Tianjin Travel Guide

Destination overview Destination sketch Tianjin is one of the four municipalities directly under the Central Government of China. It is 130 kilometers southeast of Beijing, serving as Beijing’s gateway to the Bohai Sea. It covers an area of 11,300 square […]

Destination overview

Destination sketch

Tianjin is one of the four municipalities directly under the Central Government of China. It is 130 kilometers southeast of Beijing, serving as Beijing’s gateway to the Bohai Sea. It covers an area of 11,300 square kilometers and there are 13 districts and five counties under its jurisdiction. The total population is 9.52 million. People from urban Tianjin speak Tianjin dialect, which comes under the mandarin subdivision of spoken Chinese. Not only is Tianjin an international harbor and economic center in the north of China, but it is also well-known for its profound historical and cultural heritage.

Culture

Tianjin is famous for its Xiangsheng stand up comic crosstalk and comedians including Guo Degang and Ma Sanli. Ma Sanli (1914–2003), an ethnic Hui and longtime resident of Tianjin, is renowned for his xiangsheng, a hugely popular form of Chinese entertainment similar to comedy. Ma Sanli delivered some of his xiangsheng in the Tianjin dialect. Tianjin, along with Beijing, is a center for the art of xiangsheng.

Yangliuqing (Green Willows), a town about 15 km west of Tianjin’s urban area and the seat of Tianjin’s Xiqing District, is famous for its popular Chinese New Year-themed, traditional-style, Yangliuqing colourful wash paintings. Tianjin is also famous for Zhang’s clay figurines which are a type of colourful figurine depicting a variety of vivid characters, and Tianjin’s Wei’s kites, which can be folded to a fraction of their full sizes, are noted for portability.

Best Travel season

It is strongly recommended to visit in spring from March to May and autumn from September to October. The natural scenes are most beautiful in the two seasons, when the climate is also at its most stable and agreeable time.

Intercity traffic

Aircraft

Tianjin Binhai International Airport TSN
Address: South side of Jinhan Highway Airport Overpass in Dongli District, Tianjin
Phone: 022-24909677
Www.tbia.cn
Arriving and leaving the airport
Tianjin Binhai International Airport has convenient transportation. Passenger buses are connected to the urban area and Tianjin Railway Station. At present, 5 public transportation lines have been opened to the urban area and Binhai New Area, and buses can directly reach the Beijing area.

Train

Tianjin Railway Station
Address: No. 1 Xinwei Road, Hebei District, Tianjin
Arrival: Take Metro Line 3 to Tianjin Station
Tel: 022-60536053

Tianjin West Railway Station
Address: Dafeng Road, Hongqiao District, Tianjin (near Da Hutong)
Arrival: Take Metro Line 1 and Line 6 to West Station
Tel: 022-26189805 022-27323854

Tianjin North Railway Station
Address: Zhongshan Road, Hebei District, Tianjin (near Beining Park)
Arrival: Take Metro Line 3 and Line 6 to North Station
Tel: 022-26181162

Tianjin South Railway Station
Address: Jinjin Expressway, Zhangjiawo Town, Xiqing District, Tianjin
Arrival: Take Metro Line 3 to South Station

Long distance bus

Tianjin Ke Canal North Station
Address: 39 Jianchang Road, Hebei District
Tel: 022-26746478

Tianjin Passenger West Station
Address: No. 2, Xiqing Road, Hongqiao District
Phone: 022-27320688

Traffic in the city

Bus

Public transportation in the urban area of Tianjin is developed, but taxis sometimes circumvent because of single-line restrictions, making taxi fares exceed budget. Moreover, many attractions in the urban area of Tianjin are not far apart. If there is plenty of time, walking is a very good choice.

Taxi

The taxi starting price in Tianjin is 8 yuan, within 3-10 km, the taxi above 1.6L displacement is 2 yuan/km, the taxi below 1.6L displacement is 1.7 yuan/km, waiting for 1 km every 5 minutes.

