Weihai
Weihai 威海 (pop:2,500,000) is located at the tip of the Shandong Peninsula Shandong Province, North East China.
Get in
Bus
Bus is by far the cheapest option but could involve many hours of travel depending on your starting-point. As a guide it takes roughly six and a half hours hours by bus from Jinan,capital of Shandong to the bus station in Weihai. There are many companies serving Weihai with many destinations possible at good frequencies.
Boat
You can also arrive by ferry from various places in China and from Incheon, Korea, although this may be once a day or less.
Train
There are three trains per day that reach and leave Weihai. Jinan, Beijing and Hankou are the three destination/origin cities.
Air
The airport is approx 45 KM to the City Centre. The rather new toll highway somewhat reduces the travel time to or from the city centre yet adds slightly to your overall fare. Via tollway or not, expect to pay about ¥100-130 each way.
A backup option is nearby Yantai with a taxi into Weihai. However, the journey can take an hour, and the taxi fare could be about double, sometimes involving two taxis depending on the driver. The first taxi may take you only as far as the beginning of the toll road where you'll easily find a second taxi to your destination. The rationale is the Yantai driver is unlikely to find a customer for the return.
Domestic flight services are from Beijing, Shanghai (both Pudong and Hongqiao) and other large Chinese cities. There are more frequencies and origins to Yantai than to Weihai which particularly experiences reduced schedules during the winter months.
Another option is Incheon to Weihai or Yentai. It's a one-hour hop but has the amenities of an international flight. Attempt timing your international arrival into Incheon with the least amount of layover. Transit through Incheon is a breeze. Korea is 1 hour ahead of China, so keep timezones in mind when organizing your flights. The flights to Weihai depart about 09:00, and 12:00 for Yantai. Asiana and Korean Air serve Weihai although China Eastern code shares with KE.
Incheon is a good option if schedules align as this routing may sometimes yield significant savings even with an overnight stay. There is not much to see near Incheon, but usually a shower and a bed are about the only wants after long haul travel anyway. From the US, late night flights from Los Angeles, Chicago and New York to Incheon run on certain days which coordinate nicely with the onward 09:00 Weihai departure.
If you overnight in Incheon, there is a nice Hyatt among other hotels just beyond the airport parking lot. The hotels have free shuttles about every 20 minutes at the customer exit # 14, the furthest exit to your right as you clear international arrivals. The Hyatt would be walking distance if not for luggage or jet lag. Your luggage may be checked on through to China and not offloaded. Check with your carrier's policy and pack a carry-on, as appropriate. Luggage checked through to destination removes baggage claim and simplifies customs in Incheon.
Get around
Bus or taxi - both are efficient and cheap.
The bus routes are conveniently and clearly marked on the English/Chinese map sold around town so it's easy. It costs ¥1 for the bus.
See
In Weihai, there are many beautiful places that you need to have a visit. Such as, Liugong island (located inside weihai city), Chengshantou (located in Rongcheng district), and Shengjingshan Mountain (located in Wengdeng city, here you can experience the culture of the traditional chinese religion Dao). Also you need to experience the life in Weihai as a fisherman.
"Weihaiwei" was leased by the United Kingdom from 1898 until October 1, 1930. It was a summer station for the British naval China Station.
Do
Beaches, Weihai is by the coast and has many nice beaches. Weihai has also lots of beautiful parks such as Weihai Park and Huancuilou Park.
Town Hall, In the city centre are the municipal buildings in front of which is a large and stately promenade. It is here where ancestry has an enduring processional into modern Chinese life. In the warmer months from spring through autumn, you will find droves of local families gathered in the early evening: parents line-dancing and waving over-sized fans to pounding traditional drums, grandparents dancing elegantly to what can be described as a form of Chinese waltz, and the kids playing badminton or hacky-sack with expert precision. Sometimes there may even be a stage performance. A sense of community thrives. The offerings vary nightly, but Town Hall is invariably fun. The people are warm, inclusive and welcoming of foreigners. Don't be surprised if you are suddenly motioned to join a waltz. For the early birds, Town Hall is also the gathering spot for a morning ritual of Chinese meditative exercises at 07:00. Join the locals in this tradition for maintaining good health and alignment of chi. Be forewarned: many elderly out-spry the young. While there is no public gauge of one's own limitations, it may be humbling to attempt the agility of the seasoned.
Weihai Area
Xi Xia Kou, approx 40 KM east of Weihai, a beautiful Zoo and lands end "Chengshantou"
Shidao, approx 60 KM South, Fahua Temple
Wendeng, approx 30 km South, Holy Water Temple and natural hot springs
Buy
There is a computer center, clothing, small commodities, and seafood market on the west side of N Tongyi Lu, one block south of Wenhua Lu near the city center. A good place to find a variety of things in one stop.
