Summer 2020: A 7-Day Road Trip from Beijing to Zhoucun, Qingdao, and Haiyang

August 2020: With the pandemic keeping my child indoors for half a year, the WeChat message from the teacher about September 7 school reopening felt like gospel—the long holiday was finally coming to an end. Before the required 14-day health observation window, I decided to take a road trip to let him see the sea and play in the sand.

Day 01: Home – Zibo

Route: Beijing-Shanghai Expressway, Rongcheng-Wuhai Expressway; 6.5 hours, 450 km, toll approx. ¥180

[Sightseeing] Zhoucun Ancient Commercial Street

Zhoucun Ancient Commercial Street is a historic block comprising Dajie, Sishi Street, Yinzi Street, Choushi Street, and other old commercial lanes. It is a city-level protected cultural site, provincial-level outstanding historical architecture, key provincial tourism development project, and a national AAAA-rated scenic spot.

[Accommodation] Sheraton Zibo Hotel, Luxury Twin Room, ¥469/night

[Meals] Breakfast: Light snack at highway rest area; Lunch: Zhiweizhai, Zhoucun District, Zibo; Dinner: Yoshinoya, B1 of Mixc Mall

[Review] We set off at 6 a.m., but a heavy downpour on the Tianjin section of the highway forced us to slow to under 80 km/h, so we didn’t reach Zibo until after noon. Zhoucun Ancient Commercial Street wasn’t crowded, and you don’t need a ticket if you skip the paid attractions inside. A few visitors ahead of us simply walked in through the main gate without being stopped. Unfortunately, the paid attraction “Dyeing Workshop” was under renovation and closed to the public. Do pick up some Zhoucun sesame seed cakes—they’re a local specialty and taste great. The ancient commercial street is fairly similar to most old towns across China, but we only scheduled a stop here and an overnight stay to break up the drive.

Day 02: Zibo – Qingdao

Route: Weiri Expressway, Qinglan Expressway; 4 hours 20 min, 350 km, toll approx. ¥160

[Sightseeing] Jiaozhou Bay Bridge, Qingdao Beer Museum, Zhan Bridge, Qingdao Olympic Sailing Center

Jiaozhou Bay Bridge: An engineering marvel with a novel structure, unique design, and grand aesthetics. Its three navigation bridges, winding approach spans, and offshore interchanges create an imposing bridge symphony that complements Qingdao’s city and architectural style while adding a modern flair. It ranks among the world’s elite modern bridge clusters and has become a new landmark for Qingdao.

Qingdao Beer Museum: Founded with an investment of 28 million yuan by Tsingtao Brewery Co., Ltd., it is China’s only beer museum, covering over 6,000 square meters. Housed within the century-old factory buildings and original equipment of Tsingtao Brewery, the museum traces the 100-year history and production process of the beer, condensing the evolution of China’s beer industry and Tsingtao Brewery. Blending cultural history, production techniques, beer entertainment, shopping, and dining, it offers a tour that is educational, fun, and participatory, reflecting a global vision, national character, historical depth, and integration with daily life.

Qingdao Zhan Bridge: One of the scenic highlights of the Qingdao Seaside Resort, this national scenic spot (first batch designated by the State Council in 1982) and AAAA-rated attraction extends from the southern end of bustling Zhongshan Road into the crescent-shaped Qingdao Bay. Visitors can stroll along the pier and board sightseeing boats here to see Qingdao from the sea.

Qingdao Olympic Sailing Center: Located on Fushan Bay in Qingdao’s eastern new district, on the former site of Beihai Shipyard, adjacent to May Fourth Square and Donghai Road, this is where the sailing events of the 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 13th Paralympics were held. The famous local attraction “Yan Dao Qiu Chao” (Autumn Tide at Swallow Island) lies on the southeast corner of Yan’er Island within the complex.

[Accommodation] InterContinental Qingdao Hotel (Haier), InterContinental Sea-View Room, ¥1,218/night

[Meals] Breakfast: Sheraton Zibo Hotel; Lunch: near the Beer Museum exit; Dinner: Olympic Sailing Center Promenade

[Review] We purposely chose a route from Zibo to Qingdao that crosses the Jiaozhou Bay Bridge. What a spectacular sea bridge—such a pity you can’t stop to take photos! The Beer Museum didn’t really excite the kid—he’s not old enough to drink yet. At Zhan Bridge, we took a speedboat ride; tickets came in ¥50, ¥100, and ¥150 options. We bought the ¥100 one, and though the boat didn’t go far, we could already make out the Badaguan area. In the evening, we watched the light show at the Olympic Sailing Center: a dazzling, ever-changing spectacle of colors and themes against the sea and sky—dreamlike, poetic, utterly gorgeous. Sitting under the bar canopy, sea breeze in my hair, sipping Tsingtao beer, eating seafood, listening to live music, and gazing at the lights… what a blissful moment! I patted my son on the head. Ah, never mind—let’s just go get pizza. In another 10 years, he can join me for a beer.

