Qingdao
German-era red rooftops, China's best beer and a breezy seaside pace — consistently a top-10 inbound city.
Best time
May–October
Suggested stay
2 days
Getting there
~3–4 h high-speed train from Beijing; ~4.5–6 h from Shanghai.
Don't miss in Qingdao
The experiences Western travelers rate highest here.
Zhanqiao Pier
The 1891 pier and Huilan Pavilion — the symbol of the city, with German-era red roofs running along the bay behind.
Tsingtao Brewery
Tour the 1903 brewery founded by German settlers, then taste the freshest Tsingtao of your life.
Badaguan Scenic Area
Eight boulevards of villas from 24 countries — a 'World Architecture Museum' by the sea.
Keep exploring
More destinations at the same level of the journey.
Hangzhou
West Lake perfection an hour from Shanghai — the landscape that defined Chinese ideas of beauty for a millennium.
Suzhou
The classical garden city — 2,500 years of canals, moon gates and scholar aesthetics, 30 minutes from Shanghai by rail.
Huangshan (Yellow Mountain)
Granite peaks above a sea of clouds — named to the New York Times' 52 Places to Go in 2025, now 2.5 h from Shanghai by high-speed rail.
Harbin
China's ice city — a Russian-built winter wonderland whose Ice and Snow Festival took over Western social media.