Qingdao, covering an area of 11293 km², is an international coastal city in the southeast of Shandong Peninsula. It is the economic center of Shandong and an international shipping hub of Northeast Asia.
Its natural advantages endow Qingdao with beautiful coastal scenery, comfortable weather, convenient transportation, and international atmosphere, which make it a popular destination for spending holidays. The blue sky, gentle breeze, soft beaches, distinctive beer, delicious seafood, colorful buildings, and warmhearted Qingdao people will not let you down.
Qingdao is a typical seafront city in Jiaodong Peninsula of Shandong Province. Praised as one of the cleanest, most elegant and most beautiful cities of China, Qingdao attracts numerous domestic and international travelers to have a body-comforting and mind-relaxing holiday.
It usually needs 2 days to explore the highlights of Qingdao. You can learn the history and production process of Tsingtao Beer in Qingdao Beer Museum, take some beautiful pictures at the symbol of Qingdao – Zhanqiao, enjoy a 360-degree view of Qingdao City in Xiaoyushan Park, see the pretty neighborhood with villas in different styles in Badaguan, etc.
If you have more days, spend a day hiking Laoshan Mountain or you can travel to other destinations in Shandong such as the capital city Jinan, sacred Mount Tai, and Confucius’ hometown Qufu, or go further to other cities like Beijing, Xian, Luoyang, and Tianjin.
Qingdao has many attraction sites that can take you to appreciate its beautiful seascape, probe into its long history, and learn more about the beer culture. Among them, Qingdao Beer Museum is a one of the favorites and if you have enough time, Laoshan Mountain is a place you can not miss. More attractions in Qingdao >>
Famed as NO. 1 Coastal Mountain in China, in Laoshan Mountain you can have the most significant mountain and sea scenery of Qingdao.
You can not only learn the history of Tsingtao Beer in Qingdao Beer Museum, but also have a bottle of the authentic Tsingtao Beer for free.
Zhanqiao Pier, built in 1891, is the symbol of Qingdao. It stretches 440 meter into the sea and was the first wharf of Qingdao.
May Fourth Square is the central business district of Qingdao. Apart from the shopping malls, here you can enjoy the most beautiful nightview.
Badaguan is attractive as the Museum of World Architectures with the more than 200 old buildings in the styles of more than 20 countries.
Xiaoyushan Park is honored as the best viewpoint of Qingdao. Here you can see many attractions in Qingdao after climbing to the small hill in the park.
This residence was built for the German governor in Qingdao in the late 19th century and still keeps its original furniture and appearance.
As a coastal city, there are many beaches in Qingdao to relax yourself and enjoy the sunshine. Qingdao No.1 Bathing Beach is one of the most popular beaches.
Apart from visiting the top attractions such as Laoshan Mountain and Qingdao Beer Museum, you can attend the grand Qingdao International Beer Festival if you are here in August. You can also try some sea food in the snack streets and have fun exploring other sites in Qingdao such as the Underwater World. See all featured activities in Qingdao >>
Qingdao Beer Festival is a grand gathering for both locals and tourists to drink beer, watch fantastic shows and attend various activities.
Qingdao is not only famous for its beer but also for the delicious seafood such as octopus, mussel, winkle, crab, Chinese mackerel, scallop, etc.
Qingdao is a kid-friendly city with many interesting places to visit such as Qingdao Underwater World, also known as Qingdao Aquarium.
Located in the south end of Shandong Peninsula and western shore of Yellow Sea coast, Qingdao has a temperate monsoon climate which is influenced by its oceanic environment and southeast monsoon. It features cool spring, wet summer, mild autumn and dry winter. In general, the rainy period of the year lasts for around 9.5 months and the chance of wet days varies significantly throughout the year. Qingdao has an annual average sunshine of about 2500 hours, so you can enjoy more sunshine here than many other cities in China. The average annual temperature is around 12.6 °C. It is cold in winter and early spring, but it is rare to have very hot weather in Qingdao. Even in August, the hottest month, its average temperature is just around 25 °C.
Best Time to Visit Qingdao: It is pleasant to visit Qingdao all year round but the best time to visit Qingdao is March to November, especially at the tail of August when the sea water is mild and Qingdao International Beer Festival takes place.
How to Get to Qingdao
It is available to get to Qingdao by air or train/high speed train.
Qingdao Liuting International Airport is located 27 km (1 hour by car, 1h50min by bus) north of Qingdao downtown (May Fourth Square). As of October, 2020, Qingdao Liuting International Airport operates 182 airlines connecting 107 cities in 8 countries and regions. You can fly to Qingdao from Beijing (1.5h), Shanghai (1.5h), Xian (2h), Luoyang (1.5h), Zhengzhou (1h45min), Chengdu (2h40min), Guangzhou (3.5h), etc.
