Beihai Travel Guide

Likes: Silver Beach soft white sand / Weizhou Island volcanic landscapes amazing / seafood fresh and cheap / prices cheap and good value. Complaints: too sunny in summer / some seafood stalls rip off customers / Silver Beach too crowded in peak season / few English signs / city area not very tourist-friendly for foreigners (compared to Guilin/Xi'an). TripAdvisor: Beihai 3.5-4.0/5, Weizhou Island 4.5/5. Safe but watch the tides at the beach at night.

Food: pearl powder 30-100 yuan / dried seafood (dried sandworms/dried scallops/dried shrimp) 20-100 yuan/bag / Vietnamese coffee/peanut candy (Qiaogang). Crafts: shell carving (Beihai intangible cultural heritage) 100-500 yuan+ / horn carving 50-300 yuan. Official: Beihai Nanzhu City (newly opened in 2026, 5420 square meters, Yintan distribution center), appraise before selling, backed by a state-owned enterprise. Where to buy: Nanzhu City / Qiaogang Style Street / Beihai Old Street / Nanwan Street, Weizhou Island. Customs: vacuum packaging is recommended for dried seafood.

Spiciness: Overall not spicy! Cantonese cuisine (Guangfu flavor), light and fresh, seafood mostly steamed, blanched, or made into soup. Seafood: sandworms, raw oysters, flower crabs, grouper, mantis shrimp. Seafood stalls on Qiaogang Style Street. Vegetarian: Good. Halal: Average (seafood restaurants have no pork but are not necessarily halal-certified). Must-eat: Vietnamese rolled rice noodles, shrimp cakes, fried ice, sandworm congee, steamed grouper, garlic oysters.

Accommodation: Three-star and above can receive foreign guests. Homestays need confirmation. Filter on Booking/Agoda/Trip.com. Airport: Fucheng Airport is 24km from the city center, taxi 50-60 yuan. High-speed rail station connects to Nanning/Guangzhou/Guilin. Local: Didi covers the city area. Many shared e-bikes. Weizhou Island by boat 70-90 minutes.

2 days: D1 Silver Beach + Beihai Old Street + Underwater World, D2 Weizhou Island day trip (early departure, late return). 3-4 days: D1 Silver Beach + Qiaogang Style Street + Old Street, D2-D3 overnight on Weizhou Island (Crocodile Mountain + sunset + sunrise), D4 return trip. Budget (per person): Budget 800-1200 / Comfort 1500-2500 / Light Luxury 3500-5500 yuan. Weizhou Island ferry ticket one-way about 150 yuan, island entry fee 98 yuan.