Central & Northern Shandong

Seven cities including Jinan, Zibo and Tai'an: Mount Tai, the Spring City, the ancient Qi capital and the Yellow River estuary make up Shandong's heartland.

This region corresponds to the Provincial Capital Economic Circle in Shandong's "one group, two centers, three circles" framework, and includes seven cities: Jinan, Zibo, Tai'an, Liaocheng, Dezhou, Binzhou and Dongying. Note that Qufu belongs to Jining and falls under the Southern Shandong Economic Circle, so in this scheme it is in a different region from Mount Tai, although visitors often combine the two. Mount Tai in Tai'an is the foremost of China's Five Great Mountains and a UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage site. You can hike up from Red Gate via the Eighteen Bends to the South Heavenly Gate, Heavenly Street and Jade Emperor Peak; a night climb to catch the sunrise is the classic experience. At the foot of the mountain, Dai Temple is where emperors through the ages performed the Feng Shan sacrificial rites. Jinan is known as the "Spring City", and Baotu Spring, Black Tiger Spring, Daming Lake and the Furong Street area can be linked on foot, while Thousand Buddha Mountain offers views over the city. Zibo was the capital of the ancient state of Qi and has the Qi Culture Museum, the Zhoucun Ancient Commercial City and Boshan ceramics and glassware; in recent years Zibo barbecue has drawn huge numbers of visitors. Liaocheng is called the "Water City North of the Yangtze", with Dongchang Lake encircling the old town, while Guangyue Tower and the Shanxi-Shaanxi Guild Hall reflect the history of canal trade; Jingyanggang in Yanggu is linked to the story of Water Margin. The Yellow River Estuary Ecotourism Area in Dongying is the place to watch the Yellow River meet the sea and to see wetland birds, and in autumn the sea blite turns the tidal flats red. Dezhou braised chicken and Binzhou's Sun Tzu culture are also distinctive. Classic route: two days in Jinan, one to two days at Mount Tai, one day in Zibo, plus Dongying or Liaocheng, for five to six days in total. For transport, the Beijing–Shanghai high-speed railway passes through Dezhou East, Jinan West and Tai'an, the Jinan–Qingdao high-speed railway connects Zibo, Jinan Yaoqiang International Airport has plenty of routes, and Dongying also has an airport. Mount Tai is extremely crowded on holidays; for a night climb, bring warm clothing and a headlamp.

Destinations

Itineraries