Attractions

The Five Avenues

Fifth Avenue (Wudadao) is located in the south of the downtown Tianjin, a parallel street from east to west named under five cities of southwest China, namely Chongqing, Changde, Dali, Munan and Machang. Local Tianjinese call it the “Fifth Avenue”, together with over 230 buildings of all kinds from the architecture of Britain, France, Italy, Germany and Spain, as well as over 50 houses ever been lived by celebrities. Colourful architecture style range from the Renaissance, Greek, Gothic, Romantic, Eclectic, and Carson, which constitute a true fun of art. The second part is the residential area, with the first small Western-style residential area for foreign people who opened up concessions, whose residence next to the office area, close to Jiefang Road, around the former Italian concession in the east of Marco Polo Plaza. In the 20th century, due to the current situation, Tianjin’s position in China had become very special and important. On one hand, social and political unrest made concessions a haven for ousted politicians and businessmen, on the other hand, Tianjin, had geographically profits for transportation and duty-free customs, was full of opportunities. Various dignitaries and rich people lived in Tianjin. Living in a small Western-style house was more comfortable and convenient than a traditional courtyard and the Fifth Avenue was located in a prime location of the British concession, thus people rushed in to build their houses here. The neighbourhood became Tianjin’s rich area at that time. Tianjin was undoubtedly the first in term of the size of rich area among the affluent cities in modern China.
Address: Wudadao, Heping, Tianjin
Arrival method: (Best route: cross between Hebei Lu and Chengdu Dao — Chongqing Dao — Changde Dao — Dali Dao — Xinhua Lu — Machang Dao — Munan Dao — Hong Kong Lu — Chongqing Dao — Nanhai Lu — Hebei Lu)

Tianjin Ancient Culture Street

ianjin Ancient Culture Street was opened on New Year´s Day in 1986, the overall construction has the folk architectural styple of Qing dynasty, with Tin Hau (Matsu Temple) located in the centre of the whole street. There are nearly hundreds of stores along the street, among them Yangliuqing painting gallery and painted clay sculpture of Clay Figure Zhang are most famous, as well as calligraphy and painting brushes of Four Treasures and Spring Church, cultural antiques of Sui Man Chai and cloisonne, double-sided embroidery, jade carvings, art ceramics, Chinese and Western musical instruments and gold and silver jewelry from other dozens of famous artists and craftmen. All goods are genuine, affordable and with good quality.
Address: North of Gulou, Nankai

Tianjin Eye

Maintenance on Monday morning, still open in the afternoon. The world’s second largest Ferris wheel and the only Ferris wheel built on the bridge in the world, Tianjin Eye has a diameter of 110 m and 64 exterior transparent hangings with 360º sightseeing. Ideal for surrounding scenery glance. A round requires 40 minutes. On the highest point, it is able to see the scenery within a radius of 40 km. Adult ¥70, Children ¥35 / person (under 1.2 meters), Box ticket ¥400 (less than five persons), Couple ¥240 (2 or less), VIP ¥140 (avoid queuing), Couple VIP ¥480 (2 persons within a separate box, avoid queuing), Box VIP ¥800 (less than five persons).
Arrival method: Bus 1, 4, 12, 18, 34, 177, 609, 610, 611, 619 Station: Jingang Qiao (750 meters away)

Dagu Fort

Tianjin is the gateway to Beijing, and the Dagu Fort is the gateway to Tianjin. Both the Ming (1368-1644) and the Qing dynasties erected fortresses here because of its military importance. In 1858, the Qing government built six emplacements named Wei, Zhen, Hai, Men, Gao, and Shitoufeng. Each emplacement was equipped with three cannons. They were all thicker and wider than those constructed in the Ming Dynasty. The height of an emplacement is between 33 and 56 feet (10 and 17 meters) and the circumference of its base is between 200 and 245 yards (182 and 224 meters). The casemate were constructed with bricks and stones and strengthened by cement and sticky rice juice. When being fired by a shell, the casemate was solid enough with only a shallow hole left on it.
Arrival method: Take Metro Line 9 and get off at Tanggu Station. Then take bus no. 110 and get off at Hemeiyuan Station. Then walk eastwards along Tianjin Avenue for about 700 yards (640 meters). Take a train from Tianjin to Tanggu or take bus no. 503, 621, 651, or 835in Tianjin to Tanggu Railway Station and transfer to bus no. 110.

