Hostels in Qingdao, China

Qingdao, China -- located on China's east coast, six hundred seventy kilometers southeast of Beijing -- is a major seaport looking out over the Yellow Sea to South Korea. Qingdao became a German concession area at the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth centuries, when the Japanese occupied it; much of the old German Colonial architecture still survives around the Shinan area of the city. Most notable of these are the Governor's House Museum, on Longshan Lu; St Michael's Cathedral, on Zhejiang Lu; and the Protestant Church, on Jiangsu Lu.

Qingdao is also known for its beaches, which can become overcrowded from June to September. Shilcoren Beach, in the east of the city, is good for bodyboarding with its big waves and Bathing Beach No. Six, near the train station, are particularly popular. Bathing Beach No. Six is also next to Zhan Bridge, the pier that has the Huilan Pavilion at its tip. The pavilion is instantly recognizable as being on Tsingtao beer bottles. Tsingtao beer originates from Qingdao, and there is a beer festival here every August which attracts some three million visitors. Tsingtao also has its own beer museum. Golden Sea Beach is probably the best choice, as it's a long, open stretch of sand in the west of the city accessed through an undersea road tunnel.

The sea terminal has regular international crossings to Incheon in South Korea, taking around eighteen hours, and to Shimonoseki, Japan, taking about thirty-six hours. High speed trains connect Qingdao with Beijing taking five hours, and Shanghai to the south, taking seven hours.

Accommodation options are abundant in Qingdao. Budget travelers will find a choice of hostels in Qingdao, China, mostly centered around the Zhongshan Road area. Qingdao, China hostels are the places to get information for onward travel, particularly for buying bus, train, or ferry tickets. The hostels in Qingdao, China, need to be booked in advance, especially during the beer festival in August.

Just about thirty kilometers east and an easy bus ride from Qingdao is Lao Shan, a must-see picturesque mountain littered with old temples, waterfalls, and springs. Dahedong Gate, in the south of the park, is the easiest entry point, and the start of a nice four-hour hike to Jufeng from the end of the cable car, to a wonderful viewpoint at the mountain top.