Six days in Fujian: where to sleep, and what to cut

For six calendar days from Xiamen, use five hotel nights: Xiamen on the first and last nights, then one night each in Nanjing County, Anxi and Quanzhou. Visit Yongding's Chengqi Lou area on the way to Nanjing and Tianluokeng the following day. That is the point of the route: the two tulou areas are separate days, not a hurried single stop labelled ‘Fujian Tulou’.

Put each hotel where the next day starts

Do not make the arrival-day ferry a race

The published tour goes to Gulangyu after the Xiamen airport pickup. That is reasonable with an early arrival and a suitable reserved boat, but not an unconditional promise for a late flight. Check the actual landing time, airport exit, pier and ferry before fixing the first day. If they do not fit, discuss a revised island visit or a lighter Xiamen arrival; changing the order may mean removing something else. The separate ferry guide handles tickets and terminals.

If you have fewer than six days, choose a priority

• Want tulou architecture most? Keep either Yongding or Nanjing as a proper visit. Do not claim you have seen both by adding two distant photo stops to one driving day.
• Want tea and the old port city? Keep Anxi and Quanzhou, but reduce the tulou leg to one area and ask for a newly costed route.
• Dislike changing hotels? A Xiamen-base trip is possible to discuss, but it means more return driving and is a different itinerary from the published five-night loop.
• Flying home from Xiamen? Protect the final Xiamen night. A rushed return from Quanzhou on departure morning buys little sightseeing and makes the flight day less forgiving.