Seashore Holiday Resort

Lying in the east of Gaoshaling Village in Tanggu District in Tianjin City, the Seashore Holiday Resort is a bathing beach famous for its seashore hot spring. It is one of the largest man-made bathing beaches in China at present.

An embankment 656-yard (600-meter) long and 11-yard (10-meter) wide was built to connect the artificial beach and the coast. Visitors can enjoy bright sunshine and light sea breeze on the broad and smooth sand beach. Compared with other bathing beaches, Tianjin Seashore Holiday Resort has a rather gentle slope. When the tide rises, the flat sand beach becomes a natural area for swimming. On the other hand, when the tide falls, a wide sand beach reveals itself. Visitors will enjoy collecting seashells and catching crabs.
Arrival method: Take bus from to Tanggu Train Station, then transfer to bus No. 822 from Tanggu Train Station to the Seashore Holiday Resort.
Tickets: 30 yuan
Opening hours: 8:30 – 17:00

Tianjin Museum

Tianjin Museum has modern exhibition halls with an area of 11,000 square meters as well as cultural and leisure facilities with multiple functions. It looks like a swan spreading its wings to fly from the lake surface. With fluent and concise exterior line, it is full of modernity and artistic quality. All of these make it characteristic and imaginative. It possesses cultural relics of almost 200,000 items, including calligraphy, painting, bronze, ceramics, jade article, stamp of ruler’s seal, carapace bone, coin, historical document, relics of modern times, folk craftwork and so on. Among them, there are nearly 1000 grade one cultural relics of the state.
Address: Youyi Lu 31, Hexi, near Pingjiang Daokou

St. Joseph Cathedral

St. Joseph Cathedral, also known as Old Xikai Catholic Church, lies at the southern end of Binjiang Avenue in Heping District. It is the largest Roman Catholic cathedral in Tianjin, even the largest one in northern China. It is also called the French Church because it is located in the original French Concession and was built by French missionaries in 1916. The structure has been repaired and expanded many times to become the size that we see today. St. Joseph Cathedral with its grand architecture style and expressive religious art is one of Tianjin’s most cherished historical sites.
Arrival method: metro line 1 or line 3 and get off at Yingkoudao (Yingkou Avenue). Walk south to Xining Avenue, then walk northwest to the church. Take bus line 3, 45, 50, 503, 600, 606, 631, 632, 641, 643, 650, 657, 659, 669, 673, 678, 800, 840, 842, 847, 851, 865, 867, 870, 901, 906, 954 or Sightseeing Bus Line 2, and get off at Binjiangdao (Binjiang Avenue). Walk about 5 minutes to the church.

Great Mosque

As one of the most famous mosques in China, Tianjin Great Mosque has been an important Islamic shrine since the beginning of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Extending over an area of 5,980 square yards (5,000 square meters), it consists of four main structures, the Screen Wall, the Archway, the Prayer Hall and the Preaching Hall. Of these the Prayer Hall is the most active and respected spot in the complex.

The hall adopts traditional Chinese palace architectural style, with a hip roof and brick carving decorations. It covers an area of 1,064 square yards (890 square meters) and can hold more than one thousand people.
Arrival method:Take Metro Line 1 and get off at Xibeijiao (Northwest Corner) Station. Take bus no. 52, 461, 516, 631, 687, 852, or 861 and get off at Xianchunyuan Station. Take bus no. 10, 161, 688, 829, 904, or 910 and get off at Xiaohuoxiang Station. Take bus no. 628, 634, 672, 800, 836, 837, 856, 865, or 907 and get off at Ximalu Station. Take bus no. 12, 333, 600, 639, 903, 906, 952, or sightseeing bus no. 3 and get off at Xibeijiao station.

