Heading up the Xi River to Wuzhou in Guangxi Province is a popular way to cover the first leg of the journey to Yangshuo and Guilin, and ferries leave daily from Dashatou Wharf at the eastern end of Yanjiang Lu (bus #7 from Guangzhou train station, or #57 from Liuersan Lu). Speedboats to Wuzhou take five hours (¥158); slow ferries take twelve and cost ¥60, or you can buy combination boat-bus tickets right through to Yangshou (¥115), Guilin (¥120) or Liuzhou (¥135). There are also daily fast boats from Dashatou to Zhaoqing (¥68). The ticket office at the wharf is open daily 7-11am, 11.30am-5.15pm and 5.45-8pm.

 

For Haikou (Hainan Island), make your way down to Zhoutouzui Wharf on the south bank of the Pearl River - bus #31 from the North train station down Renmin Lu takes you to Gongye Lu, a five-minute walk away. The ticket office is inside the terminal on the left (daily 7-11am & 1-5pm), and sells advance tickets for various classes of berth on the weekly service from ¥300. Now that the terminal has moved south to Panyu, it doesn't make much sense to catch the ferry to Hong Kong any more - trains or express buses are much faster and less hassle - but it's possible to reach some of the Pearl River Delta towns by ferry, with daily departures from Xiti Wharf across from the Customs House on Yanjiang Lu to Lianhua Shan, Lanshi (for Foshan) and east towards Dongguan.