Qinhuangdao

Qinhuangdao (秦皇岛 Qínhuángdǎo) is a city of 1.9 million people (2020) in the urban area in Hebei province. Qinhuangdao Port is the largest coal shipping port in the country. The Qinhuangdao Wildlife Park and is China's second largest wildlife park.

Understand
Qinhuangdao has three urban areas:
 * Beidaihe: a seaside resort.
 * Haigang: the harbor area and considered Qinhuangdao proper.
 * Shanhaiguan: the eastern end of the Great Wall.

By plane


Other airports close by are Tianjin or Beijing Capital Airport  where you can take Inter-Provincial Bus. Take note of the timetable. Or you can take the train from those cities, see below.

By train
There are multiple train options when traveling to Qinhuangdao. Most visitors to Qinhuangdao are coming from either Beijing or Tianjin. Both cities are a two-hour ride on one of CRC's (China Railway Corp.) 'D' or 'Dong' trains. A ticket for a fast train to or from Beijing is ¥93, but expect to pay a ¥5 ticketing fee if not purchased directly at the departure train station. 'T', 'K', and 'numbered' trains also make daily journeys through Qinhuangdao, but they are much slower (4-6 hours from Beijing) and rarely worth the savings for western travelers who value time over cost.

By bus
Long distance buses are common in China, and Qinhuangdao is no exception. Buses depart from a central station near to the central train station in the Haiguan area of the city. Bus tickets from Beijing will often cost as much as train tickets, but the departures are more frequent. There is a direct bus from Beijing Capital International Airport direct to Qinhuangdao. Travel time is roughly 4 hours (depending on traffic), and tickets can be purchased directly at the bus station at the airport for ¥150.

Get around
Qinhuangdao is a relatively small city by China standards. However, due to its location on the water, the city tends to sprawl in a linear fashion along the coast from Shanhaiguan to Beidaihe, thus making buses and taxis necessary means for getting around.

By taxi
Taxis are inexpensive and abundant, thus making them the preferred means of transport for travelers. Be sure you can confidently communicate where you want to go before you get into a cab as most of the drivers in Qinhuangdao can not speak English, but many of them can read Chinese. You can ask somebody to write down the place where you want go in Chinese on a card, and show this card to taxi driver. The best approach is to have a valid phone number for where you are going, or a phone number for a contact who can communicate with the driver in Chinese, should there be a problem.

While most taxi drivers are honest and use meters, the ones around railway stations tend to refuse to use meters. The prices they ask are usually a rip off. Be prepared.

By bus
Buses are also a good option for getting around the city. City maps, which contain bus routes on them, can be obtained from kiosks near to the central bus and train stations. Buses cost ¥1-2 for a single ticket ride. However, the low cost means that buses are always overcrowded, and occasional pickpockets make it essential to protect your personal belongings.

See
Many of Qinhuangdao's attractions have been extensively restored or rebuilt in the 1980s. This includes most of the city wall as well as the Great Wall going towards the sea. The other side of the wall, going up the mountains, has been partly restored but some parts remain in their original, crumbling state.

Much of the "old" town, especially along the main north-south road, was completely reconstructed in 2008/09. Several city blocks were remade into a faux-old Chinese city that, despite the lack of history, is quite pleasant to walk through. Most of it, however, is still largely uninhabited and quite like a ghost town. Especially in the evening after sunset, with the tourists gone, you will find even the main streets almost deserted.


 * If you're content with seeing the wall hit the sea from the other side, turn left outside the entrance and follow the road making a right turn, going through the wall and to the beach. Walk about 200 m along the beach to get to the end of the wall. A fence has been put up preventing you to get closer than about 50 m to the wall, however, it may be possible to go through a hole in or under the fence. Judging by its appearance, several such holes have been patched in the past, but in Sep 2010, there is still one there. Passing the fence will not lead you to the paid area as the wall blocks you off from that.
 * At low tide it is allegedly possible to walk around the end of the wall and enter the paid area without a ticket. If you want to do this, make sure you understand the risk - if you get caught, you can be fined several times the admission fee.
 * At low tide it is allegedly possible to walk around the end of the wall and enter the paid area without a ticket. If you want to do this, make sure you understand the risk - if you get caught, you can be fined several times the admission fee.



Do
The city has a wide selection of entertainment options, but mostly are dedicated to nightlife and dining. The main attraction of the area is the sea and the relatively clean beaches. Day trips to Shanhaiguan and Beidaihe are hassle free and worth doing.

Buy
Qinhuangdao, like every city in China has its share of shopping. The downtown area is comprised of many shops all selling different goods at prices that are usually less than in Beijing. The styles however, tend to be out dated and nearly everything available is knock off versions of the 'real' products sold elsewhere in China. There is a great DVD store on the second floor of the 'Blog Theme Hotel' near to 'Qinhuangdao Number 2 Middle School'. There are also large electronic stores in the same vicinity. Most items are priced competitively and can be bargained for with some success.

Drink

 * Bar lotus' drink.jpg

Sleep
Qinhuangdao has lots of hotels in all price categories, but unfortunately, most of them are not allowed to take foreigners. If you are Chinese, you can get economy rooms (no bathroom) in the train station area for ¥40-50, or regular rooms starting at about ¥80.

There are several hotels that have permission to take foreigners. One is listed below; another is a smaller and cheaper place just south of the old town (if anyone stays there, please fill in the details). To find it, ask around at the train station (e.g. other hotels, taxi drivers). Taking a taxi to either of the two hotels should cost ¥5.



There are two more hotels that allow foreigners to stay:

Xiyuan Inn, 17th Building, Taiyang City, Xihou Street, Haigang District (锡源宾馆, 海港区太阳城17号楼 西后街, 海港区).

GreenTree Inn Hebei Qinhuangdao Sun City Express Hotel, 5-8F Building B No.9 Xinhua Street, Haigang District (格林豪泰河北省秦皇岛市太阳城快捷酒店, 海港区新华街9号B座5-8楼, 海港区).

Go next
On the southwest of Qinhuangdao there are Tianjin and Beijing. On the northeast there are Huludao, Panjin, Shenyang. On the north there is Chifeng, if you enjoy seeing grasslands.

Jiumenkou Great Wall 九门口长城 can be combined into a day trip with Qinhuangdao. It is in Liaoning Province but close enough to Qinhuangdao. One-way taxi from Qinhuangdao to Jiumenkou Great Wall is ¥40-50. Jiumenkou Great Wall is the solely Great Wall section that is built above a river. There is also the only existing Great Wall tunnel. Prepare at least 3 hours for a trip to Jiumenkou Great Wall from Qinhuangdao.