5 Days Tianjin to Qingdao Tour with Mount Tai Hiking

Full Itinerary Day by day

Day 1 Pick Up & Tianjin City Tour

According to your schedule, our local guide will pick up you at the Tianjin International Cruise Port, airport or railway station, then set out for today's sightseeing - Tianjin Eye, Shi Family Mansion, Italian Town, Tianjin Ancient Culture Street.

Start with a relaxing visit to the Tianjin Eye which is a 120-meter tall giant ferris wheel built over the Haihe River. Not being as famous as the London Eye, but it is the only ferris wheel in the world built on a bridge, providing an interesting 30-minute ride in an air-conditioned car encircling the wheel. The wheel is lit with colorful LEDs that reflect onto the river below in night either. Leaving the Tianjin Eye, drive about 30mins out the downtown area to visit the Shi Family Mansion, which is a large and well-kept civil residence made up of 12 ancient-style quadrangle courtyards on both sides of a 60-meter-long road and a few additional elegant pavilions, pools and gardens. The architectural style and all the decorations fully represent the folk culture and custom of the late Qing Dynasty (1840-1912) and show the rise and fall of the 200-year-long history of the Shi Family in Yangliuqing, one of the richest families in old Tianjin. Now it serves as the folk custom museum in Yangliuqing which has a large collection of folk arts like Yangliuqing New Year paintings, brick sculpture, etc.

After the Shi Family Mansion visit, drive back to downtown to enjoy an Italian lunch at the famous Italy Style Town. Wander around the Italy Town for a while after lunch. Later, move to Tianjin Ancient Culture Street, where you can enjoy the special architectural styles, take folk crafts, and taste the delicious local snacks. Don’t miss Yangliuqing painting gallery and painted clay sculpture of Clay Figure Zhang and Tianhou Palace in the middle of the Ancient Culture Street.

Recommended night activities on your own: 1) take a night cruise along the Haihe River to enjoy glamerous nightscape of Tianjin with all buildings on both banks of the river are colorfully lit (available during 19:30-20:30 of April-Nov); 2) enjoy a leisure night stroll around Tianjin Haihe Cultural Square.

Day 2 Tianjin & High Speed Train to Tai'an (B, L)

After breakfast, our tour guide will pick you up at your hotel. Set out for today's sightseeing - Porcelain House, Five Avenues, St Joseph Catheral, Jingyuan Garden.

Starts sightseeing from the Porcelain House (China House) which is the most eye-catching building in Tianjin. It is a private museum decorated with about 400 million pieces of ancient Chinese ceramic chips and over 13,000 ancient Chinese porcelain vases, plates and bowls. Inside the house, you can see many art works of paitings made by porcelain pieces and decorated on the walls and ceilings. Later, move on to the Five Great Avenues (Wudadao Area), including Chengdu Dao, Munan Dao, Machang Dao, Dali Dao and Chongqing Dao. Taking a carriage or walking along the streets, you can see over 2,000 beautiful examples of Italian, German, French, Spanish and British architecture with different style mixed in with old Chinese villas that showcase the modern history of China. The next place to go is St Joseph Catheral which was a very well preserved Catholic Church built by the French during colonial period. It is one of the oldest Catholic churches in China, and a nice place to stop by. The artwork inside the building is really grand and beautiful. Catholics and Christians go to on Sunday mornings to celebrate the Holy Mass. the service is in English at 11:30 every Sunday. The last place to visit for today is Jingyuan Garden. It is a Spanish-styled villa as the former residence of the Last Emperor of China - Puyi. Strolling around the villa, you will get a glimpse into the life of 'The Last Emperor'. You can do a little research about the Puyi beforehand. We would recommend the film 'The Last Emperor'.

After the tour, be transferred to catch your high speed train to Tai'an where the majestic Mount Tai sits. You will arrive at Tai'an after about 1.5 hours' train ride, then check in to your hotel in downtown.

Day 3 Mount Tai Hiking & High Speed Train to Qingdao (B, L)

After breakfast, meet your guide and driver in your hotel and drive about 30 minutes to Mount Tai (1524m). Mount Tai is the holiest of all mountains in China. Because of its history, majesty and stunning scenery, it was listed as World Cultural and Natural Heritage Site (the first one of its category) in 1987, and was announced to be a World Geopark later in 2006. Mount Tai has been a significant place of worship for over 3000 years. It was regarded by the ancients as the heaven of "direct access to the throne". From Shihuang Emperor of Qin Dynasty to the Qing Dynasty, there were 13 emperors came to Mount Tai to offer sacrifices. The great sage Confucius once hiked the mountain and claimed “the world is small”.

