Huizhou's town centre sits immediately below a kink in the five-hundred-metre-wide Dong River, a proportionately thin strip of land hemmed in by the smaller Xizhi River to the east, and Xi Hu to the west. The train pulls in about 3km west, from where you'll need to catch a taxi into the centre. Huizhou's long-distance bus station is on a roundabout 1km south of the lake on Eling Bei Lu, which runs north, away from the roundabout, to Huangcheng Lu, which in turn follows Xi Hu's eastern shore. Take any of the small side streets east off Huangcheng Lu and you'll end up on parallel Shuimen Lu, Huizhou's functional shopping precinct.

For inexpensive accommodation , stick around the bus station, where noisy hostels such as the Balingyi offer basic facilities (¥75-100), but, particularly if you're here for a break from Guangzhou, it's better to splash out for a nicer room near the lake. Best is the Huizhou Binguan, right on Xi Hu's eastern shore on Huangcheng Lu (tel 0752/2232333, fax 2231439; ¥200-300), a very comfortable affair with spacious doubles. If they're full, try the more ordinary but good-value Dongjiang Jiudian (tel 0752/2233848; ¥100-150), farther up Huangcheng Lu, or the smart Xi Hu (tel 0752/2226666, fax 2228000; ¥300-500), near the Huizhou on Huangcheng Xi Lu. For food , there are canteens near the bus station and inexpensive restaurants along Huangcheng Lu and Shuicheng Lu. Try the hotels for more upmarket Cantonese meals - the Huizhou Binguan might even be able to rustle up an English menu.

The hotels can also change money , and there's a huge Bank of China (Mon-Fri 9am-noon & 1.30-5pm) five minutes' walk east of the bus station roundabout along Eling Dong Lu. Moving on , you can book train tickets through the Huizhou Binguan 's travel service (daily 8am-8pm), and there should be little trouble getting a seat on the numerous daily buses heading on to Shantou, Guangzhou and Shenzhen.