Qinhuangdao Travel Guide

Basic information Telephone area code: 0514 Emergency call: 110, 119, 120 Destination overview Destination sketch Qinhuangdao is a time-honored city named after the first emperor in Chinese History Qin Shi Huang who once made his east inspection tour to this […]

Basic information

Telephone area code: 0514
Emergency call: 110, 119, 120

Destination overview

Destination sketch

Qinhuangdao is a time-honored city named after the first emperor in Chinese History Qin Shi Huang who once made his east inspection tour to this place and sent people to the sea to looking for the immortals. It is also an important harbor city in North China with the Port of Qinhuangdao having more than a hundred years of history. Located in the center of the economic region circling the Bohai Sea, it is also a new rising industrial city having the largest glass industrial base and bridge manufacturing group, most important aluminum processing base and gas turbine producing base, largest hub factory for vehicle wheel as well as a distinguished dry and red wine producing base in China. However, most people talk about it as a fascinating summer resort.

Best Travel season

Summer climate in Qingdao is much cooler than most other cities in China, making it a first class summer resort. May to October is the golden season to visit Beidaihe. Other scenic areas are best visited from June to August, when the natural scenery is at its best.

Beidaihe is a prime location for bird watching. Flocks of birds migrate throughout the winter and spring months. Multitudes of birds arrive in Qinhuangdao in the early days of September and can be observed in the city and from the costal wetlands. The best time of year to bird watch in Beidaihe is in early September.

Consumption level

Playing around Qinhuangdao usually costs about 1,000 yuan in three days, most of which is spent on accommodation. Usually the standard room of a hotel will be around 200 yuan. A meal of about 70 yuan.

Intercity traffic

Train

Qinhuangdao Station
Address: Beihuan Road, Haigang District, Qinhuangdao City
Tel: 0335-3066113

Long-distance bus

Long distance bus Station
Address: No. 407, Beihuan Road, Qinhuangdao City
Tel: 0335-3067007

Qinhuangdao Haiyang Road Coach Station
Address: No. 49, Haiyang Road, Qinhuangdao City
Tel: 0335-3034225

Qinhuangdao Shanhaiguan Long-distance Bus Station
Address: No. 93, Guancheng South Road, Shanhaiguan District, Qinhuangdao City
Tel: 0335-5023879

Traffic in the city

Bus

To go to Qinhuangdao, be sure to remember the 34 and 22 roads. Bus 34 connects Qinhuangdao City and Beidaihe Scenic Spot, and Bus 22 connects Beidaihe and Nandaihe Scenic Spots.

Taxi

Taxi in Qinhuangdao rarely plays on the table. Having a price deal before entering the car is needed.

Attractions

Safari Park

Located in the Coastal National Forest Park of Beidaihe Scenic Area between Qinhuangdao and Beidaihe and covering an area of 825 acres (334 hectares), Qinhuangdao Safari Park (Wildlife Park) is a large city safari park with the highest forest coverage rate and one of the most beautiful environments in China. Nowadays, it has become a popular place in the Qinhuangdao Scenic Area and even been listed as a national 4A level scenic spot.

Taking advantage of particularly favorable local natural conditions, this park complies with the concept of “Harmonizing the Relationship between Humans and Nature” and adopts management methods of “Large-scale Captive, Small-scale Free-ranging”. In this way, tourists can have a lot of fun by mixing closely with the animals. They can play with the tame ones, feed them and take photos with them; and watch the wild ones at close quarters.
Address: Seaside National Forest Park between Qinhuangdao and Beidaihe
Arrival method: Take bus No. 34 and get off at Safari Station
Tickets: 80 yuan

Xin’ao Marine World

Located between Shanhaiguan Pass and Beidaihe Scenic Spot, Qinhuangdao Xin’ao Marine World is built by China, Singapore and Australia joint-venture. It is a perfect place to view various marine lives and learn more knowledge about the sea.

