Truths you must know after visiting Qinhuangdao

🌊 Just got back from Qinhuangdao! Here are 10 hard-earned tips that can help you avoid 80% of the pitfalls!

⚠️ Avoid these traps at all costs!

1️⃣ 【Hidden Costs in Anaya】

❌ Avoid: Non-owners/hotel guests must buy an art center ticket (100 RMB) to enter Anaya

✅ Tip: Book a table at the "Yellow River Meets the Sea" restaurant inside the park (about 60 RMB per person) to get free entry

2️⃣ 【Seafood Market Tricks】

❌ Avoid: Liu Zhuang Night Market seafood stalls swapping out live shrimp for dead ones!

✅ Recommendation: Go to "Hedong Market" and choose shops with the "Honest Merchant" sign

3️⃣ 【Pigeon Nest Park Alternative】

❌ Avoid: Paying 23 RMB for a crowded view

✅ Recommendation: Visit "Jinmeng Bay" for free, fewer people, and cleaner beaches

🌅 Local insider tips

✔️ Sunrise: Don’t crowd Pigeon Nest! The beach behind "Haitian Yise Hotel" is free and less crowded

✔️ Tide pooling: Check the tide schedule (mini-program "Tide Table Genie"), recommended spot is "Jinshan Bathing Beach"

✔️ Transportation: Rent an electric scooter for 50 RMB/day, more convenient than taxis for circling the coast

🍤 Food Hits and Misses

🔥 Must-try TOP 3

1. Zhao’s Steamed Dumplings (Shanhaiguan): 12 RMB per basket of steamed dumplings with mantis shrimp filling
2. Gongfuzhuang Night Market: Grilled cold noodles wrapped with stinky tofu (8 RMB), cheaper than Yanda Snack Street
3. Fisherman Seafood (Dongshan Bathing Beach): Steam seafood buffet 98 RMB/person, fresh and steamed on the spot

💣 Avoid List

✖ All seafood stalls at Liu Zhuang Night Market (overpriced and not fresh)

✖ Anaya Canteen (poor value, beef noodles cost 48 RMB per bowl)

📸 Off-the-beaten-path photo spots

1. Blue Coast Cat Sky Bookstore: pure white stairs + sea view windows
2. West Port Garden: abandoned railway + red brick buildings, full industrial vibe
3. Back of Anaya Auditorium: shoot empty scenes at 9 AM

💡 Ultimate advice

"Don’t pack your itinerary too tightly!

Qinhuangdao is perfect for a laid-back vacation,

one attraction a day + daydreaming by the sea + indulging in seafood is the right way to enjoy it"

👇 Join the conversation

"What other traps have you fallen into in Qinhuangdao?