Delicious Beihai Tour

Beihai is a beautiful and romantic city boasting subtropical seaside scenery. The name of the city means "north of the sea" in Chinese, signifying its status as a seaport on the north shore of the Gulf of Tonkin, which has granted it historical importance as a port of international trade for Guangxi, Hunan, Hubei, Sichuan, Guizhou, and Yunnan. Between the years 2006 and 2020, Beihai is predicted to be the world's fastest growing city. Beihai has a large shipyard, but most of the money generated in the city is derived from trade.



Beihai boasts many scenic areas displaying modern gardening techniques. There is an excellent beach, Silver Beach. The weather is warm for most of the year, however during winter months it is not warm enough to work on your tan on the seafront. Another good news for “eaters” is that there is seafood everywhere and it is very cheap, about half the price of Shanghai or Hangzhou. When ordering anything with meat in a restaurant there is a chance of getting rat meat although you ordered beef.

There are two big sea food markets in Beihai, Donghai Market and Nanzhu Market. The price in Donghai Market is much more reasonable, but the quality is a little bit lower than Nanzhu Market. Salted and dried aquatic products can be bought in Shuichanpin Market. At Beiyun Market and Guizhong Market you can buy raw seafood. A delicacy in Beihai (as in other coastal/sub tropical Chinese cities) is half a pineapple on a stick.

On Seafood Island, on the northern shore there are many places (restaurants as well as tents etc.), which offer various cooked sea foods. But going to the island restaurants may be difficult for those unable to speak Chinese as the price of seafood is quoted per wubaike (500 grams, also known as jin).



In the fishing village Dijiao, there are some small eating places which offer cooked sea food much cheaper. By far, like other places such as Changsha, some of the best eating in Beihai takes place at any of the various night markets. Locals enjoy staying up late and one of the best things to do in Beihai is just to wander around streets with food and market stalls.



There are a couple of public parks that are open late and many locals head there at weekend nights to have a drink, do some dancing and just to meet their friends. Most night markets tend to start around dusk, and food can be purchased from a wide variety of vendors who, in addition to cooking local seafood, vegetables and serving drinks, also provide plastic seats and chairs.

Pizzas are not so special in Bei Hai any more, but do not expect the Italian variety. Among other places, you will find a pizzeria in Changqing Rd, which also offers food specialities of Western countries. Many good restaurants hide in the second floor and only have a small entrance door. Difficult to find, so look up sometimes.