Lonely Planet China

by Lonely Planet

  Club New YorkBAR

  (纽约吧, Niǔyuē Bā GOOGLE MAP ; %0532 8573 9199; 2nd fl, 41 Xianggang Zhonglu, 香港中路41号2楼 beer from ¥28; h7pm-2am; g208, 216)

  Despite rather expensive drinks, this expat favourite overflows with revellers and sports fans when there’s a match on TV. Take advantage of happy hour, which is any time before 9.30pm and after midnight. There’s a live band most nights (9pm to 1am) and an incongruously classy sushi bar (11.30am to 9pm) adjoining. It's above the Overseas Chinese International Hotel lobby in Dōngbù.

  MADE IN TSINGTAO

  The beer of choice in Chinese restaurants around the world, Tsingtao is one of China’s oldest and most respected brands. Established in 1903 by a joint German–British corporation, the Germania-Brauerei began as a microbrewery of sorts using spring water from nearby Láo Shān to brew a Pilsener Light and Munich Dark for homesick German troops. In 1914 the Japanese occupied Qīngdǎo and confiscated the plant, rechristening it Dai Nippon and increasing production to sell under the Tsingtao, Asahi and Kirin labels. In 1945 the Chinese took over and gave the brewery its current name. At first, only China’s elite could afford to drink it, but advertisements touting Tsingtao as a health drink boosted its appeal. In 2014 the world drank more than 181 million kegs of the golden brew.

  3Entertainment

  Qīngdǎo Grand TheatreTHEATRE

  (青岛大剧院, Qīngdǎo Dàjùyuàn %0352 8066 5555; www.qingdaograndtheatre.com; 5 Yunling Lu, 云岭路5号 g230, 321)

  North of Shílǎorén in the Láo Shān district, the city’s grand performing-arts centre puts world-class theatre, music, dance, comedy and kiddie acts on its three stages.

  Broadway CinemasCINEMA

  (百老汇影城, Bǎilǎohuì Yǐngchéng GOOGLE MAP ; www.b-cinema.cn; 88 Aomen Lu, 澳门路88号 tickets from ¥90)

  Domestic and Hollywood blockbusters on the 3rd floor of Marina City shopping mall in the CBD.

  7Shopping

  Qīngdǎo’s main shopping drags are in Dōngbù, around Xianggang Zhonglu, but there are plenty of other places to spend.

  Jímòlù MarketMALL

  (即墨路小商品市场, Jímòlù Xiǎoshàngpǐn Shìchǎng MAP GOOGLE MAP ; 45 Liaocheng Lu, 聊城路45号 h9am-5.30pm)

  A four-storey bargain bonanza north of Old Town. Pearls, clothing, shoes, backpacks, jade, wigs – all for the haggling. Be aware that there are a lot of knock-offs on sale here, too.

  Marina CityMALL

  (百丽广场, Bǎilì Guǎngchǎng GOOGLE MAP ; %0532 6606 1177; 88 Aomen Lu, 澳门路88号 h10am-10pm)

  International brands plus an ice rink.

  Culture StreetANTIQUES

  (文化路, Wénhuà Lù GOOGLE MAP ; Changle Lu btwn Lijin Lu & Huayang Lu, 长乐路 介利津路华阳路之间 h8am-4pm)

  ‘Antiques’ and handicrafts sold in front of a tidy row of concession architecture north of Old Town. The most vendors come out on Saturday and Sunday.

  Book CityBOOKS

  (书城, Shū Chéng GOOGLE MAP ; 67 Xianggang Zhonglu at Yan’erdao Lu, 香港中路67号 h9am-7pm)

  Vast aisles of Chinese media and some books in English too.

  CarrefourDEPARTMENT STORE

  (家乐福, Jiālèfú GOOGLE MAP ; %0532 8584 5867; 21 Xianggang Zhonglu, 香港中路21号 h8.30am-10pm; g12, 26, 304)

  Massive general store at Nanjing Lu and Xianggang Zhonglu, fantastic for food too.

  8Information

  Skip the travel agencies and consult with one of the city's excellent hostels for travel advice.

