Qingdao Travel Guide

Qingdao sits on the south coast of the Shandong peninsula, on the Yellow Sea. After the German concession was established in the late 19th century, the city took on its distinctive combination of red-tiled European buildings, green tree-lined streets and the blue of the bay. The old description — red tiles, green trees, blue sea, blue sky — marks out a townscape that stands apart among China's coastal cities.The historic center is the heart of sightseeing. The pier stretching out into the sea is the city's signature, ending at the Chinese-style pavilion Huilan Ge. The Badaguan area further along the coast is home to around 300 surviving villas in styles drawn from many countries — often called the World Architecture Exposition. The old German Governor's Residence and St. Michael's Cathedral are the most recognizable stops for a walk through the concession's built heritage.The Tsingtao Beer Museum tells the story of the brewery founded by German settlers in 1903, with much of the original equipment still on display. Seafood is the everyday cuisine: restaurants around the pier and the night market in the Taidong area serve clams, mussels, oysters and prawns. The local signature is clams stir-fried with chili, a dish local diners have loved for generations.To the east of the city rises Laoshan, a Daoist sacred mountain on the coast. From near the summit the bay, the city and the coastline spread out below. The main airport is Qingdao Jiaodong International; the rail hubs are Qingdao Station and Qingdao North Station. Take the sea breeze in with the seafood, the beer and the villas.