Kaiping is accessible as a day trip from Guangzhou — about two hours by high-speed rail to Kaiping South Station. However, the scattered nature of the diaolou sites across the countryside means that an overnight stay in Kaiping town makes for a more relaxed visit: you can start early before the day-trippers arrive and cover more ground at your own pace.
From Kaiping town, the village clusters are most practically reached by hired car or motorbike taxi — public buses run infrequently and the walking distances between villages are long. Several tour operators in town offer full-day circuits covering all four designated villages. For independent travellers, renting a bicycle from the guesthouse area is a good option if you're fit and the weather is cooperative.