Mainly composed of Submarine Tunnel, Dolphin Performance Hall, Touching Pool, Penguin Hall, Seal Hall, Gigantic Insect Garden, and the Sea Knowledge Exhibition Hall, Xin’ao Marine World can hold 2,000 tourists at one time. Various sea lives feast your eyes and lovely dolphins and seals present you wonderful performances.

Submarine Tunnel with the length of 328 feet (100 meters) offers visitors a chance to admire various marine plants and animals as if staying in the sea. You will marvel that colored coral reef fishes, crucian, silver arowana and Chinese mullet just cruise around you.
Address: No. 81, Hebin Road, Haigang District, Qinhuangdao City
Arrival method: Take the 19th summer vacation line (only during the summer vacation) and get off at Xin’ao Underwater World Station
Opening hours: 9:00-17:00 (subtle adjustments depending on the season)
Tickets: 60 yuan

Shanhaiguan Fortifications

The walls of the old city of Qinhuangdao can essentially be considered part of the Great Wall, the whole city originally being built as a wall fortification to guard the pass between the mountains and the sea. The walls of Qinhuangdao are square, with a perimeter of around 4 kilometers in length. The walls reach the heigh of 14 meters, and are 7 meters thick. The east, south and north sides of the fortification are surrounded by a moat 3 meters deep and 5 meters wide. There are drawbridges to get over the moat. You can only go up on the wall by buying a ticket for the First Pass under Heaven (see above). The other sides of the city have gates as well, but these have been rebuilt: the original buildings long gone.
Address: 15 km east of Qinhuangdao City
Arrival: Take bus No. 25 and get off at Shanhaiguan Station
Opening hours: 8:30-17:00

Longevity Mountain

Longevity Mountain, located around 5.6 miles (9 kilometres) northeast of the Shanhaiguan Area of Qinhuangdao City, is regarded as a natural garden at the foot of the Great Wall. The whole scenic area with the theme of longevity presents visitors its essence by different techniques of expression including sculpture, architecture, calligraphy and others.

The scenic area boasts many sights. Among them the most famous ones are Stone Gate, Fairy Cave, Heaven of Peace and Happiness, Grottoes of Highly Skilled Doctors, Xuanyang Ancient Cave, and Forest of Tablet with “Shou” Character.
Address: 9 km northeast of Shanhaiguan District, Qinhuangdao City
Arrival method: Take bus No. 3, 4, 25, get off at Shanhaiguan Nanmen Station and transfer to the tourist bus.
Tickets: 20 yuan

Beidaihe Scenic Area

Beidaihe Scenic Spot is a famous summer resort. It is located in the southwest of Qinhuangdao City. Its coastline, seaside attractions and convenient transportation all make it a popular destination for travelers. The region around Qinghuangdao has a temperate climate, with a monsoon cycle and four distinct seasons. It is neither too hot in the summer nor too cold in winter. On average, there are only about 8 days a year when temperatures reach 86F or higher. The lowest average temperatures rarely reach below 50F, even in the winter, thanks to the Bohai Sea currents. This makes Beidaihe convenient to visit year-round, although the best times to visit are from May to October.
Address: Central of the North Shore of Bohai Bay
Arrival: From Qinhuangdao City to Beidaihe, take bus No. 34.
Opening hours: open all day

Geziwo Park

Dove Nest Park is surrounded by reefs, marshes and shrubberies. It is regarded as an ideal habitat for birds and a heaven of bird watching. The attractions are mainly Eagle Horn Pavilion, Seaside Corridor, the Place of Chairman Mao Viewing the Sea and Composing the Poem, Dove Nest Plateau and Mandarin Duck Lake.
Address: Pigeon Road, Beidaihe District, Qinhuangdao City
Arrival method: along the Beijing-Shenyang Expressway, 102, 205 two national trunk roads
Opening hours: 8:00-18:00
Tickets: 20 yuan
Tel: 0335-4041774

