Forget the expensive guided tours; exploring the blue-and-white coastal charm of Tianya Town is best done at your own pace. We spent New Year’s Eve wandering through its Mediterranean-style streets and snacking on local street food. This guide covers our exact route, costs, and how to DIY the perfect day trip.
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Trip Highlights
- Seaside portraits for 10 RMB per photo.
- Free entry to Tianya Haijiao Scenic Area with immersive photo spots.
- DIY fireworks on the beach at midnight.
- Comparison of 40 RMB beachside drinks versus 68 RMB full local dinners.
getting to Tianya Town in Sanya
Haikou to Sanya Bay
Since most people fly into Haikou, the most popular route to Sanya is via the high speed train from Haikou East Station (海口东站, hǎi kǒu dōng zhàn) or directly from Meilan Airport Station (美兰站, měi lán zhàn). Tickets for a second-class seat usually cost around 110 CNY (16 USD) and takes 2 hours. Once you arrive at Sanya Railway Station, a quick 15-minute taxi or DiDi ride will drop you to Sanya Bay.
Tianya Town from Sanya Bay
The easiest way is via Didi (China’s Uber), which costs roughly 30 CNY (4 USD) from Sanya Bay. Alternatively, private drivers often wait near hotels; while convenient for multi-stop days, a standard Didi remains the most budget-friendly and reliable option for solo explorers.
We kicked off our day at 8:00am from our base at the Yunshang·Manju Homestay on Sanya Bay Road. We booked it through Trip.com, which is honestly a lifesaver for us in China – the English support and “foreign-friendly” hotel filters make it a non-negotiable app for anyone heading over.
While waiting for our Didi (booked through the handy Alipay mini-program), a private driver approached us. He offered to be our chauffeur for the whole day for 200 CNY (28 USD). While we politely declined to keep things DIY, it’s not a bad shout if you’re short on time.
He did give us a gold tip, though: Tianya Town is sleepy in the morning, so hit the Tianya Haijiao Scenic Area first.
Visiting the Tianya Haijiao Scenic Area
This iconic park is famous for massive beachside boulders inscribed with Chinese characters, symbolising eternal love and the “southernmost edge” of the ancient world. Visitors enjoy free entry, scenic walking paths, and countless themed photo spots along the Hainan coastline.
The Tianya Haijiao Scenic Area is located at No. 118 Tianya Haijiao Road. Tianya Haijiao Scenic Area is about 23 kilometers west of Sanya city center. Tianya Haijiao Scenic Area is famous because the area was once considered the southernmost edge of the Chinese world. The name Tianya Haijiao translates to The Ends of the Earth and the Corners of the Sea.
Best way to Explore Tianya Haijiao
Entry to Tianya Haijiao Scenic Area is free. You only need to register with a QR code through WeChat. We spent three hours walking through the park from one end to another. Once you reach the exit, Tianya Town is just a further 15 minute walk away.
Close to the start of the walk, we found a free coffee tasting station. Since we missed our morning coffee, the station was a welcome stop. You get to taste four different coffees and some coconut crisps. Most coffees have a coconut theme, like the coconut latte. The coffee is mainly a souvenir type that you would buy for family or friends to show you visited Hainan.
Activities at Tianya Haijiao
While some parts are quite beautiful, the park is very much designed for photo opportunities. There are around 4-6 spots with a free professional photographer. You pose in front of a rock or a fake boat and pretend to pilot the boat or make funny love heart poses. At each post, we received a small 6×8 print for free and bought an 8×10 larger copy for 25 RMB (4 USD).
We also tried an indoor underwater simulator ride for 98 RMB, which was admittedly it was a little tacky but fun. This is definitely not high on the list but would be good for families with young kids.
Where to eat in Tianya Town: Maling Street Food
The main street food area is known as the Maling Street Food District. Maling Street Food District is located along the central grid of Tianyazhen. The stalls are primarily concentrated on the roads leading toward the beach from the Maling West Gate.