  Useful websites include That's Qingdao (www.thatsqingdao.com), with listings and news clips, and Red Star (www.myredstar.com), an online entertainment guide and monthly magazine available in hostels, bars and foreign restaurants.

  China Post offices are located on the west edge of Táidōng ( GOOGLE MAP ; 23-1 Taidong Yilu; 台东一路23-1号 h8.30am-6pm), north of Old Town, and by the ICBC tower in the CBD ( GOOGLE MAP ; 119 Nanjing Lu; 南京路119号 h9am-5pm Mon-Fri, 9am-4.30pm Sat & Sun).

  ATMs are easy to find in Qīngdǎo.

  Bank of China (中国银行; Zhōngguó Yínháng GOOGLE MAP ; 68 Zhongshan Lu; 中山路68号 h9am-5pm Mon-Sat) On Zhongshan Lu at Feicheng Lu in Old Town. Also in the tower at the intersection of Fuzhou Nanlu and Xianggang Zhonglu ( GOOGLE MAP ; 59 Xianggang Zhonglu; 香港中路59号 h8.30am to 5pm) in the CBD. Branches have currency exchange and 24-hour ATMs.

  Public Security BureauPOLICE

  (PSB, 公安局, Gōng’ānjú GOOGLE MAP ; %general hotline 0532 6657 0000, visa inquiries 6657 3250 ext 2860; 272 Ningxia Lu; 宁夏路272号 h9am-noon & 1.30-5pm Mon-Fri)

  Take bus 301 from the train station to the Xiāoyáo Lù (逍遥路) stop and cross the street to the terracotta-coloured building with the flag on top.

  Qīngdǎo Municipal Hospital, International ClinicHOSPITAL

  (青岛市立医院东院区国际门诊, Qīngdǎo Shìlì Yīyuàn Dōngyuàn Qū, Guójì Ménzhěn GOOGLE MAP ; %emergency 8278 9120, international clinic 0532 8593 7690 ext 2266; 5 Donghai Zhonglu, 东海西路5号 h7.30am-noon & 1.30-5pm Mon-Fri, by appointment Sat; g210, 317)

  8Getting There & Away

  A handy ticket office sells air, train and ferry tickets on the ground floor of the Xīn Tiānqiáo Hotel (青岛新天桥宾馆售票处; Qīngdǎo Xīn Tiānqiáo Bīnguān Shòupiàochù MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %air & boat 0532 8612 0222, train & bus 0532 8612 0111; 47 Feicheng Lu; 肥城路47号 usual commission ¥5; h7.30am-9pm), near the train station. Otherwise, hostels can help.

  Air

  Qīngdǎo’s Líutíng International Airport (%booking & flight status 0532 8471 5139, hotline 96567; www.qdairport.com) is 30km north of the city. There are flights to most large cities in China, including daily services to Běijīng (¥970, 1¼ hours), Shànghǎi (¥780, one hour 40 minutes) and Hong Kong (¥2500, return, three hours). International flights include daily flights to Seoul (¥1600 return) and Tokyo (¥7000 return).

  Book tickets online using www.english.ctrip.com or www.elong.net.

  Bus

  Among Qīngdǎo’s many bus stations, the long-distance bus station (长途汽车站; Chángtú Qìchēzhàn GOOGLE MAP ; %400 691 6916; 2 Wenzhou Lu) in the Sìfāng district (四方区), north of most tourist sights, best serves most travellers. A limited number of buses also depart for provincial destinations, including Yāntái (¥84, four hours, hourly, 6am to 5.30pm), directly across from the train station.

