Dalian, the largest port in Liaoning Province in Northern China, is a paradise for sea lovers. Its picturesque seascape, underestimated beauty of coastline with unique landforms of coastal erosion and karst, beaches, islands, amazing ocean parks and scrumptious seafood showcase a vibrant and leisurely atmosphere that perfectly for holiday! The city has not too many historical sites about ancient China. However, if you are curious about the turbulent days of China's north in modern times, Lushun (some westerns may call it Port Arthur) may be a breakthrough.
Here is a list of 10 Best Things to Do in Dalian in 2023, which will show you Top 10 Dalian Attractions to help you plan a better Dalian tour!
Dalian Attractions Map
Xinghai Square
© 于希超/携程
Xinghai Square
© 水儿Doris/携程
Dalian Xinghai Square is the largest square in Asia. Compared with its huge size, it is more famous for the awe-inspiring scenery it provides. Located by the sea, Xinghai Square offers an awesome view of the seaside city as well as the sea. There are always groups of seagulls freely flying above the blue water, with a marvelous long bridge crossing the sea as a backdrop, which is extremely impressive. The landscape there is stunning both in the day and at night. If you coming here in the day, you will be welcomed by blue sky and water and adorable seagulls, while at night, the entire square and also the bridge in a distance will be illuminated with colorful lights, giving you a fantastic night view of Dalian. If lucky, there may also be grand music fountain shows after night falls!
In addition, there is an interesting Dalian Shell Museum, which is located in the south east of the Square. The museum owns the largest number of shell exhibits in Asia! In the north of the center is Xinghai Exhibition Center, where Dalian international Fashion Show, Fireworks Festival and trade fair are held. There is also a Fun Fair nearby for Children.
Golden Pebble Beach
©jinshitan.com
Golden Pebble Beach
©jinshitan.com
Situated in the Liaodong Peninsula, the Golden Pebble beach Resort, or called Jinshitan Scenic Area, is about 50 kilometers & 1.5 hours away from Dalian downtown by car. Amongst all the top attractions in Dalian, Jinshitan is relatively the farthest from the city center. However, this seems to have little impact on its popularity.
Golden Pebble Beach Resort is an ideal tourist place for all ages. There are beaches for swimmers and holiday lovers, exhibition halls for culture fans, marvelous costal landscapes and geo wonders for photographers and theme parks for children! Such a comprehensive scenic area is especially advised for Family Tourists travelling with kids or elders.
Best time to visit Golden Pebble Beach is summer, while spring and autumn are also good.
Tiger Beach Ocean Park
©laohutan.com
Tiger Beach Ocean Park
©laohutan.com
Located in the central part of the southern seashore of Dalian, Tiger Beach Ocean Park, or called Laohutan Scenic Park, is the biggest modern lido in China, which consists of 5 venues, including Coral Hall (Reef Aquarium), Pole Aquarium, Animal Show Arena, Marine Mammal World and the Bird Forest. Each of the venues there has many adorable marine animals like beluga whales, sea otters, sea elephant and so forth. Some venues also offer wonderful acrobatic shows, dolphin performances, parrot shows, etc. If you are coming with your children, he/she will love it very much. With a coastline of more than 4,000 meters, it also offers a great view of the coast.
Visitors usually spend half day or so to indulge in the marine world there. And it can be visited all year around. However, some outdoor activities may be cancels in days with severe weather like heavy rain or wind or in low season.
Bangchui Island
© caswy/携程
Bangchui Island
© 320****907/携程
Bangchuidao Island, named for its featured shape which is just like a Bangchui (a tool that Chinese used to beat clothes while washing), is located in the east of Binhai Road, 9 kilometers away from the city center. A visit to Bangchui Island does not mean climbing up to the island but having fun at the seashore facing it. The island itself is very tiny and has nothing special, while its seashore is amazing. Not as crowded as other public beaches in Dalian, the seashore there with beautiful pebbly beach and secluded swimming bay is clean and relatively quiet. The scenic area also provides a gorgeous landscape of hills, cliffs, beaches with the ocean. It comes no surprise that it has long been the summer resort for national officials in China.
Visitors usually visit Bangchui Island together with Binhai Road or Tiger Beach Ocean Park.
Binhai Road
© 信用证3978/携程
Binhai Road
© 携程
Being a popular coastal tourist city with a long coastline of 1,288 kilometers, Dalian is no shortage of coastal driving and sightseeing roads, while Binhai Road, which has a total length of 40 kilometers, is the best of the bests. The entire Dalian City is surrounded by water by three sides, and where there is water, there is Binhai Road on the seashore. However, the most famous section of Binhai Road is on Dalian's south shore, which stretches eastward from Xinghai Square to Haizhiyun Square. This section has a main driving road and also a wooden trail next to the driving road, allowing the visitors and also the locals to enjoy road trip or walking tour along it. The entire wooden trail measures for about 21 kilometers and can be further divided in to three parts, including the West Section, Middle Section and East Section. The West Section starts from Xinghai Square to Fujiazhuang Park, covering for about 5 kilometers in total, which is the shortest of the three parts. Highlights along this section are the views of bridges, villas, nursing homes, resorts, etc. The Middle Section is from Fujiazhuang Park to Tiger Beach Ocean Park. This 7-kilometer-long part is the most notable and popular of Binhai Road and is also called the Lovers Road. The East Section is from Tiger Beach Ocean Park to Bangchui Island Scenic Area.
