Truths you must know after visiting Qinhuangdao

🌊 Just got back from Qinhuangdao! Here are 10 hard-earned tips that can help you avoid 80% of the pitfalls! ⚠️ Avoid these traps at all costs! 1️⃣ 【Hidden Costs in Anaya】 ❌ Avoid: Non-owners/hotel guests must buy an art center ticket (100 RMB) to enter Anaya ✅ Tip: Book a table at the "Yellow River Meets the Sea" restaurant inside the park (about 60 RMB per person) to get free entry 2️⃣ 【Seafood Market Tricks】 ❌ Avoid: Liu Zhuang Night Market seafood stalls swapping out live shrimp for dead ones! ✅ Recommendation: Go to "Hedong Market" and choose shops with the "Honest Merchant" sign 3️⃣ 【Pigeon Nest Park Alternative】 ❌ Avoid: Paying 23 RMB for a crowded view ✅ Recommendation: Visit "Jinmeng Bay" for free, fewer people, and cleaner beaches 🌅 Local insider tips ✔️ Sunrise: Don’t crowd Pigeon Nest! The beach behind "Haitian Yise Hotel" is free and less crowded ✔️ Tide pooling: Check the tide schedule (mini-program "Tide Table Genie"), recommended spot is "Jinshan Bathing Beach" ✔️ Transportation: Rent an electric scooter for 50 RMB/day, more convenient than taxis for circling the coast 🍤 Food Hits and Misses 🔥 Must-try TOP 3 1. Zhao’s Steamed Dumplings (Shanhaiguan): 12 RMB per basket of steamed dumplings with mantis shrimp filling 2. Gongfuzhuang Night Market: Grilled cold noodles wrapped with stinky tofu (8 RMB), cheaper than Yanda Snack Street 3. Fisherman Seafood (Dongshan Bathing Beach): Steam seafood buffet 98 RMB/person, fresh and steamed on the spot 💣 Avoid List ✖ All seafood stalls at Liu Zhuang Night Market (overpriced and not fresh) ✖ Anaya Canteen (poor value, beef noodles cost 48 RMB per bowl) 📸 Off-the-beaten-path photo spots 1. Blue Coast Cat Sky Bookstore: pure white stairs + sea view windows 2. West Port Garden: abandoned railway + red brick buildings, full industrial vibe 3. Back of Anaya Auditorium: shoot empty scenes at 9 AM 💡 Ultimate advice "Don’t pack your itinerary too tightly! Qinhuangdao is perfect for a laid-back vacation, one attraction a day + daydreaming by the sea + indulging in seafood is the right way to enjoy it" 👇 Join the conversation "What other traps have you fallen into in Qinhuangdao?