Vacation Destinations
Dalian Travel Guide
Dalian is the second largest city of Liaoning Province, largest port in northern China as well as a major tourist destination. The city is situated in the eastern Liaoning Province of Northeast China (known as Dongbei Region), facing Shandong to the south and the Yellow Sea to the east and the Bohai Sea to the west and south.
Dalian is a very popular destination among Chinese tourists and foreign visitors, especially from Japan, South Korea and Russia. Its mild climate and multiple beaches as well as its importance in the modern history of China make it an especially nice place to visit. Some of the most famous beaches are Tiger beach, Xinghai beach, Jinshitan beach and Fujiazhuang beach. It is one of the three Best Tourism Cities (2006), along with Hangzhou and Chengdu, recognized by the National Tourism Administration.
The city is best visited in summer or autumn, any time between Jun and Oct. However, during the summer school holidays (early Jul-late Aug) the city attracts large numbers of domestic tourists, making long distance transport tickets and hotel rooms harder to find and some sights more expensive.
The Labour Day (one week around May 1), National Day (one week around Oct 1) and Chinese New Year (four weeks during late Jan/early Feb) holidays see similar, though smaller, influxes and so it may be preferable to schedule visits outside these times. Sometimes Chinese cities are less populated during national holidays, as many of China’s new urban dwellers return to their hometowns for the holiday.
Dalian Attractions
- Old colonial buildings – Though a young city, Dalian’s status as a former colony of both Russia and Japan offers an eclectic mix of architectural styles for history buffs. Many of the older buildings in central Dalian were demolished during periodic bouts of renovation, but pockets of history remain with Russian Street (Xigang District) offering perhaps the best concentration of old buildings.
- Squares – Within China, Dalian is renowned for its squares and green places, with a large number scattered throughout the city, each with its own distinct character. Zhongshan Square (Zhongshan District) hosts the city’s financial centre and some fine old Japanese buildings, Renmin Square (Xigang District) is the seat of the city government and boasts an impressive fountain while Xinghai Square (Shahekou District) is the largest square in Asia and home to a wide range of tourist attractions.
- Forest Zoo – Dalian has a wide range of tourist attractions, but most of them are geared for the local market. The zoo, set in the hillsides south of the city centre, plays host to a wide variety of animals in enclosures that are modern and spacious by Chinese standards (though not up to the standard of better western zoos). The zoo’s pandas, both great and red, are probably its main attraction.
- Cherry blossoms – Late April is a good time to visit the village of Long Wangtang (20 min drive from Dalian) to watch its cherry blossoms. The 3,000 cherry trees were planted by Japanese colonists back in 1920s after the completion of Long Wangtang water dam. The nouveau-style dam itself is another interest to visit.
- Láodòng (Labor) Park. You can walk up or use a seat-lift to reach the peak of the mountain. When you arrive there, you have the possibility to go up the Reach Sightseeing Tower to have a even higher panoramic view. On a beautiful Day it is worthy a trip and the gorgeous view will pay off. To get back down you can take the “First Land Sled” which is a really fun experience.
- Dalian Beer Festival, all of Xinghai Square. 10 days in late-July and early Aug. Thousands of visitors. Day-time folks tend to go for the food and music acts, night-time goers for the beer and music acts. Domestic and regional vendors, some selling brew from as far away as Germany and the U.S. ¥10 admission, ¥30 food, ¥50 beer.
- Travel along Binhai Road – Running along the southern edge of the Dalian peninsula Binhai Road is a pretty, winding coastal road similar to the corniche of the French Riviera.
- Relax on one of the city’s beaches – There are a number of beaches clustered along the southern and eastern sides of the Dalian Peninsula, the largest of which are Xinghai Beach, Fujiazhuang Beach, and Bangchuidao Beach.
Dalian Foods and Drinks
The local cuisine of Dalian is influenced by Dongbei regional style of cooking (which has a not wholly unjustified reputation for being big on portions and relatively low on flavors) and the the city’s close location to the sea. For good eats, try the recommendations in Zhongshan District and in Xigang District.
There are three main clusters of bars that those wishing to bar hop could concentrate on, however, the first and most centralized along a side street off Wuwu Lu near Sanba Square, the second along Changjiang Lu north of the Shangri-la Hotel and the third along Gaoerji Lu south of People’s Square. KTV, or karaoke, is a large part of Chinese culture.
Dalian Accommodation
Mid-range 3 or 4 star Chinese hotels typically offer clean, decent sized rooms, good quality restaurants and but English-staff is spotty. There’s an abundance of such hotels around the city, with a handful standing out from the rest of the pack. Splurge hotels are dominated by larger international chains, nearly all downtown. These hotels tend to be very well run and offer all the amenities that could possibly be expected. Expect to pay international rates, rather than national, for these 4- or 5-star locations. Most accommodations can be found in the Zhongshan District.
Dalian Transportations
Dalian Zhoushuizi International Airport, (IATA: DLC), +86 411 8665 2071, to the north-west of the city center, offers direct flights to many Chinese cities and a few international destinations. Although busy at times, the airport is fairly easy to manage, having only one terminal and a very simplistic layout. International check-in takes place on the west end of the building.
When needing to venture from the airport to the city, be sure to hail a taxi from the official taxi queue on the east side (ground level), just a few feet from any of the glass doors on the ground floor. Failing to use one of these could prove problematic (unless venturing further outside of the downtown area, where most drivers waiting in the queue will resist driving to).
A regular airport bus departs after every flight lands and runs to the main train station (it also stops at the smaller Shahekou train station so be careful not to get off too soon) as well as Renmin Lu. ¥5. Public buses #701 and #710 also run from the airport to the train station, #701 terminating at Zhongshan Square and #710 going on to the harbor, Sanba Square and Erqi Square. ¥1. Tickets for outbound flights can be booked in advance from the airport ticket office on Zhongshan Lu, just opposite Xiwang Square.
Content is based on work by Claus Hansen, Drew Lietzow and Peter Fitzgerald, Burmesedays, Tatatabot and Inas, and others. This article also uses material from Wikitravel and Wikipedia and is licensed under GNU Free Documentation License. Dalian Travel Guide is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0. See image credits.
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