Beidahe (北戴河, Běidàihé) is a proper tacky Chinese past its prime seaside resort, but that is exactly what gives it its charm. Combine that with the fact that it is only 2 hours by train from Beijing and you have the ingredients of a place well worth a visit.
Formerly and to a degree still where Communist honchos like Mao and Deng came for a seaside jolly, now it is a quick getaway that is crazily cheap by Chinese standards. This is evidenced by the fact that it is really popular with Russians…..
So, what’s the score with the place, and is there much of a street food Beidahe scene?
Table of Contents
What the Beidaihe?
Beidaihe started as a quiet fishing village but became a playground for Communist elites in the 1950s and 1960s. Mao Zedong, Zhou Enlai, and later Deng Xiaoping used it as a seaside getaway to escape Beijing in the summer, enjoying the beach, seafood, and relative anonymity. It sits next to Qinhuangdao and Shanhaiguan, the latter famous as the “First Pass Under Heaven” on the Great Wall where it meets the sea.
Today, it is a beach getaway for poor and middle-class Chinese who cannot afford Hainan, Thailand, or even Beihai. Despite its faded glamour, the place retains old-school charm, cheap hotels, and a nostalgic seaside vibe, making it a surprisingly fun summer destination for locals.
The Beidaihe Vibe
This is proper old school faded seaside town vibes and that is bloody awesome. The main place to stay is around the “Haibin Bath Beach” area. This is where you will find all the cheap hotels, as well as an old school promenade leading down to the beach.
Said promenade has all manor of seafood restaurants and buffets, but also proper tacky tourist shops where you can get buckets and spades, water wings and the like. It also appears that you can also rent scooters and little tuk-tuks which is about as Chinese tourist town as it gets.
If you then get to the beach after dark you will see it has quite literally been closed off. No one seems to care though as what you do instead is just climb the fence in a very un-Chinese fashion. Quite what the cameras make of this and how it affects your social credit is anyone’s guess.
The beach is actually kinda nicer looking than you’d expect, and has beach-style eateries and the like, but alas even if it is 35 degrees in the daytime the water is cold as heck. This is not the Philippines Muggles! Still it has that camp, tacky, relaxing, but most importantly cheap vibe.
Oh and there’s Russians, lots and lots of Russians. In fact as a foreigner people will just assume you are one. Even the Russians thought I was Russian after I managed to translate for our Chinese receptionist. Turns out I can understand “no toilet?” Alas my abilities did not stretch much further.
Eating in Beidaihe
There are basically seafood restaurants and buffets littering the town, with a prevalence of great ones down the promenade to the aforementioned beach. Many of these seem to be open past 1 am too, at least during our trip. These are your classic Chinese-style seafood restaurants, with the fish outside in tanks and big picture menus on the walls. These are cheap by Chinese standards, with it being a popular haunt for seafood lovers escaping the prices of the capital. Proper legit and worth the journey itself.
Interestingly and probably because of the Chinese and Russian tourists, there is a McDonalds and a KFC quite literally on the beach. This is complemented by Luckin Coffee and the ever amusing AunTEA Jenny. Communism with Chinese characteristics my ass!
5 Foods to have in Beidaihe
Seafood Fried Rice
For around $4 I got the biggest plate of seafood fried rice that I have ever seen in my life. What set this apart was that it was quite literally filled with shrimp and squid at almost a 1/3 ratio.
Shrimp Dumplings
These looked great in the photo, and were basically big Chinese baozi-style dumplings with a shrimp tail sticking out of them. Taste-wise I was expecting something different. It was not though a shrimp dumpling, but rather a dumpling with a shrimp in it. Said shrimp was basically then used as the handle to eat the food. A little weird, but by Jove did it work! This was around the $7 mark.
Fresh Shrimp
I mean you could just blanket “fresh seafood” and be done with it, but the fresh shrimp is not just good, but supremely good value at around $12 a KG. Word to the wise though, I asked for raw shrimp, as in I wanted shrimp sashimi and the crazy bint brought me live shrimp in a bowl. Turns out no raw shrimp.
Squid on a Stick
This is the go-to street food and food truck offering in Beidahe. Nothing like what you get in Cambodia or Thailand, with it being a bit rubbery for my liking. Still it is fresh and spicy.
