Welcome to Tiānjīn
Forever being compared to Běijīng (if anything, it's more like Shànghǎi), the former foreign concession port of Tiānjīn (天津) is a large, booming, yet laid-back city, with a pleasant river promenade and some charming, European-flavoured neighbourhoods. It's an easy day trip from the capital, but you may want a long weekend to explore the city properly.
Top experiences in Tiānjīn
Amazing hotels and hostels
We've pre-picked the best hotels, hostels and bed and breakfasts to make your stay as enjoyable as possible.
Tiānjīn activities
Private Day Trip: Shilinxia Glass Platform and Ming City Wall Park
Meet your private guide in your hotel lobby at 8am for the 2-hour drive to Shilinxia (Stone Forest Gorge) through the rolling hills outside of Beijing. Also known as the Jingdong Stone Forest Gorge, the Shilinxia Scenic Area covers an area of around 4.5 square miles (12 square kilometers) about 43 miles (70 kilometers) northeast of Beijing. The gorge is home to many striking rock formations, some of which weigh over 1100 tons (1000 tonnes). After looking at a few sculptural formations with your guide, you'll take a cable car (own expense) halfway up the mountain, then climb to the peak, around 2,500 feet (768 meters) above sea level, where a dramatic canyon plunges over 1300 feet (400 meters) into the void. Please note the steps are pretty steep so a reasonable level of fitness is required: it takes about half an hour to climb to the top. You’ll be rewarded with the highlight of the tour: the world's largest cantilevered viewing platform, a staggering circle of glass suspended in mid-air high, high above the gorge. At 103 feet (32.8 meters) long, the Shilinxia Glass Platform projects 37 feet (11.4 meters) further than the Grand Canyon Skywalk, making it a breathtaking experience – provided you're not scared of heights, of course! Slip on your shoe covers and stride out over the gorge. Besides the incredible views down through the reinforced glass, you'll be able to see all the way across to Jinhai Lake and Mount Pan near Tianjin. Enjoy a delicious Chinese lunch at a nearby restaurant before you drive back into the city to the Site of Ming City Wall Park. It takes around an hour and 40 minutes to reach this impressive park where the last surviving section of the 15th-century city wall that once encircled Beijing has been preserved and rebuilt: the rest was demolished in the 1960s to make way for new roads and the subway. Once the wall stretched for 15 miles (24 kilometers) around the city: today, just 1.2 miles (2 kilometers) remain. Admire the brickwork, complete with bullet holes in places, and ascend the impressive, heavily fortified Southeast Corner Watchtower, with 144 windows for archers. From here, you'll drive a short way to your hotel, arriving around 5pm.
Private Day Trip: Discover Tianjin by Bullet Train from Beijing
You can choose to depart at any time from 8am to 9:30am – your private guide will collect you from your hotel for the short journey to Beijing South Railway Station. Traveling by bullet train, it takes around half an hour to reach Tianjin – even though it's 85 miles (137 kilometers) from Beijing. On arrival, you'll transfer to a suitable vehicle: a coach, minivan, or car with private driver, or, for groups of three or less, a taxi. Your first stop is Porcelain House, a 1920s French-style colonial villa covered in thousands of pieces of ancient porcelain. Besides the startling exterior, the 5,000-square-yard (4,200-square-meter) interior is home to a museum of porcelain and antiques, including spectacular marble carvings, crystal, and semi-precious gems from the collection of the owner, Zhang Lianzhi. Next, discover more of Tianjin's international past with a visit to Five Great Avenues (Wudadao), an area that's home to over 2,000 garden-style villas built by occupying powers during the 1920s and 1930s. You might wish to take a horse-drawn carriage ride around the area (own expense) to capture the architectural splendor at its best. Your guide will introduce you to Tianjin's cuisine over lunch in a local restaurant: as befits China's fourth largest city, Tianjin food is famous across China. After lunch, visit a landmark of modern-day Tianjin: the Tianjin Eye. This 394-foot (120-meter) ferris wheel is built over the Yongle Bridge: it's officially the first and only observation wheel to be built above a bridge. Each of the 64 passenger capsules can carry 8 passengers, giving a maximum capacity of 768 passengers per hour, and takes 30 minutes to complete a rotation. Enjoy spectacular views stretching as much as 25 miles (40 kilometers) into the distance from its highest point. Your last stop will be Tianjin's Ancient Culture Street, the city's number one shopping destination for traditional Chinese goods. Besides the Tianhou Temple and shoe museum, there are almost 100 stores, selling wares from embroidery and calligraphy to tea sets, seals, and figurines, as well as Tianjin specialties. From here, you'll return to Tianjin Railway Station and board your bullet train back to Beijing. Your guide will transfer you back to your hotel, arriving between 4pm and 5:30pm.Note: Tianjin ferris is closed every Monday. On this day, you'll visit the Tianjin Food Street or River cruise instead.