  Daily direct buses from the long-distance bus station:

  ABěijīng ¥231, 11 hours, five daily (6am to 8.10pm)

  AHángzhōu ¥310, 12 hours, two daily (6pm and 6.30pm)

  AHéféi ¥276, 10 hours, three daily (8am, 5pm and 7.10pm)

  AJǐ’nán ¥109, 4½ hours, every 30 minutes (6.50am to 6.30pm)

  AQūfù ¥96, six hours, two daily (6.50am and 3.30pm)

  AShànghǎi ¥258, 11 hours, hourly (5pm to 9pm)

  ATài’ān ¥126, six hours, five daily (6am, 8.30am, 12.30pm, 2pm and 3.30pm)

  AWēihǎi ¥104, four hours, every 40 minutes (6.30am to 6pm)

  AYāntái ¥84, four hours, every 40 minutes (6am to 7pm)

  Train

  All trains from Qīngdǎo pass through Jǐ’nán except the direct Qīngdǎo to Yāntái and Wēihǎi trains. Buy tickets at the train station (火车站; Huǒchē Zhàn MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %0532 9510 5175; 2 Tai’an Lu; 泰安路2号 ), which has a 24-hour ticket office on the hectic east side (bring your passport). The west side is less crowded. Booking offices around town collect a service charge, typically ¥5. Some fast trains depart from Qīngdǎo North Train Station (青岛北站; Qīngdǎo Běizhàn Cangtai Lu; 沧台路 ). Tickets tend to sell out early in peak season.

  Express trains (1st-/2nd-class seat) depart for the following destinations:

  ABěijīng South ¥474/314, 4½ to five hours, 16 daily (5.32am to 5.07pm)

  AJǐ’nán ¥159/117, 2½ to three hours, hourly (5.32am to 7.50pm)

  AQūfù ¥244/179, three hours, three daily (6.23am, 8.31am and 4.2
1pm)

  AShànghǎi ¥818/518, six hours 50 minutes, four daily (6.55am, 9.17am, 1.54pm and 4.23pm)

  ATài’ān ¥194/149, three hours, six daily (6.55am to 2.36pm)

  AWéifāng ¥70/57, one hour, frequently (5.32am to 7.50pm)

  Regular trains (seat/hard sleeper) depart for the following destinations:

  AJǐ’nán ¥55/106, five to six hours, every 30 minutes (6.39am to 7.32pm)

  ATài Shān ¥69/126, 5½ to seven hours, eight daily (6.39am to 5.37pm)

  AWéifāng ¥29/80, 2½ hours, regular (6.39am to 7.19pm)

  AXī’ān ¥190/334, 19 to 24 hours, three daily (10am, 11.02am and 2.06pm)

  AYāntái ¥38/57, four hours, one daily (2.46pm)

  BORDER CROSSINGS: QīNGDǎO TO JAPAN & SOUTH KOREA

  International boats cross the Yellow Sea from Qīngdǎo’s Passenger Ferry Terminal (青岛港客运站; Qīngdǎogǎng Kèyùnzhàn GOOGLE MAP ; %0532 8282 5001; 6 Xinjiang Lu; 新疆路6号 ), a kilometre north of Old Town along Xinjiang Lu.

  Orient Ferry (奥林汽船 GOOGLE MAP ; %0532 8387 1160, 0532 8593 8919; www.orientferry.co.jp; Office, HiSense Plaza, 17 Donghai Xilu; 东海西路17号海信大厦1410室 tickets from ¥1350) sails twice weekly for Shimonoseki, Japan (下关; 36 hours, Monday and Thursday, check in by 3.30pm, departs 8pm), while Weidong Ferry Company (威东航运, Wēidōng Hángyùn GOOGLE MAP ; %0532 8280 3574; www.weidong.com; 4 Xinjiang Lu, next to Qīngdǎo Passenger Ferry Terminal; 东海西路15号 tickets ¥750-1090) operates boats from Qīngdǎo to Incheon, South Korea (仁川; 18 hours, Monday, Wednesday and Friday, check in by 2pm, departs 4pm), as well as from Yāntái and Wēihǎi. The cheapest tickets are usually for spots on the floor in large carpeted rooms, so upgrade at least one level if you want privacy.

  Buy advance or same-day tickets at the passenger ferry terminal and from some ticket offices like the Xīn Tiānqiáo Hotel around town. The ferry terminal also exacts a ¥30 exit fee per passenger.