Eat
Chinese food: it's obviously everywhere; however, some consider the local kitchen to be tasteless. To others, the traditional and simple steaming of fresh seafood along with locally grown varieties of fresh vegetables make for healtful, delicately tasty food, remarkable merely in its simple, unadulterated purity. The local delicacy is sea cucumber for which Weihai is very well known. Fresh scallops are readily available and are extremely affordable by western standards. In the summer months, fresh fruits abound. Rice is less prevalent than noodles in this region of China, for wheat is grown in the area. Be sure to try the local jiaozi or baozi, tender dumplings, particularly those filled with local fresh shrimp and chive.
One local restaurant that has very unique offerings is called Yi Kuai Dou Fu (一块豆腐）， their specialty is a one piece tofu dish. They also have other great dishes such as tang su liji and gong bao rou.
Korean Food: you can't miss. Given the proximity of Korea, the food has made a strong presence. During the warm summer months, seek out the tasty soup called mool naeng myun, an ice-cold, bold beef broth that is laden with buckwheat noodles and laced with bits of cucumber, chive, sliced beef and leafy coriander (British) or cilantro (North Americans refer to coriander as the seed, not the leaf, of the same plant). Top it off with kim chee. It's more refreshing than a cold shower after a hot, sultry day at the beach.
There are many Korean places in the city （市里），in the Economic Development Zone, there is a Korean Food street called "Han guo mei shi jie" (韩国美食街）. There is an excellent Korean restaurant located in the Jusco (佳士客）, in the Economic Zone (经济开发区）.
There is a Korean coffee shop called "BREAD'N BAKERY & COFFEE", which is located on Tong Yi Road (统一路） just north of Kuming Road (昆明路), next to the Adidas shop (and two more shops in other areas in Weihai). It is a wonderful place to hang out. Coffee is really delicious and starts at ¥15 and they have delicious breads as well and free Wifi.
Western food you may find in:
- Italian Bistro，phenomenal restaurant! Excellent Italian food. You can read about it here: http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/China/Shandong/Weihai/blog-554039.html. The address is Yuan Zhong Yuan 2-1, Yu Gang Road,Huan Cui district, Weihai, China. The phone number is 0631-5333588. Bus 31 goes right past it and it is on the street just before Da Fu Yuan. Turn when you see the International Hotel on the corner. (渔港路园中园4-2） It is next to the Home Inn (如家酒店）。
- No.9 - Top floor of Weihai Gate
- WeihaiWei Hotel - Floor 36
- Steakhouse close to City Hall
- There is a Western/Chinese breakfast buffet at the Golden Bay Hotel on the NE end of the International beach for about USD10. They'll expect a room number, but will seat visitors.
- the local major grocers usually have a small international selection where one may find Dove chocolates, pasta and sauces, and pantry staples that have a long shelf life. If you look hard, some stores even carry New Zealand butter or French Brie and aged English cheddar cheeese and a decent selection of biscuits/crackers. An occasional parcel of familiar can be intensely appreciated by an unadjusted western palate.
Japanese food: Haibin Lu close to the RT Market (大润发）
The famous American junk fillings such as KFC and McDonald's have infiltrated the local offerings.
Drink
- Tomato Bar. Downtown close to Da shi jie, 大世界, with live music on the weekends, including a Cuban conga player!
- Dizzy, Guo Ji Hai Shui Yu Chang (The international beach). This bar, opened by a Singaporean man, has become one of the largest expat hang outs since opening in June 2010. It is a small venue. The stellar cocktails are ¥35, but half off on Fridays.
Sleep
There are plenty of places to choose from so shop around. The rates are posted at the front desk, usually in English, and that's the "rack" rate. You should expect a lower rate and they usually quote one. You can bargain for even lower rates, but since I don't speak Chinese, it's hard to do and the rates seemed fair anyway - about $30 for a nice room with a/c, tv, phone, and up-to-date/clean at a normal looking hotel with a nice lobby, probably a restaurant, and usually a little spa of some kind. There are some very cheap places to stay.
You need to decide first where you want to stay as Weihai has a number of areas that could suit you depending on what you are in Weihai for.
Downtown is nice if you want to be near the ferry terminals, the main parks and shopping, and have easy access to most transport.
You could stay near the bus/train station, but that's a little remote and not much around.
The last option is the beaches. You have 3 main ones to choose from with hotels ranging from almost normal to way-too-swank. Some of these are like self-contained resorts and can be isolated to themselves. The International Bathing Beach area is popular, but really any of the beaches is just fine.
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