Weekend Getaway - Beidaihe

We made a quick weekend getaway to Beidaihe over the QingMing holiday weekend.

It was a last minute plan as we hadn't decided on where to go. We had visited most of the places in and around Beijing and were also driving down so had to look for a place not too far...

We finally zeroed in on Beidaihe.We booked our stay at the Sea View Holiday Inn Qinhuangdao just by the beach.

We checked in overnight and started our tour the next day at the Old Dragon's Head (Lao Long Tou) where the Great Wall begins. The nickname comes from the image of the Great Wall that touches the Bohai sea- which appears as though a dragon is drinking water from the sea. Most parts of the wall was reconstructed in the 1980's.

As you take the entrance you have to buy a ticket for 30kuai to be able to walk to the Dragon head. At the entrance there are replica soldiers over looking the wall.

The beach side by Holiday Inn, is quite average, but the weather was quite chilly to really be able to enjoy the beach side. Summer is probably a better time to visit, but is definitely going to be swarmed by Chinese people then.

We enjoyed a quiet weekend away from the bustling noisy Beijing city, making the most of the blue skies and fresh air.






Few tips:

• There are trains to Qinhuangdao. If you are driving down you can rent a car Recommended website: http://corporate.1hai.cn/english/
• Book your stay in advance. Ctrip.com is a reliable website we've used.
• Beware of restaurants that overcharge you for seafood. Preferably confirm the rates before sitting down to eat or choose to dine at the restaurant in the hotel you are staying.
• Summer will be very crowded, we heard Nandaihe is a better option for clearer waters and is less crowded too. It is about another hour's drive from Beidaihe