You will arrive at the Tourist Center first, then shift on to a sightseeing bus (about 30mins) and head along a zigzag but stunning road to the halfway point of the Mount Tai – Zhongtianmen (Middle Heaven Gate 800m). The hiking trail starts from here to Nantianmen (South Heaven Gate), which is the most highlighting part of Mount Tai hiking with more than 6000 uprising steps The steep trails demand much energy and time. You can lower your pace with stops to visit the ancient temples, historical relics, spectacular pine trees and stone inscription of different times. Finally, you will get to Nantianmen (South Heaven Gate 1460m), which means you have already put your steps on the top of Mount Tai. It’s time to slow down your steps to explore the essence of Mount Tai. You can wander leisurely on the Heavenly Street, worship in the Jade Emperor Hall which has a centuries old altar used for worshiping ceremony, appreciate rock inscription of Chinese calligraphy, look out over the peaks, enjoy the sea of clouds, etc.

After about 2 hours’ exploration on Mount Tai, you will descend the mountain by a cable car. Take the sightseeing bus back to the tourist center. Your driver is ready to escort you to catch your high speed train to Qingdao (about 3hrs). Be picked up by local tour guide at railway station, then go to check in to your hotel in Qingdao downtown.

Day 4 Qingdao Laoshan Mount Tour (B)

After the breakfast, you will go to take an interesting visit to Tsingtao Brewery Museum, where you can watch the exhibition of the complete process of making the beer and taste the freshly brewed beer. Since Qingdao is famous for the Tsingtao Brewery, you will have a better understanding about the beer and the city after today's visit. Before leaving, you will take a fresh sip of 2 glasses of Qingdao beer in the museum.

After the special beer experience, drive about 1.5 hour to beautiful Laoshan Mountain, which is known as the Most Famous Mountain on the Sea. This trip focus on Taiqing Scenic Area - the highlight of Laoshan Mountain today. As you arrive, a big statue of Laozi - the founder of Taoism will come into your eyes. Your sightseeing journey starts with a nice hike from Bashui River to Longtan Waterfall. Bashui River is named after the eight streams converging into the river and Longtan Waterfall is one of the streams. During your hike, you can get an enjoyable view of the waterfalls, peaks, rocks, various plants as well as the Yellow Sea from different perspectives. Then, you will continue your hike to Shangqing Palace and Mingxia Cave which are two featured Taoist Temples. In Mingxia Cave, you will get a breathtaking view of the mountain and sea from above. After the amazing sightseeing trip, you will take a cable car down to Taiqing Palace, the largest Taoist temple and the Taoism communication center in Qingdao. There are many Taoist buildings and statues in this temple delivering a cultural savory of Taoism.

After Laoshan Mountain exploration, drive back to your hotel in Qingdao.

Day 5 Qingdao Half-day Tour & Departure (B, L)

After breakfast in your hotel, you will first visit Badaguan Scenic Resort (also called Eight Passes Scenic Resort) which is named after 8 important military fortresses in China's history. In fact, it is not a resort and there are no passes here. It is a pretty neighborhood with about 200 old buildings in over 20 different countries’ styles, including German, Russian, French, American, Danish, Greek, Spanish, Swiss, Japanese... Take a nice stroll in the scenic streets and get some great shots. The landscape of Badaguan becomes most marvelous in spring when lots of flowers are in full blossom and in autumn when the leaves present a stunning mixed hue of yellow, orange, red, etc. To fully appreciate the buildings, you can walk into the Princess House, Butterfly House, Spanish Villa and Huashi House (optional).

Then you will visit Qingdao No.2 Bathing Beach, just near Badaguan Scenic Resort. In spite of its small scale, it enjoys a peaceful environment and gorgeous scenery. After that, take a short visit to Zhanqiao Pier, a symbol of Qingdao city. It was built in 1891 as a naval pier, and now is a famous landmark in the Qingdao Bay.

Lastly, you will be transferred to Qingdao airport or train station to catch your flight/train to next destination. Tour ends!

The quotation for this trip is from Request Per Person

1. This price is for one person, based on a group of 2 adults sharing one standard double-bed room in 4-star hotel and traveling with our private tour in low seasons.
2. This price is subject to change according your traveling season, group size, hotel class, change of activities in your itinerary and possible fluctuation of currency exchange rate. If you want a lower price, you can get more people to join you, or use economy class hotels.
3. This price is only valid to March 31, 2025.
4. Reference exchange rate of . The final quote is based on current exchange rate. It may change according to the currency fluctuation, while the RMB quotation will be remained the same.

