"Beidaihe - Beijing's beach gettaway" Beidaihe by snoopfrog

Beidaihe s located abt 250 km from Beiing. It is just off the Beijing - Shenyang expressway. If you are not driving, then the best way to get there from beijing is by coach. You can catch a bus at Bawangfen Sation in Dawang Lu in Beijing. There are buses roughly every hour from Beijing to Qinghuangdao. Qinghuangdao is a port city about 15 km from Beidaihe. From the Qinghuangdao bus station to Beidaihe takes about 20 min and costs about RMB35 by taxi.

Alternatively, you can take the train from Beijing to Beidaihe or Qinghuangdao. Actually the Beidaihe train station is quite far away. In fact it is almost as far away as the Qinghuangdao train station.

It is best to go during spring, summer or early autumn. I recommend late September as it is less crowded and still relatively arm. Temperature is roughly the same as in Beijing so if it is nice waether in beijing, it should be OK there.

In July and August, weekends will be very crowded, so I recommend weekdays. Weekdays will also be cheaper. June and September shjould also be cheaper.

Some of the European expatriates from the early 20th century built houses here as a beach gettaway from Beijing. Today these houses are home to the Chinese leaders in the summer.

As the closest developped beach to Beijing, Beidaihe is also home to hundreds of thousands of tourists every year. Every summer weekend is full so you should plan ahead and book ahead if you go there during the summer. During September and June, you can still find rooms even if you do not book.

Most hotels are not great as they are mostly government run, but at least they are not too expensive and most right on the beach. The beach is not that clean especially as the city does not seem to have anyone in charge to clean it.

However, this is still a place I recommend to escape the summer heat of Beijing for a weekend at least and also to witness half of Beijing on a stretch of beach.

There are actually several beaches and all are nice sandy beaches. These are ideal for kids to play. Also, dogs are welcome if you are travelling with one.