Nandaihe

With soft sand, clear seawater, tranquil tides, moderate water temperature and overall safe and comfortable conditions, Nandaihe is a very popular summer vacation spot in Qinhuangdao. The tourism area has a 75,000 squ meters sea water bathing area, over 20 hotels, guesthouses, restaurants, shops etc. Here is a really paradise to tourists who want to have a nice summer vacation in China with certained tourist services and ensured services qualities. Nowadays, a coastal road runs through the area and links some famous tourist attractions there, such as First Pass Under Heaven, the Golden Coast, Jieshi Mountain, Beiniu Peak eetc.
Address: Funing County, Qinhuangdao City
Tickets: 30 yuan / person for the beach, 65 yuan for the international entertainment center

Emerald Isle

Gold Coast is in the southern coastal areas. It is China’s seven national marine nature reserves of the east, north, west, three from Bohai and seven around the Caspian (lagoon). It is known for it yellow sand, green vegetation and the peninsula. The island at rolling, beautiful shape, the highest point of 44 m, known as “the Jingdong desert ” is called.
Address: South End of Gold Coast Tourist Area, Changli County
Arrival: Changli Railway Station by minibus or car rental (about 8 km)
Opening hours: all day (during daytime, there is a bonfire party at 19:00 in the evening)
Tickets: 75 yuan

Old Dragon Head

The Laolongtou Great Wall was built in 1381 under the supervision of Qi Jiguang, a general of the Ming Dynasty (1368 – 1644). It was an important line of defense against enemies coming from both the land and the sea. After the founding of the Qing Dynasty (1644 – 1911), its military function faded, and it turned into a great tourist destination, attracting numerous visitors to enjoy the seascape and surrounding constructions. Even emperors were regular visitors.

Photography Recommendation

Pigeon Nest Park Sunrise
Pigeon Nest Park is the preferred place to watch the sunrise around Beidaihe, and the large shoal next to it is the perfect place for bird watching. Every spring and autumn, there are tens of thousands of rare migratory birds feeding and staying here. The scene is quite spectacular.

Itinerary

Qinhuangdao three-day tour

Qinhuangdao – Nandaihe Thalasso – Shanhaiguan Ancient City

Food

Roasted Prawn – Served in both Chinese and Western restaurants, this main dish is made from local Beidaihe prawns, served in a scrumptious dressing and usually accompanied by a soup.

Changcheng Bolo Bing – A type of cake made from flour, starch, the leaves of the Bolo tree and a variety of other fillings. It was first cooked in war time by Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) soldiers garrisoned on the Shanhaiguan Pass.

Sitiao Baozi – This stuffed bun is named after a famous baozi stall which has stood for 50 years on a street named Sitiao in the old town of Shanhaiguan. Buns in the shop have won great acclaim from both visitors and locals alike for their appearance and distinctive taste.

Huiji Lvdougao – Otherwise known as mung bean cake, was introduced to the area by Muslim groups. The shop where the cakes were originally sold was first established in 1945, and can still be found in the old town of Shanhaiguan.

Laoerwei Majiang Shaobing – This cake’s principal ingredient is sesame seeds, and it can be picked up from the Laoerwei Hotel. It is recommended that it be eaten with hot pot and the local mutton broth.

Other popular local snacks include: Mengheshang Sausage, Jinfa Donkey Meat with Soy Sauce and Xiaoxiao Fried Pork Chop.

Accommodation

There are various grades of hotels and guest houses in Qinhuangdao City, but it is recommended to go to a more formal hotel accommodation. The price is generally between 200-300 yuan / night.

Shopping

Located adjacent to Bohai Bay, Qinhuangdao offers many local products and specialties that come straight from the sea. In addition to abundant sea products such as crabs, scallops, whelks, pikes and sea cucumbers, the city offers many handicrafts and ornaments that are made from sea products.

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