Tianjin Private Day Tour Of The Five Great Avenues, Ancient Culture Street, Porcelain House, And Tianjin Eye Including Lunch
Your private guide will meet you in the lobby of your downtown Tianjin Hotel at 9am and take you by air-conditioned private car, with a separate driver, to explore the city of Tianjin, which has the fourth largest urban population in China after Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou with a long history dating back many centuries ago. Because of the strategic importance of the city, being on the Hai River and connecting to the Yellow and the Yangtze Rivers through the Grand Canal, a walled city was built in the early 15th century. Today, Tianjin is still of strategic importance to China, being Beijing’s gateway to the sea.Your first stop today is in the area known as the Five Great Avenues, or Wu Da Dao in Chinese. Located in Heping District south of downtown Tianjin, the Five Great Avenues are five parallel roads running east to west across the city and named after five Chinese cities: Chongqing, Changde, Dali, Machang and Munan. In this area, you will see well over 200 buildings with architectural style from all over Europe including: British, French, Italian, German, and Spanish. Among them, Machang Avenue is the widest and longest as well as being the oldest. Here, you will see the Spanish Villa styled building that was once the residence of the British Overseas Scholar, Da Wenshi. From the Five Great Avenue, you will go to the French Concession area where you can see the highly ornate Porcelain House, a French Style Villa that was originally built as a residence over 100 years ago, now it is a very unique private museum which is covered by around 400 million colorful pieces of ancient Chinese ceramic and thousands of porcelain vases and crockery on its exterior.After lunch, you will have a chance to relax a little as you walk along Tianjin’s Ancient Cultural Street. Here, you will find many antique and jade shops, and in the center of the 0.4 mile (700 meters) long street, there is the Temple of the Queen of Heaven dedicated to the Goddess of the Sea. You will have time to enjoy the Temple as well as exploring many fascinating shops.Your last stop is at the 394 feet (120 meters) high Tianjin Eye, a giant Ferris Wheel spanning the Hai River. In fact, it is claimed to be the only Ferris Wheel constructed over a bridge. Each passenger cabin seats eight people and the whole rotation takes approximately 30 minutes. You will get a spectacular view over the city of Tianjin(at your own cost). After your Tianjin Eye experience, you will be taken to your downtown hotel or Tianjin Railway Station where your tour ends.Please note: Ferris Wheel is closed on Monday. To ride Ferris Wheel may queue over 2 hours during Chinese public holidays, such as National Day holidays, May Day holidays and etc. Please pay on the spot if you are interested in riding it.
Tianjin Local Food Tour including Lunch and International Cruise Port Transfers
This is a combination tour of food tour and city tour in Tianjin. We believe that visit a Chinese city by tasting local food and experience lively real daily life scene of the city with an entertaining and knowledgeable local guide would be the best for first time visitors. After you are picked up by your private guide, this 8 hours tour starts from a local port where local fishermen fish everyday, you will see their daliy lives and experience a local seafood market. Then you will go to a local fresh fruits and vegetables market where locals shop in Tianjin central part by an air-conditioned private vehicle to explore more Chinese food items and experience lively local morning market scene. After the market adventure, you will visit Nanshi Food Market to taste a variety of traditional local snacks such as deep-fried breads, Chinese pretzels, pancakes, candies, wheat powder tea and steamed buns...etc. A total of 10 items you will sample during the tour. After that you will have lunch in a nice local restaurant close to food market. As well as eating at different places in downtown, you will also have the opportunities get off the vehicle, take your time and walk around the central part of Tianjin city and browse through some popular attractions including Ancient Cultral Street,Gulou(Drum Tower)area where the original Tianjin city located, Tianjin Local Cultrue Museum, Tianjin Eye. The food tour will end with a relax walking along Haihe River which has been a representative of Tianjin since 400 years ago, After the tour, you will be deliver back to Beijing(Tianjin)International port.This tour will be one of your most memorable trips in China!
Beijing City Center Private Vehicle Transfer to Tianjin Port
Note 1: The start and end times will vary depending on traffic and road conditionsNote 2: When booking please provide the following information: ship name, docking time, disembarkation time, re-boarding time and hotel detailsYour driver will meet you at your hotel in Beijing and escort you to your private vehicle. Sit back, relax and enjoy a comfortable transportation to Tianjin International Cruise Terminal. Or you can choose to pick up from Tianjin port and drop off at Beijing city center.Transfer services are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. When making a booking, you will need to advise us of your cruise line, cruise departure time and your hotel accommodation in Beijing.Service starts from your choice of time between 0630am to 1000am, it takes about 2.5 hours to 6 hours on the way depending on the road and traffic condition. We strongly suggest you start at 0630am, which will have the lease amount of traffic.
Private Transfer: Between Tianjin Cruise Port and Beijing Hotel
Enjoy convenient, easy and hassle-free transport between Tianjin Cruise Port and your hotel in downtown Beijing. Please specify you need transfer from Tianjin cruise port to Beijing downtown, or transfer from Beijing downtown to Tianjin cruise port. After getting off the cruise, walk through a 30-meter-long covered bridge to reach the arrival gate. Here you will finish your arrival formalities, taking approximately 10 minutes. Enter the waiting hall and exit via Gateway 3, where you will find your driver waiting outside holding a name plate with your party's name on it. Your driver will escort you directly to your private air-conditioned vehicle and transfer to your hotel in downtown Beijing. Upon arriving at your hotel, your driver will be more than happy to assist you with your hotel check-in and luggage.