How Our Teams Serve you at China Discovery

"Highest Standards of Quality and Honesty" is the core value of each specialized team at China Discovery.

Eveyone in our company is working hard for only one goal, which is to ensure the highest level of service, luxury, and attention to detail from the minute you begin planning your trip, to the day you return home.

1-on-1 Travel Consultant

Our travel consultants are professional, experienced and responsible, helping you from the very beginning to the end of your China trip!

After sending us an inquiry, one of our travel consultants will get back to you within 0.5~23.5 hrs. In the next few days, he/she will be working closely with you to formulate a customized tour plan, as well as providing professional suggestions based on your travel interests, time, and budget.

Beside, he/she will keep in contact with you during your entire tour in China, continually checking if everything is going well as planned.

We're working at Chengdu Bamboo International Tours, local based in Chengdu.

Local Tour Guides

Our local guide in every destination is not only very friendly, enthusiastic but also very informative and knowledgeable.

Once you arrive in the destination, the patient and punctual guides will pick you up and take you to get under skin of the city at your own pace. By in-depth discovery and explanation, they’ll show you more about the history, culture, customs and authentic local life. Throughout the journey, they're not only expert guides who take care of all the details but also fellow travelers who are dedicated to help you explore in comfort and style.

Our guides are passionate about what they do, and it shows all the way!

Local Drivers & Vehicle

Using our private transfer service makes you comfortable, relaxed and worry free all the way!

Our private service includes licensed drivers with many years’ driving experience and air-conditioned, non-smoking, clean and well-maintained cars/vans. Drivers are local, polite, friendly and helpful, taking you to your tourist sites, hotels, airport/train stations in safety. All kinds of vehicle are offered, and yours depends on the size of your group. Usually, we offer sedan cars, SUVs, business vans (MPV) and different types of buses, all with extra space for your luggage.

Our private transfer service guarantees you the highest comfort!

Comfortable & Homelike Hotels

In each destination, you’ll enjoy a comfortable stay in a great location!

The hotels we choose are based on star rating, great locations, well-equipped facilities, cozy bed, high quality service and guests’ feedbacks. Choices are a lot ranging from luxury 5 star, comfortable 4 star to budget 3 star. You could decide where to stay to best suit for your budget and likes. Generally, the hotels have both Western and Chinese breakfast with a wide choices.

If you have already got an ideal hotel, please feel free to tell our travel consultants and they'll book the hotel for you.

Have good sleep in our well-selected hotels in all the destinations of China.

Meals & Dining

We can satisfy all the dietary requirements no matter you want Chinese local food, western food, vegetarian food or muslin food.

The restaurants we will take you for lunch or dinner are all designated tourist restaurants approved by local tourist administration bureau. They have very good sanitary conditions and the food is prepared fresh and clean.

There will be some meals excluded in your itinerary as you like, and your private guide will be delighted to give you some suggestions and take you to the local restaurants to taste like Beijing Roast Duck, Xian Dumpling Dinner, Sichuan Hotpot, etc., if you are interested in local food tasting.

All the dining options will satisfy your stomach!

Check What our delighted customers are saying about our services

Hi Rita,

The best experience ever!!!! I fell in love.

I received your lovely card and cute gifts, thank you so much.

Done it! As always it’s my pleasure to hire your company services, see you in the next adventure.

Emmy

Emmy‚ Mexico, December 15, 2024

Hi Rita,

Please kindly see the feedback below.

We are a family of 7. This private tour package definitely met our expectations! Both tour guides (Chengdu- MAY & Chongqing-DAVID) provided us a very good service, both friendly and very flexible despite the change in our tour schedules. They were also very responsible and ensured our safety, meals and transports were well taken care of, especially since we have elderly and kids in our group. Both tour guides are very fluent in English too so it is very convenient for some of the non-chinese speakers in our group.

We will look for the same tour agent again in our next trip to China!

Best Regards,

Victoria

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Victoria‚ Singapore, December 14, 2024

Hi Shirley,

Thanks for the tour, and the itinerary that you planned for us was very comprehensive and detailed. We enjoyed it very much. The tour guide was also very friendly and experienced. He followed your itinerary closely and brought us to all the sites and explained in detail. He also recommended and brought us to enjoy some of the local cuisines during lunch.

Overall, we are impressed by the excellent service, reliability and quality that yourself, the tour guide and the driver has provided us. We would like to visit China again and we will not hesitate to engage your services again. Thank you!

Regards

Chun How

Chun How‚ Singapore, December 14, 2024

Hi Shirley,

I'm writing to provide some feedback on our recent Xian and Beijing trip that you put together for us.

