Things to Do in Yantai | Top Yantai Attractions 2025
Yantai, a relaxing coastal city in Shandong Province, is also one of the famous historical and cultural cities of China. Here you can enjoy the endless coastline, appreciate fairyland scenery, have fun on the beach, and savor various seafood. We have listed the best things to do in Yantai to help you make full of your holiday and focus on the top Yantai attractions and activities. If you want to have some of them or some other experience included in your itinerary, feel free to tell us. We can customize a private Yantai tour according to your own ideas and needs.
Yantai Tourist Attractions Map (click to enlarge)
NO.1: Admire Fairyland Penglai Pavilion Scenic Area
Full View of Penglai Pavilion Scenic Area
Penglai Water City
- Location: No 7 Yingbin Road, Penglai, Yantai, Shandong 烟台蓬莱迎宾路7号
- Transportation: about 74 km (1 hour 40 minutes by car) to Yantai downtown (Yantai Mountain, Changyu Wine Culture Museum, Yantai Railway Station), 40 km (1 hour by car) to Yantai Penglai International Airport.
- Opening Hours: 7:00 - 18:30 (April to October), 8:00 - 17:00 (November to next March)
- Ticket: CNY 100
- Cable Car: CNY 30 for one way, CNY 50 for a round Trip. 7:30 - 18:00 (April to October), 8:00 - 16:30 (November to next March).
- Recommended Visiting Time: Half day.
- Best Time to Visit: April to October
Penglai Pavilion is an AAAAA tourist site in Yantai. The main building of Penglai Pavilion was built in 1061, the sixth year of Jiayou of the Song Dynasty. It is known as "fairyland on earth" for its beautiful scenery. The legend of "Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea" and the “mirage" wonder are well-known at home and abroad. Penglai Pavilion together with the Yellow Crane Tower, Yueyang Tower and Tengwang Pavilion enjoys a reputation of "the four famous buildings" in China.
With an area of 18500 square meters, Penglai Pavilion is a construction complex that includes Sanqing Palace, Lvzu Palace, Tianhou Palace, Longwang Palace and Mituo Temple, which all locate in a hillside with different styles. So you need to climb up the hill to visit them. After that, you can take a cable car to Tianheng Mountain and overlook the junction of Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea on the way. Besides, there are Dengzhou Harbor and Ancient Ship Museum for visitors to know more history of Penglai.
Nearby Penglai Pavilion in the west is the Penglai Water City, which is a historical site and was initially used to harbor the warship. Now here has well preserved some of the forts, lighthouses, wharf, city wall, enemy radio stations, etc. It is the most complete ancient naval base in China.
√ 2 Days Yantai Classic Tour / √ 5 Days Qingdao Weihai Yantai Coastal Tour
NO.2: Get a Panoramic View of Yantai on Yantai Mountain
Overlook Yantai City on Yantai Mountain
Yantai Mountain Scenic Spot Sunset
- Location: No. 7 Lixin Road, Zhifu District, Yantai City 烟台市芝罘区历新路7号
- Transportation: only 2 km to Yantai downtown (Changyu Wine Culture Museum, Yantai Railway Station), 47 km (1 hour by car) to Yantai Penglai International Airport.
- Opening Hours: 8:00 - 17:00
- Ticket: Free (entering the lighthouse needs CNY 10)
- Recommended Visiting Time: around 2 hours
- Best Time to Visit: April to October
Located in the northern side of Yantai, Yantai Mountain Scenic Spot (烟台山景区) is the symbol of Yantai city. Surrounded by the sea on three sides, it is like the mountain, sea, city and port are connected as one. There are some beacon towers on the mountain top built in 1398, acting as a warning when they were smoking in the war period. And Yantai was named after these smoking towers (in Chinese Yan means smoke and Tai means tower).
The lighthouse on the top is the highest point in Yantai city. You can take the elevator in the lighthouse to the observation tower on the 11th floor. There you can get a panoramic view of the coastal scenery and the city built along the coast.
As Yantai is the first treaty port of Shandong in 1862 of the Qing Dynasty, visitors can easily find consulates, villas, residences and more European-style buildings here. On Chaoyang Street at the foot of Yantai Mountain still retains many Western companies, hotels, and other modern buildings. Here has the only modern foreign consulate group which is preserved most completely and intensively in Asia.
NO.3: Taste Chinese Wine in Changyu Wine Culture Museum
Changyu Wine Culture Museum
Wine Storage Barrels
- Location: No. 56 Dama Road, Zhifu District, Yantai City 烟台市芝罘区大马路56号
- Transportation: only 2 km to Yantai downtown (Yantai Mountain, Yantai Railway Station), 47 km (1 hour by car) to Yantai Penglai International Airport.
- Opening Hours: 8:00 - 17:00
- Ticket: CNY 80
- Recommended Visiting Time: around 1 hour
- Best Time to Visit: All year round
Situated in the north of Yantai, near the ocean, Changyu Wine Culture Museum (张裕酒文化博物馆) is a European castle building, established in 1992 before Changyu Group celebrated its hundredth anniversary. It records the history of how Yantai became the international wine city, which dates back to Yantai International Wine and Brandy Tasting Seminars hold in 1987 when Changyu wine company, established in 1892 by Mr. Chang Bishi, won a high rating of world-class level.
