Shandong is a coastal province in eastern China, home to Mount Tai, the birthplace of Confucius at Qufu, the beer-making port of Qingdao, and Jinan, the City of Springs. Its capital is Jinan and its largest city is Qingdao. The province combines UNESCO heritage, a long Yellow Sea and Bohai coast, and Lu cuisine, one of China's Eight Great Cuisines.
- Public
- Shandong is one of China's best-connected provinces by rail: the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed line calls at Dezhou East, Jinan West, Tai'an and Qufu East, while the Jinan-Qingdao line, the Qingdao-Yantai-Weihai coastal line and the Rizhao routes link the peninsula cities. Jinan Metro and Qingdao Metro cover the two big city centres, and city buses fill the gaps
- Taxi
- Metered taxis and DiDi ride-hailing operate in Jinan, Qingdao, Yantai, Weihai and Rizhao; DiDi's English interface accepts foreign cards and Alipay, and Amap (Gaode) also has a built-in taxi-hailing function
- Rental
- Self-drive rental needs a Chinese driving licence or temporary permit; an International Driving Permit alone is not valid. Chartered cars with drivers are the practical option for Mount Tai, Qufu, Mount Lao and the Jiaodong coast
- Walking
- Jinan's Baotu Spring and Daming Lake area, Qingdao's old German town and Badaguan, and Yantai and Weihai seafront promenades are very walkable; distances between sights in Tai'an, Qufu and around Mount Lao are large and need a bus or car
Transport at a glance
- Public
- 5/5
- Taxi
- 4/5
- Rental
- 2/5
- Walking
- 3/5
Transportation details
Full breakdown of how to get around.
Shandong lies between Beijing, Shanghai and the Yellow Sea, and its main cities are strung along the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed line (Jinan, Tai'an, Qufu) and the Jiaodong Peninsula coast (Qingdao, Yantai, Weihai). Jinan is the capital with Jinan Yaoqiang International Airport (TNA); Qingdao is the largest city and port, served by Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport (TAO); Yantai Penglai (YNT) and Weihai Dashuipo (WEH) serve the northeast coast. Fares use a fixed rate of 1 USD = 6.70 CNY and are approximate; timetables change, so check 12306 or Trip.com on the day of travel.
Airports
Jinan Yaoqiang International Airport (济南遥墙国际机场)
Qingdao Jiaodong International Airport (青岛胶东国际机场)
Yantai Penglai International Airport (烟台蓬莱国际机场)
Weihai Dashuipo International Airport (威海大水泊国际机场)
Linyi Shubuling Airport (临沂沭埠岭机场)
Jining Qufu Airport (济宁曲阜机场)
Transport tips
Travel smarter, not harder.
Buy high-speed rail tickets on the 12306 app (English version accepts foreign passports) or on Trip.com; the e-ticket is tied to the passport number and is scanned at the station gate
Jinan has three main stations: Jinan West (济南西, high-speed, most Beijing-Shanghai trains), Jinan (济南站, conventional and some D trains, close to downtown) and Jinan East (济南东, for some Jinan-Qingdao trains); check the station name before leaving
Qingdao has Qingdao Station (青岛站, old town, near Zhanqiao Pier), Qingdao North (青岛北, the main high-speed hub) and Hongdao/Jiaozhou Bay stations; Qingdao North is about 20 km from the old town and connects by Metro Line 1/3/8
Set up Alipay (Tour Pass) or WeChat Pay with a foreign card before arrival; many small shops, buses and ticket kiosks prefer QR payment, and cash acceptance is declining
Keep the passport on the person at all times: it is needed for train tickets, hotel check-in and entry to Mount Tai, Qufu and other ticketed sites
Book Mount Tai, Qufu (Three Confucian Sites) and Laoshan entrance tickets online in advance for Golden Week (1-7 October), May Day and summer weekends; Mount Tai sunrise weekends also sell out cable-car slots
Amap (Gaode) and Baidu Maps work far better than Google Maps in China; download offline maps and Chinese place names before arrival
Beach and ferry timetables vary with season and weather; typhoon-season fog (July-September) and sea fog in spring can delay Yantai-Dalian ferries and flights at Qingdao and Yantai