Shanhaiguan from Qinhuangdao or Beijing

Shanhaiguan, in Shanhaiguan District of Qinhuangdao, Hebei province, China, is known as the First Pass Under Heaven, the point where the Great Wall of the Ming dynasty meets the Bohai Sea. It lies about 30 km east of Qinhuangdao and roughly 2 hours from Beijing by high-speed train. Trains from Qinhuangdao take about 20 minutes and cost ¥15-30, while fares from Beijing are about ¥130-170; buses from Qinhuangdao cost ¥8-10 and run every 15-20 minutes. From Shanhaiguan Station the old town is a 15-minute walk or short taxi ride. The walled Ming-dynasty town is largely intact and compact, so it can be explored on foot. The main gate tower carries a famous calligraphy plaque reading First Pass Under Heaven, and visitors climb the tower for views over the town and plains. The Laolongtou, or Old Dragon's Head, is where the wall plunges into the sea about 4 km south, and the Jiaoshan section climbs a hillside to the north with views of the pass. A good one-day arc is to see the gate tower and walk the old-town streets in the morning, have lunch in the town, and visit Laolongtou in the afternoon; a taxi hire of ¥60-100 can combine Shanhaiguan, Laolongtou and Jiaoshan efficiently. Lunch options include seafood and northern noodle shops in the old town. Tickets for each sight run about ¥40-60, so total spending including trains is ¥100-300. May to October is the best window, with warm sea air in summer, while winters are cold and windy. The walking is mostly flat apart from the gate-tower stairs and the Jiaoshan climb.