Mt. Panshan Scenic Area

Covering an area of 26193 acres (about 106 square kilometers), Mt. Panshan Scenic Area is located in Jixian County, 70 miles (110 kilometers) away from Tianjin, 40 miles (60 kilometers) away from Beijing. As the name suggests, the scenic area is mainly Panshan Mountain–oriented. Endowed with natural beauty and a historical heritage, Mount Pan is known as ‘The First Mountain East of Beijing’ and is listed as one of the top fifteen mountains in China.

The mountain acquired its present name, early in the Eastern Han (25-220). Taizong, the second emperor of the Tang Dynasty (618-907), was prodigal of his praise of its scenery on his chance visit when he led the army in a campaign. Seventy-two temples, thirteen pagodas and numerous Xanadus and towers were built on the mountain in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Qianlong, a brilliant and wise Qing Dynasty emperor was so impressed that he made thirty or so visits and wrote 1366 poems to express his admiration of the area. In the first half of the twentieth century, the whole resort all fell to ruin due to hostilities and neglect. It has undergone a process of restoration since the 1990s and is now regaining its fame.

Dabei Monastery

The monastery was first built in the Ming Dynasty, but has been heavily rebuilt and renovated since and consists now of the West Monastery from 1669 and the East Monastery from 1940. It is the largest and oldest in town covering 10,600 m (114,000 ft). The temple houses Tianjin Buddhist Institute and exhibits quite many ancient statues.The Dabei Buddhist Monastery is made up of two parts: old monastery and new monastery. The old monastery refers to the three great halls in the west yard. The construction of the old monastery was start in the beginning of Qing Dynasty, and was renovated in the eighth ruling year of Kangxi Emperor in Qing Dynasty. The east yard features in the new monasterys. The statue of Sakyamuni oblated in the Daxiong Palace from the east yard was created in Ming Dynasty. The whole Sakyamuni Statue is 7 meters high, 6 tons weight, with 9,999 small Buddha carved on the lotus throne. Inside the Great Compassion hall, a 3.6-meters-high-mud-statue of Thousand-hand Kwan-yin is oblate. The monastery was once famous for holding a skull relic of Xuanzang, however, the relic was presented to India in 1956 when it was taken to Nalanda – allegedly by the Dalai Lama – and presented to India. The relic is now in the Patna museum. And from then on, Great Compassion monastery takes the image of Xuanzang Master instead of the spirit bones for the worship of the Buddhist. There are memorials for Xuanzang Master and Hongyi Master in the east yard, while the west yard becomes an office for Cultural Relic Palace, Abbot Palace and Chinese Buddhism Association Tianjin Branch. In the Cultural Relic Palace of the west yard, there many collections from every dynasties since Wei and Jin Period including hundreds of Buddha statues which are made of various materials from bronze, iron, stone to wood.
Arrival method: About 2 km W of Tianjin North Railway Station. Take buses 1, 2, 4, 12, 18, 34, 177, 609, 609, 610, 611, 619, 632, 641, 646, 659, 670, 671, 818, 861, 878, 904 to Jingangqiao Stn on Zhongshan Rd and walk NW of Tianwei Rd)

Temple of the Queen of Heaven

Tianjin lies beside the sea and hence ships come and go frequently, ever since ancient time. The local people worshiped the sea-goddess in the Temple of the Queen of Heaven to pray for peace, and the incense is still burning in this Taoist temple till today.

