# Yantai travel guide (烟台) Shandong Province · East China, China · 10 places Canonical: https://cnatrip.com/en/destinations/shandong/yantai ## Quick itinerary - **Day 1:** Penglai Pavilion → Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea → Sanxian Mountain → Changdao (overnight stay; watch the sunrise over the sea) - **Day 2:** Changdao Island → Yantai → Yantai Mountain → Moon Bay - **Day 3:** Zhifu Island → Golden Sand Beach - **Day 4:** Kunyu Mountain → Yangma Island ## The feel of the place - **Sea Mirage:** Yantai is a typical northern coastal city and the second-largest coastal city in Shandong Province. Thanks to its seaside setting, it has become a renowned summer resort both in China and abroad. The world-famous Penglai Fairyland, with its sea mirage, will instantly add to your enjoyment. Gazing at the mirage towers or strolling the beaches are both excellent choices. ## The feel of the place ### Helpful Tips From April to October each year, Yantai enters its golden tourist season. - tip: A User-Friendly “Green Channel” 1. Train tickets can be booked and delivered by phone, and a “green channel” is available. If time is tight, you may board the train first and buy your ticket afterwards. 2. Buses to the train station include Nos. 3, 6, 9, 10 and 11, among others. ### Preparation & Information ### Language Mandarin is, of course, widely spoken in Yantai. ### Climate & Best Time to Visit Yantai's average annual temperature is around 12°C. Set between mountains and sea, it has no scorching summers and no bitter winters, making it an ideal summer retreat in northern China. Bring warm clothing when you visit, as the difference between day and night temperatures can be considerable. ## Getting there & around ### Getting There Air, sea, rail and road networks make getting in and out of Yantai very convenient. ### By Air Yantai Penglai International Airport is located in Chaoshui Town, Penglai District, about 43 km from downtown Yantai. It mainly serves domestic routes, with direct flights to dozens of major and mid-sized Chinese cities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, Xi'an, Kunming and Xiamen. ### By Rail Now that the Qingdao–Yantai–Weihai–Rongcheng Intercity Railway is fully operational, it links these peninsula cities with bullet-train services. The journey from Yantai to Qingdao takes just over an hour, and from Yantai to Weihai about 20 minutes, so you can truly experience the “same-city effect.” ### By Road The Yantai–Qingdao First-Class Road, the Yantai–Weihai Expressway and the Qixia–Yantai National Highway 204 are all fully enclosed expressways. The Wenzhao Road and county and township roads form a dense road network that connects to the national road system. ### Long-Distance Bus Stations ### By Sea Besides sailings to nearby cities such as Dalian and Lushun, Yantai has a daily ferry to Tianjin and ferries to South Korea. ### Yantai → South Korea International passenger ferries to Incheon, South Korea, depart at 17:00 every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Tickets must be collected 3 hours in advance. Yantai → Dalian ### Getting Around Buses can cover most travel needs within central Yantai, with minibuses and taxis as supplements. Bus fares are generally ¥1, and minibus flat fares are ¥1.5. Taxi flag-fall fare is ¥7 for the first 3 km, then ¥1.5 per km. ### Sightseeing Route Bus No. 1 (Railway Station North Square → Kunyu Mountain Scenic Area) is a coastal sightseeing route. Departing from the train station, it passes 14 seaside sights, including the Wharf, Yantai Mountain, Yangma Island, the International Convention & Exhibition Center, Moon Bay, the east gate of Yantai University and Yellow Sea Amusement City. - hours: 5：40—8：10；15：30—17：30 - **Yantai Penglai International Airport** — (Near Liujiazhuang, Chaoshui Town, Penglai, Yantai, 0535-6299999) - **Yantai Station (烟台站)** — - **Yantai South Station (烟台南站)** — - **Laiyang Station (莱阳站)** — - **Yantai Bus Terminal (烟台汽车总站)** — (No. 