  8Getting Around

  To/From the Airport

  Bright blue airport shuttles follow three routes through town. Shuttles leave hourly from the train station's south lot and then Airlines Hotel (航空快线商务酒店; Hángkōng Kuàixiàn Shāngwù Jiǔdiàn MAP GOOGLE MAP ; %96567; 77 Zhongshan Lu; 中山路77号 ¥20) in Old Town from 5.30am to 8.40pm; the Civil Aviation Building (民航大厦, Mínháng Dàshà GOOGLE MAP ; %0532 8286 0977; 30 Xianggang Xilu; 香港西路30号 ¥20) across from the Carrefour from 6am to 9pm; and the CBD’s Century Mandarin Hotel (世纪文化酒店 %0532 8286 0977; 10 Haijiang Lu; 海江路10号 ¥20) from 6.45am to 4.45pm. A taxi to/from Shìnán district is ¥90 to ¥120. A metro line connecting town with the airport is under construction.

  Public Transport

  From the train station, buses 26 and 501 head east past Zhōngshān Park and continue north on Nanjing Lu and east along Xianggang Lu, respectively. From the long-distance bus station, buses 210 and 362 go to Old Town and Shílǎorén, respectively. Bus 5 connects the long-distance bus and train stations. Bus 2 (¥15) goes west to Huángdǎo district. Most city buses cost ¥1 to ¥2, but onboard conductors issue tickets for further destinations.

  For ocean sights, bus 304 (¥7, two hours, from 6.30am) picks up at the Zhàn Qiáo stop by No 6 Bathing Beach and stops at all the biggies, ending at Dàhédòng in Láo Shān.

  Outside the train station, red double-decker sightseeing buses (one stop/unlimited ¥10/30, depart 8am onwards) also pass the sights along the water, going east to Shílǎorén or Láo Shān's various gates.

  The northern section of Line 3 of the highly anticipated underground metro started running in 2016, which in the long term will make travelling around town much easier. At present, Line 3 connects Qīngdǎo North Train Station with Shuangshan station, which will then connect via the southern arm of Line 3 with Qīngdǎo train station, passing by Zhōngshān Park and the centre of town. Line 2 is due to start operating by 2017 and further lines are under construction.

  For those traipsing around Zhōngshān Park, a cable car (one way/return ¥60/80; h7.30am-6.30pm) runs up Tàipíng Hill.

  Taxi

  Flag fall is ¥9 or ¥12 for the first 6km and then ¥2.10 (slightly more at night) per kilometre thereafter, plus a ¥1 fuel surcharge. If your driver takes detours, it’s because many city streets are restricted from 7am to 10pm.

  Láo Shān 崂山

  %0532

  A quick ride 28km east from Qīngdǎo, an arresting jumble of sun-bleached granite and hidden freshwater springs rises over the sea. It’s easy to understand why Láo Shān (崂山) has attracted spiritual pilgrims throughout the centuries. These days it's a great place to escape the city and recharge.

  In his quest for immortality, Emperor Qin Shi Huang ascended these slopes (with the help of a litter party of course), and in the 5th century Buddhist pilgrim Faxian landed here returning from India with a complete set of Buddhist scriptures. Láo Shān has its share of religious sites, but it is most steeped in Taoist tradition. Adepts of the Quanzhen sect, founded near Yāntái in the 12th century, cultivated themselves in hermitages scattered all over the mountain.

  Paths wind past ancient temples (and ruins), bubbling springs trickling into azure pools, and inscriptions left by Chinese poets (and German alpinists).

  1Sights

  There are a number of ways to enter the Láo Shān park. Dàhédòng gate to the south is the main one and the start of the picturesque hike to Jùfēng. For the most part, routes are paved but there are plenty of opportunities to off-road as well (look for red flags tied to branches marking trails).

  Cháoyīn WaterfallWATERFALL

  (潮音瀑, Cháoyīn Pù )

  This waterfall roars like an ocean tide in the wet season (in drier months the water falls in pieces, hence its ancient name, Fish Scales Waterfall).

