Netherlands to Foshan: 10.5–11 h nonstop to Guangzhou Baiyun (CAN), 48 minutes by road to Lecong, 30 days visa-free.
- Flight
- 10.5–11 h nonstop
- Entry
- 30 days visa-free
- Transfer
- 48 min from CAN
- Visit
- Four days
- Guide day
- USD 150 / day
- Pickup
- USD 149
Sourcing trip · Europe
Netherlands to Foshan: from Schiphol to a consolidated container
Schiphol to Guangzhou is ten and a half hours nonstop, and Dutch buyers tend to arrive thinking in containers rather than single pieces. Rotterdam is the reason: a consolidated box landed and cleared well is worth more than a discount on one line item.
- Flight
- 10.5–11 hNonstop
- Entry
- Visa-free30 days, no visa needed
- Allow
- Four daysin Foshan
- Airport pickup
- $149Credited back within 6 months
Netherlands to Foshan: 10.5–11 h nonstop to Guangzhou Baiyun (CAN), 48 minutes by road to Lecong, 30 days visa-free.
- Flight
- 10.5–11 h nonstop
- Entry
- 30 days visa-free
- Transfer
- 48 min
- Visit
- Four days
- Guide day
- USD 150 / day
- Pickup
- USD 149
Getting here
Schedules change with the season — confirm the operating carrier before booking. The airport code is the part that stays put.
Entry rules for Dutch travellers
30 days, visa-free. Ordinary passports enter visa-free for up to 30 days for business, tourism or transit. The waiver currently runs to 31 December 2026.
Dutch passports enter visa-free for 30 days, valid through 31 December 2026.
- Without a visa
- 30 days per entry
- On what basis
- Unilateral visa-free entry
- Current term runs to
- 31 December 2026
- Visa on arrival
- No — port visas only for urgent business, with an invitation
- Airside transit
- Under 24 h, no visa if you stay airside
CarryReturn ticket · Hotel booking · Invitation letter for business
Waivers were extended repeatedly through 2025–2026 and several expire on 31 December 2026. Confirm the current term with the Chinese embassy before paying for flights.
Airport pickup, $149 — refunded when you order
- Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Macau, Zhuhai, Dongguan, Zhongshan
- Drop at your hotel — or straight to a showroom if you land early, with parking and tolls settled
Land at 09:35 after 10.5–11 h in the air, and you are in Lecong about an hour later.
Example vehicles; the exact car is confirmed the day before. Photos: Wikimedia Commons — Dinkun Chen CC BY-SA 4.0, CC0 — not our vehicles.
A paid service, not a free transfer: one arrival, one vehicle, one drop-off. Parking included; tolls at cost. The credit is valid for six months from your arrival date.
Landing, then the transfer
Foshan has no international airport. The gateway you pick decides how much of your first day survives the landing.
Do not plan on the Hong Kong ferry. The Shunde Port passenger service was suspended on 16 July 2026 with no restart date announced. Older guides still recommend it.
The days on the ground
Four days is the working minimum for anything beyond a single category. Appointments are booked before you land, and each evening you get a written recap of what you saw and what is still open.
- Day 1
Land and calibrate
Land, transfer, rest — then a short walk through Lecong to calibrate prices
- Day 2
Lecong showrooms
Lecong showrooms against your list: two or three options per line, photographed and priced
- Day 3
Factories behind the malls
Behind the showrooms today: Longjiang for upholstery, Nanzhuang if tiles are on the list
- Day 4
Samples and sign-off
Samples, custom pieces, then sign off and leave with a specification
Field noteHotels within a 5–10 minute walk of the Louvre and Shunlian North exist, and they change the shape of the day.Rich喵喵爱吃折耳根, Xiaohongshu
Field noteStaple a fabric swatch to the contract. Colour is the dispute that comes up most often.琳琳聊家具, Xiaohongshu
Where the days are actually spent
Upholstery is where showroom prices and factory prices diverge most, so both ends are worth seeing.
