Golden beaches, endless sea, waves crashing on the rocks, seagulls flying freely. Last weekend, in Rizhao, Shandong, I saw my dream sea✌️
Two days and one night, eating seafood🦞, picking oysters🦪, enjoying beautiful scenery, living inside a Studio Ghibli comic. Visiting Rizhao in the off-season was totally worth it.
Just back from Rizhao, here’s a 2-day travel guide for you.
1️⃣ Transportation: 🚄 High-speed train direct, Nanjing to Rizhao West Station takes 3.5 hours. After exiting the station, take a taxi🚖 about 30 minutes to the destination.
2️⃣ Recommended itinerary
day❶ Kaiyuan Senbo → Ruyi Bridge → Wanpingkou Gate 3
day❷ Sailing Regatta Base → Lighthouse → Forest Park Gate 1 → Peach Blossom Island → Daqianggou Fishing Port → Sunshine Coast
3️⃣ Recommended check-in spots
❶ Kaiyuan Senbo: You can watch the sunrise🌅 facing the sea right from the balcony! Also, it’s pet🐩 friendly here.
❷ Ruyi Bridge: A purple corridor bridge leading straight to the sea, like a big pendant. You can watch the morning glow and sunrise from the bridge, perfect for photos.
❸ Wanpingkou Gate 3: Strolling along the seaside is really romantic, with the beach, sunrise, swings, and more. Feels like stepping into a Korean drama scene.
❹ Sailing Regatta Base: You can get up close to seagulls here! Remember to bring some bread🥖. Try to go in the morning, as seagulls rest in the afternoon.
❺ Lighthouse: About a 10-minute walk from the Sailing Regatta Base. The blue sea and white lighthouse create a great photo atmosphere, even better at sunset🌅.
❻ Forest Park: Near Gate 1, there’s a big ship🚢. When the tide rises, photos here give a “Bluewies” vibe of Rizhao.
❼ Sunshine Coast: Angel wings, LOVE sculptures, and more. The beach here is clean, perfect for couples to check in and take photos.
4️⃣ Accommodation
✔️ I stayed at Kaiyuan Senbo, in a family suite with upstairs and downstairs, plus a private balcony. You can watch the sea🌊 from the balcony and it’s just a 3-minute walk to Ruyi Bridge. Also, there’s a Studio Ghibli-style bird’s nest treehouse here. Staying in the bird’s nest with someone you love, watching the sea, isn’t that romantic?
✔️ Indoors, there are lots of fun activities too, like a water park with surfing and slides🛝, kept at a constant 30 degrees, so it’s comfortable to play in winter! There’s also a pet park and fantasy island park.
5️⃣ Food
I ate at the Haisen Restaurant in the hotel. Walking into the restaurant feels like entering an aquarium, with blue glass walls and light flowing as fish swim around—so dreamy!
They serve both Chinese and Western food, including pasta, seafood noodles, and various seafood🦞. I especially liked the squid. The buffet breakfast was quite rich.
 ANNABELLE THOMPSON
ANNABELLE THOMPSON16