Sunasia Ocean Park
© sunasia.com
Sunasia Ocean Park
© doris圈圈/携程
Dalian Sunasia Ocean Park, which is located on the west side of Xinghai Square, is the second popular ocean parks in Dalian. It is featured with a 118-meter-long underwater tunnel paved with transparent glasses. Composed of four venues, including Sunasia Ocean World, Sunasia Polar World, Sunasia Coral World and Sunasia Subgalactic Sea, Sunasia Ocean Park is also an ideal resort for family to have fun, especially for those coming with kids. Thanks to its close distance to Xinghai Square and Xinghai Park, some visitors who are in hurry may take a short day tour at the ocean park and surrounding square and park.
East Post of Venice Water City
© 海浪/美篇
East Post of Venice Water City
© 海浪/美篇
Dalian Venice Water City is located close to Dalian Port. If you ride Dalian Metro Line 2, you can get off the metro at Donggang Station (东港) to get there. It is based on The City of Venice. There are unique gondolas wandering through over 200 European-style castles, giving visitors a strong atmosphere of being in Venice instead of China. If you are interested, you can hop on a gondola to wind through the river. The scenic area is available to be visited at both day and also night, while the landscape with illuminated lights at night are more stunning.
Fisherman's Wharf
© 超级玛莉宝/去哪儿
Fisherman's Wharf
© 西部途行/去哪儿
Fisherman's Wharfs are very common in European countries. The worldwide popular Fisherman's Wharfs include the ones in San Francisco, Liverpool (England) and Montreal (Canada). In Dalian, there is also a Fisherman's Wharf. Though it is not that famous than the above three wharfs, it is still a popular tourist site in the city. There is a visual collision between ancient fishing boats and modern yachts. The best time to visit the wharf is considered to be at dusk. The sunset rays shine on the water, making the coastline more appealing. If you are looking for some romantic moments with your loves, you can pay a short visit to Fisherman's Wharf.
Best Time to Visit Dalian: April to October
How to Get There: Flights from Beijing (1.5~2 hours), Shanghai (2 hours), Guangzhou (4 hours), Harbin (4 hours), etc. and bullet train from Shenyang (1.5~4.5 hours), Harbin (3.5~5 hours), Beijing (4~5 hours), etc.
Visitors usually spend 1~4 days in Dalian. Those who are coming to Dalian in hurry, they spend 1 day around to have a rough trip to its coastline. Some prefer Golden Pebble Beach, while some may visit Xinghai Square and Sunasia Ocean Park.
>> 1 Day Golden Pebble Beach Day Tour
If you have 2 days in Dalian, you are suggested to spend your first day at Xinghai Square and nearbys and the next day to meet with the best seascape in Dalian and have fun at Tiger Pebble Beach Ocean Park.
>> 2 Days Dalian Family Tour with Essence of Dalian
A 3 Day Dalian Tour will cover almost all the major highlights in Dalian, including its best coastal scenery and ocean parks. If you have 3 days around, you are high suggested to take such a trip.
>> 3 Days Best Dalian Tour with All Dalian Highlights
If you want more Dalian surprises, you can also add Bangchui Island into your trip, which used to be the summer retreat for national leaders of China.
In addition, you are highly suggested to extend your trip to more destinations in Dongbei Region, including 3~6 days to Harbin, 2~4 days to Changbaishan, 1~2 days to Shenyang, 1~2 days to Jilin, 1~3 days to Changchun, etc. Have your preferences? Contact us to get a tailor-made trip!
>> 8 Days Northeast China Tour with Harbin Ice & Snow Festival
We always welcome visitors from all over the globe to visit and have fun in the romantic Dalian! If you have such a plan, you can feel free to tell us your favorites of the city, your group size, interests and any specific needs, we can CUSTOMIZE a Dalian Tour for you! If you go with us China Discovery, we will take care of all your details, including the accommodation, airport pick up and drop off, local specialty, tickets, visiting routes and itineraries and more. You can just spend your every spare moment to indulge in the coastal landscapes and ocean parks activities! If you are interested, please contact us and let our experienced travel consultant help you!
Top 3 Dalian tours chosen by most customers to explore Dalian in the best way. Check the detailed itinerary, or tailor your own trip now with us.
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