Fresh Oysters
This is oyster territory and big fresh ones will cost you about 60 cents a pop. The key then is that you get bowls of the sauce to your liking and season accordingly. Every restaurant does them and this is a local specialty.
Street Food Beidaihe
OK, so is there much of a street food Beidahe scene? Basically there is a proper raw restaurant scene here, particularly down by the beach, but street food there at least is mostly limited to squid on a stick. In China this tends to be too spicy and rubbery.
Aside from that you can find street food and BBQ restaurants if you go look in the suburban residential areas. Here you will get Chinese classic BBQ, which of course includes locally caught seafood. In Beidahe it is all about the shrimp and oysters.
There are though a bunch of food trucks on the beaches themselves, although it is mostly ice cream and buckets, save a few doing squid on a stick and of course Chinese sausages.
Drinking in Beidaihe
This is proper old school commie vibes when it comes to drinking in Beidahe. Do not come here expecting bars, no no, this is beers while you eat and KTVs. For the uninitiated, a KTV is a big building where people come to do karaoke. These are split into family-friendly ones, as well as KTVs that provide lady company. And yes Beidahe has very much both of them on offer. I mean the government do like to hang out here after all.
Sleeping in Beidaihe
Hotels in Beidahe are insanely cheap. Down by the beach I found countless good hotels for $12–15, and these were far from the minority, these were the lion’s share. After that you had plush places for the $50 mark and crazy good if you hit the $100+ mark—although these were few and far between.
This was proper old school China vibe and prices, with I am sure the $50 entrants being what you’d drop $200 on in Beijing. I say this after having wasted $90 a night for 3 weeks to stay in downtown Beijing. This also tells you a bit about who the clientele are too. Yep cheap Chinese and Russians! But hey if it works it works.
Oh and my hotel had the fabulous name of St Peters Baroque Resort! And honestly they were lovely. I was asked to give them a 5-star review and I certainly shall! At least in the context of a $14.76 hotel!
What to do in Beidaihe?
When you arrive in Beidahe you are greeted by lots of posters advertising theatre shows, aqua parks and the like. Obviously I did not get to any of them, but this gives you an idea of the overall vibe of the place. Aside from this stuff, it’s all about beaches, boats and good old fashioned seaside fun!
Haibin Bath Beach (海滨浴场, Hǎibīn Yùchǎng)
Relax, sunbathe, and swim along the main beach. Perfect for a lazy day by the sea.
Promenade Stroll (海滨长廊, Hǎibīn Chángláng)
Walk along the classic seaside promenade lined with shops, buffets, and tourist stalls selling buckets, spades, and kitschy souvenirs.
Seafood Tasting (海鲜品尝, Hǎixiān Pǐncháng)
Sample fresh local seafood at the beachside restaurants, including shrimp, oysters, and squid.
KTV Experience (KTV体验, KTV Tǐyàn)
Participate in karaoke, from family-friendly KTVs to adult-oriented ones that offer “lady company.”
Visit Shanhaiguan (山海关, Shānhǎiguān)
Explore the historical Great Wall section where it meets the sea. A short train ride away, this is the “First Pass Under Heaven.”
Getting in and out of Beidaihe
Beidahe and all the related train stations are well connected to both Beijing and ever forgetful Tianjin. Aside from that you have the surrounding areas of Qinhuangdao and the historically important Shanhaiguan. This is where you can see the rebuilt part of the Great Wall that connects to the sea.
Beijing to Beidaihe
Around 2 hours by high-speed train. Roughly $15–$20 USD (120–160 RMB).
Tianjin to Beidaihe
Around 3 hours. Roughly $10–$15 USD (80–120 RMB).
Qinhuangdao to Beidaihe
Around 30–40 minutes. Roughly $3–$5 USD (25–40 RMB).
Shanhaiguan to Beidaihe
Around 15–20 minutes. Roughly $2–$3 USD (15–25 RMB).
So, is it worth visiting Beidaihe?
Have you been reading what I say? This place is cheap, tacky and well quite frankly wonderful! The seafood is great and you could easily rock around here for a few days in the summer. And I mean if it is good enough for Mao and Deng then frankly it is good enough for me!