开平碉楼

Why this place

The diaolou are towers built in the Kaiping countryside between the sixteenth and twentieth centuries, mostly by overseas Chinese who sent money home — a blend of Chinese village architecture with concrete, classical columns, Baroque details and defensive turrets. Nearly 2,000 survive, and they are UNESCO-listed.

What to see

• Zili village's cluster of towers, with their interiors furnished as they were
• The Majianglong village group, set among bamboo
• Jinjiangli and Chikan old town, with its arcaded streets
• The interiors, which show the furniture, letters and photographs of the emigrant families

What to eat

• Cantonese cooking at its most straightforward, with excellent river fish
• The local 'e' — a chewy rice-flour noodle unique to this area

How to plan

One full day driving between the village clusters.

Best time

October–December and March–April

Practical tips

• The towers are spread across the countryside — a car and driver is the practical way to see several in a day