Qingdao Travel Guide

Best: June-September (escape the heat! Warm seawater suitable for swimming, Beer Festival in August), April-May (cherry blossom season, Badaguan is absolutely stunning). Okay: October (crisp autumn air, plump and delicious seafood), March (warming up but windy). Avoid: December-February (damp cold sea breeze, some hotels are cold without heating), late July-early August (most crowded + most expensive hotel prices). Special recommendation: August Qingdao International Beer Festival (Laoshan venue), a world-class beer extravaganza.

Shandong cuisine (Jiaodong school) characteristics: primarily salty and umami, skilled at cooking seafood. Must-eat: spicy stir-fried clams, mackerel dumplings (Chuange Fish Dumplings), Qingdao potstickers, seafood food stalls (buy seafood at Yingkou Road Market and have it cooked for a fee), raw draft beer (drink same-day raw draft on Beer Street!), Laoshan Cola (traditional Chinese medicine formula). Beer culture: Qingdao Beer Factory No. 1 raw draft is the best! Experience "bagged beer" on Dengzhou Road Beer Street (beer in plastic bags, drink while walking, a local specialty). Spice level: overall not spicy, primarily salty and umami. Vegetarian: seafood restaurants generally have vegetarian dishes.

2 days: D1 Zhanqiao Pier + Catholic Church + Signal Hill (overlooking red-tiled roofs and green trees) + Badaguan (Expo of World Architecture) + Second Bathing Beach + Taidong Night Market; D2 Laoshan (Taiqing Palace + Jufeng or Yangkou) + Tsingtao Beer Museum + Dengzhou Road Beer Street. 3-4 days: Add D3 Golden Sand Beach (Huangdao, best sand quality) + May Fourth Square + Olympic Sailing Center. Budget (per person): Budget type 800-1500 yuan / Comfort type 2000-3500 yuan / Light luxury type 4000-6500 yuan. Summer = peak season, accommodation prices rise, book in advance!