Day 03: Qingdao

[Sightseeing] Mount Lao, Qingdao Olympic Sailing Center

[Accommodation] InterContinental Qingdao Hotel (Haier), InterContinental Sea-View Room, ¥1,218/night

[Meals] Breakfast: InterContinental Qingdao; Lunch: McDonald’s; Dinner: Olympic Sailing Center Promenade

[Review] We chose the Taiqing route up Mount Lao. Arriving early Monday morning, the parking lot was nearly empty; there were hardly any other tourists, and we were already coming down by cable car before noon. During our two-day stay at the InterContinental, we hit the pool every afternoon—my child’s first swim in half a year since the pandemic started, he was absolutely thrilled. One tip: there’s no need to book the “sea-view” room here; you’ll only glimpse a tiny patch of sea, and there’s no balcony.

Day 04: Qingdao – Haiyang

Route: Binhai Road, G228; 2 hours 20 min, 110 km, 82 traffic lights

[Sightseeing] Hotel pool and beach

[Accommodation] Country Garden Silver Beach Hotel Haiyang, Premium Sea-View Semi-Suite, ¥608/night

[Meals] Breakfast: InterContinental Qingdao; Lunch: roadside eatery near hotel; Dinner: hotel Chinese restaurant

[Review] At check-in at the Country Garden Silver Beach Hotel, I asked if a third-time returning guest could get a room upgrade. The front desk bumped us straight to an Executive Sea-View Semi-Suite on the top floor—phenomenal panoramic sea views, plus an extra standalone air conditioner in the room. They sure know how to make you come back again! Dinner at the hotel restaurant was painfully slow and the food mediocre; I’d recommend eating outside. The hotel beach has gotten more and more disorderly. Five years ago on our first stay, the hotel managed it: lifeguards on chairs every few dozen meters and roving patrols. Things have gone downhill since. Now the beach is cluttered with little tin shacks renting swimwear, toys, and taking photos. I asked the hotel about it, but they said the beach is public and out of their control.

Day 05: Haiyang

[Sightseeing] Hotel pool and beach, Mine Warfare Scenic Area

The Haiyang Mine Warfare Scenic Area was created to commemorate the heroic deeds of local people who made their own landmines to fight the Japanese invaders during the War of Resistance Against Japan, and is inspired by the classic red film “Mine Warfare” and historical events. It covers over 6,000 mu (approx. 400 ha), with a total investment of 270 million yuan. It is the largest red tourism destination in northern China.

[Accommodation] Country Garden Silver Beach Hotel Haiyang, Premium Sea-View Semi-Suite, ¥608/night

[Meals] Breakfast: hotel; Lunch: Chaoli Chaowai Seafood; Dinner: KFC (Lida Plaza)

[Review] The Mine Warfare Scenic Area puts on two live performances each day (morning and afternoon). The performers are not professional actors but local villagers who act with great earnestness. It’s over one kilometer from the entrance gate to the main scenic spots—better to take the sightseeing cart. Along the way, there’s only a children’s playground and not much else. The area also features a glass cable-stayed bridge and a glass slide, which felt just okay—these seem to have become almost standard additions to mountain attractions.

Day 06: Haiyang – Binzhou

Route: Qingxin Expressway, Rongcheng-Wuhai Expressway; 4 hours 15 min, 340 km, toll approx. ¥118

[Sightseeing] Hotel pool and beach

[Accommodation] Hilton Garden Inn Binzhou, Comfort Twin Room, ¥298/night

[Meals] Breakfast: Country Garden Silver Beach Hotel Haiyang; Lunch: roadside eatery; Dinner: Dongfang Jiaozi Seafood City

[Review] I guess all kids love the sea and sand—after two full days, mine still wasn’t tired of it. We requested a late checkout and spent the whole morning on the beach before reluctantly leaving. In Binzhou, we planned to visit the Sun Tzu Art of War City, but found it closed, so we grabbed an early dinner near the hotel and rested. The Hilton Garden Inn isn’t the fanciest in Binzhou, but it’s new. After reading reviews about other hotels’ dated facilities, I’m glad we picked it.

Day 07: Binzhou – Beijing

Route: Rongcheng-Wuhai Expressway, Beijing-Shanghai Expressway; 5 hours 42 min, 370 km, toll approx. ¥141

[Meals] Breakfast: Hilton Garden Inn Binzhou

[Review] No holiday is perfect without some traffic—just 10 minutes at the Beijing entry checkpoint, not bad!

This father-and-son road trip covered two people, one driver, passing through Tianjin, Hebei, and Shandong. We visited Zhoucun Ancient Commercial Street, Qingdao Beer Museum, Qingdao Zhan Bridge, Qingdao Olympic Sailing Center, Mount Lao Scenic Area, Mine Warfare Scenic Area, and other spots. Over 7 days, we drove nearly 1,750 km, spent 25 hours on the road, and refueled twice, costing about ¥1,000.