Xiamen Botanical Garden (Wanshi Botanical Garden)

A big, hilly botanical garden in the city, best known for the Rainforest mist and the giant cactus and succulent area.

If you are worried it will be “just another park”, I get it. This one is more like a whole hillside with different zones, and you do need a bit of a plan or you will just wander and get tired. The good news is it is easy to visit without a tour, and it is a really nice half-day break from temples, streets, and museums.

The quick basics (so you do not have to dig)

• Official address: No. 25, Huyuan Road, Siming District (思明区 虎园路25号).
• Ticket price: 30 RMB per person (with official discount rules for kids, students, seniors, etc.).
• Tickets and entry: you can pay with WeChat Pay or Alipay (and cash), and you can also buy through the official WeChat mini program and scan a QR to enter.
• Getting there: buses and metro work fine, and taxis are simple. Official guidance lists bus 87 and B3 to “Botanical Garden station”, and Metro Line 1 to Zhongshan Park Station.

What I would actually do inside (simple route that works)

This garden is big enough that “we will just walk” can turn into “why are we still walking” pretty fast. I would treat it like two main stops plus the in-between.

My suggested first timer route:

1. Rainforest World (雨林世界) for the mist
2. Succulent and Cactus area (多肉植物区)
3. Anything extra only if you have energy left

That is the route people talk about the most online, and it makes sense because it gives you two very different vibes in one visit.

The mist timing matters more than you think

The Rainforest area has a mist system that turns on at set times. If you arrive outside those windows, it is still green, but the “wow” factor is lower.

Typical schedule shared by local travel sources:

• May 1 to Oct 7: 09:30 to 11:30 and 14:30 to 16:30
• Oct 8 to Apr 30: 09:00 to 11:00 and 14:00 to 16:00

Two real-world tips:

• It can be crowded during the mist windows, especially in peak travel periods. If you want calmer photos, go right when the time window starts, not halfway through.
• Sometimes the mist is paused for maintenance or repairs, and the garden posts notices when that happens. So if the mist is the whole reason you are going, check the official announcements on the garden site (or their WeChat) the same day.

Getting there without stress (Didi, metro, bus)

If you want the easiest option, use Didi and search one of these:

• 厦门园林植物园 西门 (Xiamen Botanical Garden West Gate)
• 厦门园林植物园 南门 (South Gate)

Public transport is doable too:

• Metro Line 1 to Zhongshan Park Station, then taxi or a short hop by bus depending on where you are staying.
• Buses: the garden’s own traffic guide lists bus 87 and B3 to “Botanical Garden station”.

If you are new to China, this is one of those places where taxi drop-off is genuinely worth it. The garden is on a hillside and you will do enough walking inside anyway.

Getting around inside (the underrated win)

There is an internal sightseeing bus. I would use it unless you are very set on hiking the whole place.

What the official info says:

• Full route ticket: 10 RMB
• Single ride: 5 RMB
• Runs roughly from 08:00, with last departures around 17:00 (winter) or 17:20 (summer)

This is the difference between a pleasant 2 to 3 hour visit and a “why did we do this to ourselves” visit.

Small things that make the day better

A few practical notes from how visitors describe it:

• Wear shoes you can walk hills in. The garden is not flat, and some paths are not smooth.
• Bring water. It is a big area and you will feel it, especially in warmer months.
• Do not show up last-minute late afternoon expecting to do everything. It is not that kind of garden.

Also, a couple of rules that surprise people:

• No pets.
• No bikes or e-bikes inside.

Is it worth it, or should you skip it?

I would go if:

• You want a nature break in the middle of city sightseeing
• You like photography, especially the misty rainforest look (a lot of photographers post shots from here) Reddit+1
• You are into plants even a little. There are serious collections here, not just landscaping. I even saw Reddit plant people nerd out about specific collections.

I would skip it if:

• You hate walking uphill and you are not going to use the internal bus
• You only have one half-day in Xiamen and you prefer coastal or food areas instead

Conclusion

Xiamen Botanical Garden is not a “quick stroll” place. But if you plan it around the mist times and use the internal bus, it becomes an easy, high-reward visit. Keep it simple, do Rainforest plus succulents, and call it a win.