details ↓Source ↗
Address1 Zhanlan Road (展览路 1 号), Baiyun New Town, Baiyun District — next to the Baiyun International Convention Centre; 020-83520680Verified · 2026-09Source ↗Navigate ↗
EntranceMetro Line 2 or Line 12 Baiyun Culture Square station (白云文化广场), exit A or E, about 200 m (centre's website); buses 421, 522, 555, 664, 712, 929 to Baiyun Culture Square terminus
Last verified 2026-09-16
How to book
None since 30 July 2024 — walk in through the security check (centre's website); group guided tours (groups of 15-100) are booked by phone on 020-83520680 three working days aheadVerified · 2026-09Source ↗
ID details
No ID needed; security check only. None stated on the centre's website — only the security check at the door; the old 'one ID, one ticket' desk rule is gone
Paying on site
Metro Line 2 to Baiyun Culture Square exit A → 200 m → security check → floors 1-4, no ticket or ID needed; the city model and the 4D film are the two timed things, ask at the visitor centre desk for the next show.
Beat the crowds
School groups on weekday mornings around the morning guided tours; the model hall is quietest after 14:00 on a weekday.
Language
Guided tours and the audio guide are Chinese (the centre's 2026 tour notice and its WeChat '智能导览' list no other language); hall texts are largely bilingual; the city-model show narration is Chinese.