86 Xi Dajie, Zhifu District, 400-6369369) - **Yantai Beimalu Bus Station (烟台北马路汽车站)** — (No. 110 Beimalu, Zhifu District, 0535-6658714) - **Yantai Tourist Bus Station (烟台旅游汽车站)** — (No. 136 Beimalu, Zhifu District, 0535-6641441) - **Yantai West Bus Station (烟台汽车西站)** — (No. 1 Leshan Road, Fushan District, 0535-6937111) - **Yantai South Bus Station (烟台汽车南站)** — (No. 336 Airport Road, Zhifu District, 0535-6797685) - **Yantai Port Passenger Terminal (烟台港客运站)** — (No. 155 Beimalu, Zhifu District, 0535-6506666/6745731) - **Yanda Ferry Ticketing (烟大船票网)** — www.0535-0411.com Because weather has a significant impact, sailing schedules often change at short notice, so please plan ahead. ## Eat & drink Yantai's signature dishes include the Eight Immortals Banquet, Lamb Ribs in Jade-Green Sauce, Egg-White Dried Scallops, sea intestines, braised prawns, Penglai braised donkey meat, sugar-crisp gangzitou, fresh fish water dumplings and stir-fried double crisp. “To eat well, go around Fushan.” Fushan's culinary art was already recorded in the Qilu Zhizhuan during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, and by the Yuan dynasty, Fushan chefs were serving in the imperial palace, exclusively in charge of the emperor's meals. Fushan cuisine prizes knife work and heat control. Exquisite knife skills are a pleasure to watch, and precise timing keeps dishes lightly crisp without burning and tender without going soft. Other famous Fushan specialties include grilled prawns, scallion-stir-fried sea cucumber and vinegar-glazed fish slices. ### Local Snacks ### Local Specialties Local specialties include Yantai apples, gold-and-tin inlaid tea sets, Laizhou jade carvings, Laiyang pears, swan eggs, Yantai velvet embroidery, Haiyang drawn-thread crafts, and seafood such as Zhikong scallops, sea cucumbers, black sea cucumbers, prawns and abalone. ### Leisure in Yantai ### Recommended Wines: V.O Gold Medal Brandy, special ice wine, dry white wine. - drive: From Yantai, take the Ji-Qing Expressway, transfer to the Wei-Lai and Wei-Wu Expressways, and exit at Nanshan. You'll arrive in about 20 minutes. - **Fushan Lamian Noodles** — A noodle specialty that is served at banquets and at everyday family tables alike. A must-try when you visit Yantai. - **Penglai Xiao Mian Noodles** — Known locally as “shuai mian” (“flung noodles”), these are fine and springy noodles. A seafood-flavoured noodle that is uniquely Yantai's own. - **Yantai Menzi** — One of Yantai's most famous snacks, made from a fine sweet-potato starch dough. Once fully cooled, it is cut into small cubes and pan-fried on both sides until golden, then transferred to a plate and topped with sesame paste, garlic and other sauces. It is eaten skewered on a thin wire. Although hotels and restaurants serve it too, locals still prefer the Yantai menzi sold at street stalls. - **Nanshan International Golf Club** — The world's largest golf course, with 279 holes. The club also has restaurants, bars and a gym. (Located west of Penglai) - **Yantai Changyu Castel Winery** — Besides its 500 mu (about 33 hectares) of vineyards, the winery systematically showcases Changyu's century-old wine culture, and its vast underground cellars are also worth a visit. Recommended wines: Marselan (蛇龙珠): a sibling variety of Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, with a pleasant flavour. Chardonnay (霞多丽): a world-renowned variety used to make premium dry white wines and Champagne, with a fresh, clean flavour. (Inside the former Changyu Company site, No. 56 Liuma Road) - **Longkou Nanshan Manor Wine Castle** — Located in the Longkou Nanshan Scenic Area, a national AAAA-level attraction. Fine scenery and fine wine: what could be more delightful! ## Shopping Yantai's commercial streets have a distinctly local character. In recent years, with economic growth, seven major shopping streets have taken shape: Binhai Square International Commercial Pedestrian Street, Chaoyang Historic & Cultural Street, Qilu