Lecong 乐从
The malls. Room sets, retail-facing prices, and enough sofas in one morning to make a shortlist from.
Longjiang 龙江
Sofa and upholstery factories. Come here after the malls, when you want to know what the price is made of.
Where to stay
Pick the base first; the room is the easy part.
Sofitel Foshan 佛山罗浮宫索菲特酒店
Inside the Louvre furniture complex. You can walk from the lobby to the malls, which removes the daily commute that eats a sourcing trip.
Crowne Plaza Foshan 佛山皇冠假日酒店（原佛山宾馆）
value · old-town evenings
ZMAX Foshan Lecong ZMAX满兮酒店(佛山乐从家具城店)
buyers' crowd · 2 km from the malls
Straight-line distance from the Lecong furniture anchor. Ratings: Google Places and Amap, 31 Oct 2026.
Where to eat
The buying is done by six. This is what to do about dinner.
Ratings and average spend from Amap, retrieved 2026-10-31. Hours and closures change — confirm before booking a table for guests.
What Dutch buyers get caught on
- 0121% VAT on import plus duty; for a Dutch importer the VAT is recoverable but has to be funded at clearance.
- 02Furniture entering Rotterdam is usually consolidated and cleared in one entry, which makes the packing list quality more important than the shipping line.
- 03CE marking where a directive applies, and EU timber due diligence under EUTR for the importer.
- 04Dutch buyers often buy for retail or trade resale, so repeatability across a run matters more than a single beautiful sample.
- 05Ask for packed volume per line, not just a total. A mixed container from three suppliers is only cost-efficient if you know which lines are wasting space.
Practical specification checks, not certification advice. Confirm current requirements with your importer or testing body.
Importing into the Netherlands
The buying is the easy half. This is the half that lands at your door.
- Import VAT
- 21% standard rate on import
- Plug / voltage
- Type C / F · 230 V
- Main port
- Rotterdam
- Ocean transit
- 30–38 days
- Currency
- EUR
- Working language
- Dutch, English
Check the current rate with your broker before you price the order — these figures drift.
Trip cost, before any furniture
| Line | Planning figure |
|---|---|
| Flights | EUR 650–1,100 return on the Schiphol nonstop |
| Hotel | Lecong or Chancheng, 4-star, EUR 55–100 per night |
| Guide day | USD 150 guide only · USD 250 with car · USD 299 with a 7-seat SUV |
| Consolidation | storage and handling at the Foshan warehouse are quoted separately — ask before the box is booked |
Planning figures, not a quotation.
Questions Dutch buyers ask
How long is the flight from the Netherlands to Foshan?
About ten and a half hours nonstop from Schiphol to Guangzhou, then about an hour by road to Lecong. Rotterdam is the destination port, not the airport.
Do Dutch passports need a visa for China?
No, up to 30 days. The Netherlands is on China's unilateral visa-free list, currently valid to 31 December 2026. Confirm the term before booking flights.
Can a container mix furniture, tiles and lighting?
Yes, and this is the usual Dutch order. Tile and sanitaryware go in as ballast at the bottom, lighter furniture and lighting above. The constraint is weight rather than volume: a 40HQ gives 65–68 m3 but caps around 26–28 tonnes.
Can you collect me at Schiphol-style early arrivals?
Yes. The driver tracks the flight and waits in arrivals with a name board. Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Hong Kong, Macau, Zhuhai, Dongguan and Zhongshan are covered, and Foshan West by rail.
How many days does a container-led trip need?
Four. One day in Lecong for the shortlist, one at the factories, one for packing and loading arrangements, one for sign-off. If the box mixes three suppliers, the warehouse day is not optional.
Elsewhere in Europe
Buyers who come to Foshan rarely come alone: a household or a hotel brief often spans two markets.
Keep planning
Send your list before you book the flight
Share quantities, rooms, budget and your travel month. We come back with a route, a supplier shortlist and an honest answer on whether the trip is worth making.
Trade rules, duty rates and certification scope change without notice. Confirm the current requirements for your product and entry date with a licensed customs broker before committing to a deposit.