  Tàiqīng PalaceTAOIST TEMPLE

  (太清宫, Tàiqīng Gōng ¥30; hcloses 5.30pm)

  Láo Shān’s oldest and grandest temple, Tàiqīng Palace was established by the first Song emperor around AD 960 to perform Taoist rites to protect the souls of the dead. Taoist devotees in blue and white still live here, and many credit their good health to drinking from the Spring of the Immortals (神水泉), which feeds into the grounds. The massive ancient gingko, cedar and cypress trees also apparently benefit your health.

  Yǎngkǒu Scenic AreaMOUNTAIN

  (仰口景区, Yǎngkǒu Jǐngqū Apr-Oct ¥90, Nov-Mar ¥60)

  You can ascend this scenic area by foot or cable car (仰口景区索道; Yǎngkǒu Jǐngqū Suǒdào one way/return ¥45/80) past wind- and water-carved granite. There’s a 30m scramble in total darkness up a crevice to the top of Looking for Heaven Cave (觅天洞; Mìtiān Dòng) and then upward still for bright views to the sea. The hike up takes about three hours.

  JùfēngMOUNTAIN

  (巨峰 admission Apr-Oct ¥120, Nov-Mar ¥90)

  This peak – the name literally means 'Huge Mountain' – is Láo Shān's highest point at 1133m above sea level. If you take the cable car (巨峰索道; Jùfēng Suǒdào one way/return ¥40/80) part way up the mountain, it's another four hours up steps past temples and a spring to the stone terrace at the peak and awe-inspiring views of mountains, sky and sea. It's a tremendous walk, but load up with water on a hot day.

  Běijiǔshuǐ Scenic AreaCANYON

  (北九水景区, Běijiǔshuǐ Jǐngqū admission Apr-Oct ¥130, Nov-Mar ¥100)

  This canyon area at the north end of the Láo Shān park is mostly flat and takes a couple of hours to traverse. The path winds alongside and across clear, blue streams before reaching Cháoyīn Waterfall.

  4Sleeping & Eating

  There are several sleeping options if you want to spend the night in the area: although rooms are more expensive than staying in Qīngdǎo, the tranquillity can be infectious.

  If you want to extend your stay, pick-your-own seafood restaurants and a range of guesthouses line the main road hugging the coast.

  Abalone Island HotelHOTEL$$

 
(鲍鱼岛酒店, Bàoyú Dǎo Jiǔdiàn %0532 8882 1678; Shazi Kou, Liuqing River Village, 沙子口镇流清河村 r ¥422; ai)

  About 4km from the Dàhédòng gate on Láo Shān's south end, Abalone Island Hotel has a handful of frugal rooms (some with ocean views) above an excellent abalone-serving seafood restaurant. Discounts usually bring prices down to around ¥280. To get here, take local bus 104 or 113 to the Liúqīnghé (流清河总站) stop, then walk another kilometre, keeping the ocean on your right.

  No English spoken.

  Seagrass HouseBOUTIQUE HOTEL$$$

  (海草房 %English 186 6394 2253; Quanxin He, 泉心河 r incl meals from ¥1200; aW)

  Set in former rangers' quarters by a crystal-clear stream and surrounded by mountains and sea, this little hotel is the most sophisticated option in the park. Rooms are elegantly rustic; some have plush mattresses set on kàng (炕), platforms heated on chilly nights. All meals are included and highlight Láo Shān–sourced ingredients.

  8Getting There & Away

  From Qīngdǎo, red double-decker sightseeing buses (one stop/unlimited ¥10/30) stop at sights along the water going east to Yǎngkǒu (仰口; departing 8am to 3pm, returning 2pm to 3pm), and go directly to Dàhédōng (大河东; departing 9am to 3pm, returning 1pm to 5pm) and Běijiǔshuǐ (北九水; departing 8.40am, returning 3pm). Another option is bus 304 (¥7, two hours, from 6.30am), which picks up at the Zhàn Qiáo stop by No 6 Bathing Beach and ends at Dàhédōng. Private tour buses to Láo Shān (return from ¥40) also ply Qīngdǎo’s streets from 6am onwards but stop at ‘sights’ on the way to the mountain and back, so are the slower option.