We travel a lot, in the past year to Japan, New Zealand, China, Turkey, Africa, China, and finally this Xian/Beijing trip. I bring this up to highlight that we deal with a lot of travel professionals. You are easily the best travel professional we have dealt with through all of those trips. My wife, who happens to be Chinese asked me to make sure to keep your contact information for future China trips, with the intention of replacing the China based agent her brother usually uses for our trips.

Please let your manager know that we would probably not have used your company if not for you. Bamboo Travel is new to us and in a foreign country, so we had doubts as to what to expect. Your service was excellent from start to finish which really gave us confidence in your company. We had a little bit of an unusual itinerary and some constraints related to our other China travel prior to this tour. You were able to work through all of our issues with fast responses to our questions.

You also went what I would say was above and beyond expectations. The final example of that is a friend in the US was shipping some things to our hotel in Beijing for me to bring home to her. I contacted you to confirm the hotel name before they shipped the items, expecting I would then have to figure out the shipping details. Your reply not only confirmed the hotel, but you provided the shipping info in both English and Chinese, which saved me the hassle of trying to figure which address to use. Not a huge thing, but it's those small things that add up to a big difference in customer experience.

Thanks again for everything!

Xian:

Our guide was Waldner and we liked him from the start. We were just coming off another tour with another company which had maybe the best tour leader we've ever had. Even though we were always comparing Waldner measured up well. He was great at explaining the history of places we visited as well as answering our cultural questions. The restaurants/food were very good. He and the driver also modified the itinerary somewhat to optimize the driving based on our arrival and departure times and locations. We liked the hotel in Xian. The car (van) was very comfortable. Waldner also helped arrange tickets for a night show for us.

Beijing:

Pickup was great; even though we got in late the guide that picked us up was there and actually met us at the track. Cindy was our guide and we really liked her also. She is very knowledgeable and willing to answer (a lot of) questions. This was my 3rd time in Beijing and it was amazing what a difference having a good guide made. Cindy and the driver also modified the itinerary to optimize the driving. She also helped us book tickets to two shows, one of which was not on your list of optional items (Lao She tea house). Cindy was concerned about us ordering a cab so she stayed at the show to make sure we got back to our hotel ok. The restaurants/food were very good. The hotel was good but not great; for example we had hot water issues every day, and when I went to pick up a package that was shipped to me they just left me to dig through a pretty large pile of packages all addressed in Chinese.

To wrap up, I would rate the overall experience of looking for a trip, picking a company, and traveling 9.5 out of 10. Shirley, your service was 10 out of 10.

See you next trip!

Terry

Terry ‚ USA, December 11, 2024

Dear Rita,

Feedback.

The trip organised by Rita Jiang to Beijing and Xian was very well planned and enjoyable, showing the best of Chinese history, culture, heritage, and enormous progress.

Your 2 guides, Linda Chua and Beryl are very good. Linda went out of her way to take us to Peking Opera at night. The kids were tired, so we did not go to Summer palace and Heavenly temple, and did not go to Xian Pagoda. It was our choice, so its ok. (I have been to all)

The 2 bus drivers were excellent, very careful, disciplined and good temperament and helpful. I could not give a tip to Beryl at Xian station, as I had to rush into toilet inside, and did not know she could not enter the train Station.

The pace was good, but the last day of train from Xian, to hotel (plus late dinner scrabbling in Beijing), then early next morning to airport was too Hectic. However, it was because we had to return on 8.12.24. we wish we could stay longer in Xian, and elsewhere. We could probably have gone to Xian by train, then fly back to Beijing by plane, but one way tickets could cost much more.

Anyway, thank you very much for all your fine arrangements. We all enjoyed the short trip.

For the kids, the major highlights were the Great Wall, Terracotta warriors, Acrobatic show. They will treasure. I will plan more trips for them to China.

Best wishes and warm regards,

Richard

Richard‚ Singapore, December 11, 2024

Check What our customers are saying about us on Tripadvisor.com

excellent assistance, helpfulness and courtesy. My contact 'was Shirley, prepared friendly and punctual. Highly recommended...

Luciano P

"Travel consultant Mr Wonder Wang was so helpful and he planned our trip to Xi’an and Beijing so well. Mr Waldner is an amazing guide. His knowledge and enthusiasm made our tour very memorable..." read more »

Reviewed on December 13, 2024

Luciano P

"excellent assistance, helpfulness and courtesy. My contact 'was Shirley, prepared friendly and punctual. Highly recommended..." read more »

Reviewed on December 13, 2024