Maling Street Food District is approximately 800 meters from the exit of the Tianya Haijiao Scenic Area. You can walk this distance in about 10 minutes.
Maling Street Food District can be quite hot during the day. The area becomes much better in the evening. We visited Maling Street Food District twice after our scenic area visit and in the evening while waiting for the fireworks.
Our street food list:
- Clay Oven Flatbread: 15 CNY (2 USD). The flatbread is prepared with beef and cooked on the side of the oven. We went back for seconds.
- Tiramisu: 28 CNY (4 USD). The tiramisu was a nice cake, but there wasn’t any coffee in the tiramisu for some reason. The cake lacked the coffee taste essential to a real tiramisu.
- Coconut Milk Dessert: 10 CNY (2 USD). Coconut Milk Dessert is a common local dish. We prefer the version served in a coconut shell with fresh mango.
You will also see fried octopus balls, skewers, and coconut hot pot restaurants. At 9:00pm, we sat for a full dinner in a restaurant in the Maling Street Food District. We found a place with an affordable dinner set for two people. The set included spiced tofu, fish fragrant pork, and tomato and egg. The name of the pork dish did not do the flavour justice. Total cost for the dinner was 68 CNY (10 USD).
Is the Tianyazhen beach photoshoot worth it?
Aunties patrol Tianyazhen beach with professional cameras hooked to iPads. These photographers are popular with locals. We noticed the water edge of Tianya Town beach was crowded at sunset with people taking pictures.
The photographers use instant beautify filters to create larger eyes and clear skin immediately. Beautify filters are common in China. We did a photoshoot for science to see the results.
The cost is 10 RMB for each photo you keep from the Tianya Town beach photoshoot. The photographer airdrops the files to your phone on the spot. We enjoyed the experience because the aunties took great care and gave us specific instructions for posing. The photoshoot is a fun and cheap way to get a professional souvenir. You can see our results below.
New Years Eve: Chaos and fireworks in Sanya
We sat on Tianya Town beach to wait for the New Year. Night spots had loud music while families brought their own tables and chairs. We saw everyone from grandparents to grandkids enjoying the celebration together on Tianya Town beach. It is common in China to see children out with their parents late at night. The family atmosphere is a big change from what we are used to in Australia.
Police announcements over loudspeakers on said fireworks were banned. We even saw one person removed from Tianya Town beach for having fireworks. Despite the ban, Tianya Town beach erupted at midnight and became an all-out fireworks party for two hours.
After midnight, vendors appeared everywhere selling 30 to 50cm long firework tubes on the sand. People bought huge amounts of firework tubes and fired the tubes from the water’s edge. We eventually bought our own firework tubes. The vendors accepted WeChat payment, and we bought four tubes for 80 CNY (12 USD) each.
Lighting your own fireworks
Having never lit anything more dangerous than a birthday candle, we were pretty hesitant at first, watching the chaos from a safe distance. But the energy was infectious. It was a proper adrenaline rush, though we certainly paid for it in the cleanup – after 2 hours of endless fireworks, we were completely covered in grey soot and that fine, shiny metallic dust that seems to get everywhere.
Getting home, however, was where the real adventure began. We called it a night at 1:40 AM, assuming a Didi would be an easy win. Rookie mistake. With the sheer volume of people, the app was a ghost town. We eventually managed to haggle for a private car back to Sanya at 2:00 AM for 100 CNY (14 USD). It was a bit of a “New Year’s tax” compared to our morning fare, but standing on the side of the road covered in gunpowder, we’ve never been happier to pay it.
Summary
Our New Year’s Eve trip to Tianya Town was one of the most memorable parts of our time in Sanya. Between the 10 RMB photoshoots on Tianya Town beach, the 15 RMB beef flatbreads, and the chaotic beach fireworks, the day was full of unique experiences. Doing the trip DIY saved us money and allowed us to explore the Maling Street Food District at our own pace.
If you have celebrated New Year’s Eve in China or visited the Tianya District, we would love to hear about your experience in the comments below.
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