>> Qingdao Liuting International Airport and Flights
Qingdao Railway Station, about 8 km (0.5h by car or subway) from May Fourth Square, operates both high speed trains and normal trains between Qingdao and most cities like Beijing (4-5h), Shanghai (7h), Guangzhou (13h), Xian (9-23h), Tianjin (4-4.5h), Jinan (2-5.5h), Tai’an (3.5-6.5h), Yantai (1.5-2h), etc. Metro Line 3 and multiple bus routes can take you to the station conveniently.
Qingdao North Railway Station, located 18 km (1h by car or subway) north of May Fourth Square, also serves high speed trains and normal trains from Shanghai (7h), Guangzhou (30h), Xian (8-21h), Tianjin (4.5-10h), Jinan (1.5-5.5h), Tai’an (2.5-7h), Yantai (1.5h), etc.
How to Get around Qingdao
For independent travelers, you can travel Qingdao with the most highlights by subway, taxi, or bus. There are 4 metro lines that can take you to many landmarks such as May Fourth Square, Zhanqiao Pier, Qingdao Railway Station, and Qingdao North Railway Station. Six other lines are under construction. If you want to have a different travel experience in Qingdao, you can try the ferry connecting Huangdao. You can also contact us for private car service to save all the transfer trouble.
In Qingdao, there are many types of hotels varying from 5-star to 3-star. With convenient transportation, a short distance to the seaside, and easily found luxury, comfortable or budget hotels, Qingdao downtown near May Fourth Square and along the coastline to Zhanqiao Pier is the most recommended accommodation area in Qingdao. If you want to have an in-depth Laoshan mountain tour and need to stay a night, there are also some choices in or near Laoshan Scenic Area. But the living condition is not as good as downtown.
>> Where to Stay in Qingdao | Qingdao Luxury Hotels | Qingdao Comfortable Hotels
In order to have a more efficient Qingdao tour, it is quite important to get a better understanding of Qingdao’s location, transportation and attractions distribution. Here we provide some Qingdao maps for you, including Qingdao Location Maps, Qingdao Transfer Maps, Qingdao Tourist Maps, etc. View more Qingdao Maps >>
Qingdao Location Map
Qingdao Attractions Map
Jinan Qingdao Travel Map
Shandong, a coastal province in East China, offers both charming seaside landscape and rich cultural and historical heritages. Except for the beautiful Qingdao, there are much more great destinations in Shandong worth your exploration, including picturesque Jinan, sacred Mount Tai, honorable birthplace of Confucianism - Qufu, Weifang, fairyland-like Penglai in Yantai, etc. The following are top recommended Shandong destinations to travel with Qingdao.
China is vast and diverse. You can choose your favorite destinations among more than 70 tourist destinations and regions, like Beijing, Shanghai, Xian, Chengdu, etc. Following are 4 popular destinations you may be interested in. Check all destinations in China.
Over the past few years, we've had the pleasure of helping many global travelers create unforgettable memories in Shandong. One of our favorite stories comes from a lovely couple who spent 21 days exploring China, with a particularly memorable experience in Shandong. They shared their journey with us, and we’re thrilled to have been part of their adventure! Travel with China Discovery to craft your own unforgettable China experience!
All itineraries and side trips can be customized privately, so please feel free to contact with our travel consultants if you have this kind of need.
This tour takes you to explore all highlights of Qingdao in 3 days, involving seascape sightseeing, mountain visit, Qingdao Beer experience, Taoism exploration...
Want to have a high-quality Qingdao experience in limited time? This tour allows you to visit only the essence of Qingdao in 2 short days.
Best of Shandong Tour: 6 days private tour from springs city Jinan to romantic Qingdao via majestic Mount Tai and famous Qufu. Fully-inclusive tour package with local tour guide, great hotels, meals, etc.
This tour takes you to explore China's rich culture in Beijing and great seascape in Qingdao to your fullest in one go. In addition, you will enjoy the comfortable transfer by high speed train.
Start your vacation in Qingdao, the city of bear and coastal landscape, then travel to Qufu, the hometown of Confucius, finally hike the majestic Mount Tai.Private tour package includes your own guide and driver.
Starting from Qingdao, and returning to Qingdao after trips in Weihai and Yantai, you can enjoy pleasant weather, golden and soft beaches, reachable islands, amazing seafood, clean city….
A Shandong panorama tour which is an eye-pleasing experience of both culture and nature. It is recommended for all kinds of travelers, no matter you are seniors, couples or young people, students, etc.
Leisure holiday with diverse experiences including beach, bear, city exploration, mountain hiking, culture, local food, etc. Private tour package with great value.
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