Forget what you have heard and read about Beidaihe. Beidaihe is 300km far from Beijing and normally known as a very crowded tourist destinations. But like all tourist places all over the world, you always have a small spot of peace & quite in a sea of tourists. While it may not be Boracay, Phuket or Bali, the beach at Beidaihe in the city of Qinghuangdao is worth a weekend trip to escape the concrete jungle that is Beijing. And, Qinghuangdao has other sites worth exploring.
Beidaihe Beach (A small section of the beach was for wedding scenery photo shootings)
The car drive took us 4-5 hours and looking back every hour was absolutely worth it. Our hotel was the highlight of the trip. It started with a really warm welcome of the laoban (owner), her small team and her two dogs. So, for all dog lovers it is a great place where you can bring your beloved pets. At the entrance they parked very cool bicycles for you to cruise around in Beidaihe or maybe also to the beach, which is only 10 minutes away by bicycle. Kids can play on the big lawn, have fun on a big trampoline, stroll through the fruit garden, build sandcastles in the big sandbox, play in the pool with many colorful pool floats, or learn some gardening skills from their vegetable garden on the roof.
For dinner they offer some really nice barbecue on the terrace, which is decorated with lanterns, candles, and flowers. Small reminder, you will have to book the barbecue dinner in advance.
In total they only have 11 rooms with different categories: Sweet House (European King size bed), Family house (Queen size bed + Single bed), King house (80m2, European King size bed + private pool), Party house (80m2, 2 King size bed + private pool). The King house and Party house can be connected to one “Big house”.
Kinghouse
Sweet house
Big hotel pool
Breakfast room
More information about the hotel:
23°C Garden Hotel
Phone: 0335- 4042323
Wechat: Garden23
Since the Great Wall is close by, we decided to make a small trip to where the Great Wall meets the sea. The magnificent Great Wall resembles a giant dragon, extending thousands of miles between western China and the eastern Bohai Sea. The easternmost section looks like a dragon drinking water from the sea, hence the name Laolongtou (Old Dragon’s Head).
Admission Fee:
May – October 50 RMB | November – April 20 RMB
Opening Hours:
May – October 7:00 – 18:00 | November – April 7:30 – 17:00
It took us 1 hours by car from our hotel to the sightseeing spot.
How to get to Beidaihe from Beijing?
-By car, around 4h without traffic
-Train to Qinhuangdao (cost around 100RMB) and then take the taxi to Beidaihe, which is a 20min ride and around 50RMB
-Train to Beidaihe (cost around 100RMB)
How to get to Laolongtou from Qinhuangdao Train station?
-You can take bus no. 33 to get off at Shanhaiguan Cultural Palace station. Then you walk to Shanhaiguan National Tax Bureau station and take bus no. 21 to get there. It costs around CNY 52 if you catch a taxi.
How to get to Laolongtou from Qinhuangdao City?
By bus
-Take bus no.25 to the scenic area directly.
-Take bus no.35, and get off at Nanhai Village Station. Walk east along Longhai Avenue to the scenic area
By train
-If you start from Qinhuangdao Railway Station area, you can take a train to Shanhaiguan Railway Station. A one-way trip takes about 25 minutes. Get out of the station and then take bus no.25 to get there.
