Free Guide for College Students to Mingshui Ancient City in Jinan! Rush Before the End of the Year, Includes Tips on Eating and Avoiding Pitfalls

Attention Jinan college students! The free admission benefit to Mingshui Ancient City is only available until the end of the year. Tested and proven fun and cost-effective, this is a deal you must take advantage of～🐑

Want a hassle-free trip? Taking bus route 902 from downtown Jinan is super convenient, just 6 yuan to get straight to Zhangqiu🚌! After getting off the bus, don’t rush straight to the ancient city. First, ride an electric bike to "Ergang Big Piece Barbecue" to satisfy your cravings—the portions here are very generous, the aroma is irresistible, and the flavor is rich. Two people can eat until full for just over 80 yuan, meaning you can enjoy barbecue freedom for about 40+ yuan per person🍖. Only after eating well can you have the energy to explore the ancient city!

There’s a little tip before entering the park: buy the Shandong-exclusive Tiger Skin Ball Cake at 7-11! Don’t miss the two flavors, yellow cheese and chocolate🧁. One bite and it’s soft and bursting with filling; the salty aroma of the cheese and the rich chocolate are amazing. It’s perfect as a snack while strolling through the ancient city—walking and eating is super satisfying～College students remember to get your free tickets in advance through the mini program, and you can enter by scanning your ID card, saving you the trouble of queuing for tickets🧑‍🎓.

We entered the scenic area at 2 PM and leisurely explored until evening, discovering that the night view of the ancient city is even more stunning than during the day🌃! After 7 PM, all the lanterns light up, and the ancient streets are bathed in warm light. Every casual photo is full of atmospheric ancient style; the Moquan spring at night is also a highlight, with the water shimmering under the lights, completely different from the daytime scene—definitely worth stopping to check out.

Along the way, we stopped by "pd Coffee." Although the prices are a bit high, the environment is fantastic! Sitting by the window, you can overlook the ancient city streets, perfect for taking great photos📸. We ordered a pistachio milk cap with coconut sugar; the dense milk cap wrapped around refreshing coconut water creates a rich layered taste. I recommend it to those who like sweet flavors. Next time, I want to try their coffee～

About the evening performances, here’s a heads-up to avoid a pitfall: I personally found the Quanshow performance a bit awkward, so if you’re not interested in this type of show, you can skip it; but the drone show afterward is worth watching. Hundreds of drones change patterns in the sky, full of high-tech vibes, and it’s quite impressive✨.

For the return trip, if you want to rest early, take bus 902 back; if you want to enjoy the night view like we did, booking a ride-share in advance is also very convenient🚙. This visit was really satisfying, and I’m already planning to bring my parents again before the end of the year to let them experience the charm of Mingshui Ancient City～ Jinan·Shandong

Post by Daisy~Cook | Oct 26, 2025