Apart from the introduction of the history and production process of Changyu wine, the underground big wine cellar with a history of a hundred years is the essence and highlight of the museum. There are over 500 wine barrels, containing more than fifteen thousand liters of wine. Walking along the steps, you can smell the refreshing wine fragrance all the way.
With your ticket, you can get two bottles of wine for free at the bar in the museum. You can also pay to make your own wine or taste more kinds of wine.
√ 2 Days Yantai Classic Tour / √ 5 Days Qingdao Weihai Yantai Coastal Tour
NO.4: Bath in the Sunshine of Gold Beach
Golden Sand and Azure Water
Gold Beach in Sunset Glow
- Location: No. 40 Haibin Road, Fushan District, Yantai City 烟台市福山区海滨路40号
- Transportation: about 16 km (40 minutes by car) to Yantai downtown (Yantai Mountain, Changyu Wine Culture Museum, Yantai Railway Station), 47 km (1 hour by car) to Yantai Penglai International Airport.
- Opening Hours: All day.
- Ticket: Free
- Recommended Visiting Time: around 1-2 hours
- Best Time to Visit: May to October
Yantai Gold Beach (烟台金沙滩) is reputed as "the finest beach in North China" with its gentle slope, clean water, and soft sand. It is also one of the best natural bathing beaches in China.
Gold Beach, as its name implies, has golden and bright sand. The vast beach covers an area of 23.5 square kilometers. So you can easily find some open space to fully enjoy yourself. With some friends, you can even play beach football or volleyball there.
When the fiery sun rises from the east or sinks to the west, the sea becomes a magnificent picture bathing in the shining light. The golden waves, fishing sails, groups of seagulls and soft sand blend harmoniously in this picture, which is quite a poetic scene. It is also one of the most beautiful moments when you can take some pictures of the scenery or yourself to save this memory.
NO.5: Immerse Yourself in Picturesque Yangma Island
Horse Statue on Yangma Island
Picturesque Yangma Island View
- Location: No. 99 Tianma Road, Mouping District, Yantai City 烟台市牟平区天马路99号
- Transportation: about 29 km (1 hour by car) to Yantai downtown (Yantai Mountain, Changyu Wine Culture Museum, Yantai Railway Station), 72 km (70 minutes by car) to Yantai Penglai International Airport.
- Opening Hours: 08:00 - 18:00
- Ticket: Free
- Recommended Visiting Time: 3 hours
- Best Time to Visit: All year round
Yangma Island (养马岛) is located in the north of Mouping District, Yantai, with a large area of 13.52 square kilometers. The island has a pleasant climate, which is not too cold in winter or too hot in summer, thus very suitable for leisure and vacation. Yangma Island has a long history. It is said that Emperor Qinshihuang (259BC) - the first emperor of the united China, raised royal horses here during his eastern tour, and the island was named "Royal Horse Raising Island" (Yangma means raising horse in Chinese).
The island is characterized by rolling hills, lush trees, and horse sculptures. The sea surface in front of the island is wide and calm. The rocks behind the island are rugged and the waves are pounding on the bank. It is suitable for sightseeing and hiking. The east end of the blue water is an excellent bathing beach, suitable for swimming, while the western end of the deep water has few waves, forming a good natural harbor. The island is rich in sea cucumber, scallop, abalone, prawn, oyster, swan egg and other seafood, which is also a paradise for seafood lovers.
Today, there are all kinds of hotels and recuperation centers on the island, as well as entertainment attractions such as Tianma square, racecourse, and bathing beach. It is a good place for vacation and sightseeing.
How to Plan Yantai Tour
Generally, a classic Yantai tour takes at least 2 days (including arrival and departure days). If you arrive in Yantai in the morning, you can spend an afternoon immersing yourself in the legend of Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea in Penglai Pavilion. On the next day, it is recommended to first visit quaint Yantai Hill Park which is well-preserved with stone paths, leafy gardens and some other architectures, and then explore Chinese wine in Changyu Wine Culture Museum before you leave. If you have more time, you can have a relaxing stay in the beaches of Yantai, like Yantai Gold Beach, No. 1 Beach, No. 2 Beach, etc.
In fact, Yantai is always traveled with other cities in Shandong's coastline, including Qingdao and Weihai. It is really worthwhile to spend 2 days savoring Qingdao highlights, like Badaguan Scenic Resort, Qingdao Beer Museum, Laoshan Mountain etc., and visit beautiful Chengshantou Scenic Area and Liugong Island in Weihai.
Seascape is just a small piece of charming Shandong. If you want to add Chinese traditional culture savory into your trip, we strongly suggest you visit Mount Tai and Qufu. Mount Tai is the first UNESCO World Natural & Cultural Heritage site while Qufu is the hometown of Confucius. Spending another 2~3 days visit these two destinations will deliver you an unforgettable experience of Chinese culture discovery.
√ 2 Days Most Classic Mount Tai Hiking Tour
√ 2 Days Taishan & Qufu Tour from Beijing by Bullet Train
√ 6 Days Jinan, Qufu, Mount Tai & Qingdao Tour
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Recommended Yantai Tours
Top 3 Yantai tours chosen by most customers to explore Yantai in the best way. Check the detailed itinerary, or tailor your own trip now with us.
5 Days Qingdao Weihai Yantai Coastal Tour
Qingdao / Weihai / Yantai / Penglai / Qingdao
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