Antiques Culture Street, Oriental Paris Commercial Pedestrian Street, Wenxing Road Garment City in Muping, Zhifu Commercial Street and Bus Station Commercial Street. ### Shopping Recommendations ### Shopping Districts in Yantai Yantai's Shopping Nandajie is the city's busiest commercial district, with many shopping venues, including Nandajie Shopping City, Tiantian Fishing Port Shopping Center, Huaqiao Department Store and Zhenhua Shopping Center. The Yantai Sanzhan Wholesale Market on Xingye Road in Zhifu District and Liangyou Plaza on Lifeng Street are also good places to shop. - **Binhai Square International Commercial Pedestrian Street** — Showcasing the charm of the seaside, this street combines sea views, leisure and shopping. Main goods include clothing, jewellery, jade carvings, velvet embroidery and daily household goods. - **Chaoyang Historic and Cultural Street** — Building on the district's historical and cultural character and its seaside scenery, this street has been developed as a cultural quarter focused on oil painting creation and sales, alongside bars, coffee shops and souvenir stores. ## Where to stay - **Longkou Xinyang Business Hotel** — Moderately priced, with a good location and convenient transport. (299 Tonghai Road, Dongcheng District, Longkou City, 0535-8956866) - **Yantai Meilele Serviced Apartments** — (Linhai Juntianxia, 18 Taishan Road, Fushan District, 15244567172) ## Things to see - **Penglai Pavilion** (★★★★★): Admission Penglai Pavilion ¥100; cable car round-trip across the sea ¥50; Time needed 4–5 hours — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/penglai-pavilion - **Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea Scenic Area** (★★★★★): Admission ¥80; Opening hours 7：00—18：00; Time needed 2–3 hours — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/eight-immortals-crossing-the-sea-scenic-area - **Sanxian Mountain** (★★★★★): Admission ¥120; Opening hours 7:30–17:30 (summer); 8:00–17:00 (winter); Time needed 2–3 hours — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/sanxian-mountain - **Changdao Island** (★★★★): Admission North line ¥80; South line ¥80; full route ¥135; Time needed 1–2 days — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/changdao-island - **Yangma Island** (★★★★): Admission Free; racecourse ¥20, horse riding ¥80; Time needed 3–4 hours — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/yangma-island - **Zhifu Island** (★★★★): Time needed 2–3 hours — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/zhifu-island - **Kunyu Mountain National Forest Park** (★★★★): Admission Shimenli ¥40; Jiulongchi Scenic Area ¥40; Wuran Temple Scenic Area ¥50; Yanxia and Yuegudian scenic areas free; Opening hours 8：00—17：00; Time needed 1–1.5 days — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/kunyu-mountain-national-forest-park - **Mou Family Manor** (★★★): Admission ¥60; Opening hours 8:00–17:00 (off-season); 8:00–17:30 (peak season); Time needed 2–3 hours — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/mou-family-manor - **★** (★★★): Admission ¥120; Happy Canyon ¥60; Time needed 3–4 hours — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/-yantai - **Jiuzhangya Cliff** (★★★): Admission Jiuzhangya + Yueya Bay combined ticket ¥50; free, with some attractions requiring tickets; lighthouse on the hill ¥10; ¥150; 4D cinema ¥20; Jiuzhangya + Yueya Bay combined ticket ¥50 Wencheng Castle: an aristocratic castle with a spectacular underground wine cellar of over 5,000 square metres holding more than 2,000 kinds of wine. It also displays oil paintings and sculptures.; ¥80; Opening hours 6：30—18：00；8：00—17：30；8：00—17：00; Time needed 2 hours; 3–4 hours — https://cnatrip.com/en/places/jiuzhangya-cliff --- Source: China Self-Guided Travel 2025 (《中国自助游》, Tianjin Science & Technology Press, Aug 2024), pp. 1370–1386. Prices, hours and transport details are as printed in the August 2024 edition and may have changed. Always confirm with the venue before you travel.