Located in the middle block in Ancient Cultural Street in Nankai District, Tianjin City, the Temple of the Queen of Heaven is the oldest architecture in Tianjin. Built during the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) and rebuilt in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), it is one of the earliest temples of the Queen of Heaven that exists in China till today. It is also where the Tianjin Folk Custom Museum is located.
Arrival method: Take bus no. 1, 605, 609, 610, 619, 632, 633, 641, 646, 670, 671, 804, 849, 904, 908, 954 or sightseeing bus no. 2 and get off at Dongbeijiao Station. Take bus no. 15, 611, 658, 818, or 878 and get off at Beicheng Street Station.
Ticket: CNY 10
Opening hours: 9:00 – 17:00 on normal days, 8:00 – 17:00 on the 1st and 15th days of lunar months. Closed on Mondays, unless it happens to be the 1st or 15th day of a lunar month

Baxian Mountain

Baxian Mountain lies about 19 miles (about 30 kilometers) northeast of Jixian County, Tianjin. It is a cluster of mountains neighboring Eastern Qing Tombs in the east and Huangyaguan Great Wall in the west. Juxian (Immortals Gathering) Peak, the main peak along this mountain range and also the No. 2 highest peak in Tianjin, measures 1,052 meters (3,451 feet) above sea level.

The mountain was originally called “Baxian Zhuozi” (Eight Immortals’ Table). Legend has it that the eight immortals passed by this mountain on their way to the east sea. The unusual peaks, clear waters and verdant forest attracted them to descend and rest beside a huge table-like rock. Hence is the name of this mountain. Even the immortals were fascinated by the beauty of this area. The charm of Baxian Mountain is therefore beyond any doubt. It has not only an endless sea of peaks, valleys and crystal streams, but also various species of animals and plants that is famed for its “Green Kingdom”.
Arrival method: If visiting from Tianjin, visitors can get to Jixian County by bus from Jinyu Bus Station or by train from Tianjin Railway Station or Tianjin North Railway Station. And then take a taxi to Baxian Mountain. Take intercity bus from Beijing Sihui Long-Distance Bus Station to Jixian County. The bus leaves every 15 minutes during 6:00 – 19:30. And then take a taxi to Baxian Mountain.
Opening hours: 8:00-17:00 from April to around November 10
Closed from November 10 to next March

Haihe River

The Haihe River is one of the great rivers of northern China. North Canal, the Yongding River, Daqing River, Ziya River, South Canal, five rivers on three sides, north, west and south convergence to Tianjin.

Confucian Temple

Early Qing Dynasty temple with a hall to honour Confucius and other halls for prayers.
Address: 2 Dongmenli, Nankai District

Drum Tower

The tower was originally built in the Ming Dynasty, but was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. It was rebuilt in 2001 and now actually houses a bell and not drums. The tower is home to varying exhibitions.
Address: Gulou E St, Nankai District
Arrival method: Bus 652 will take you right to the door, buses 161, 635, 652, 657, 855, 863, 865 will also get you really close

Tianjin Binhai Library

Ppart of the Binhai Cultural Center, it’s a futuristic-looking five-level library.

Tianjin Haichang Polar Ocean World

A large building where you can see a wide variety of fish and mammals from the northern and southern polar regions such as penguins, polar bears, whales, seals, wolves, a wide variety of marine life, etc. You can also check out the dolphin performances that they have scheduled a few times a day.
Address: Tianjin Binhai New Area Xiangluowan Business District No. 61;

Garden of Serenity

Jingyuan Garden with a history of 80 years is a famous residence combined both Chinese and European architecture style. It is now one of the heritage sites under city protection and the important historic architecture under the special protection area of Tianjin. Built in 1921, Jingyuan Garden, also named Qianyuan Garden, was the private residence of Lu Zongyu, minister-counselor to Japan appointed by the Northern Warlords’ Government. Later it was named by Puyi, the last emperor of the Qing Dynasty on July 1929 when he settled here with his wives. “Jing” means stillness in English and the Garden was named by the emperor who tried to strengthen himself with noble spirit by living in a peaceful environment. Jingyuan Garden with an area of 3360 square meters consists of three sets of courtyards, the front yard, the back yard and the side yard. The main building is a two-storied Spanish architecture. The first floor serves as a living room, a dining room, guest rooms and a kitchen, while the second floor as bedrooms, a library and a chamber. The exterior walls and balconies with projecting brims were used to add more room to the building. In front of the garden will be built a garden, in which enormous poplars, pagoda trees and cloves are planted and some ponds and pavilions are constructed. Besides, a reception office, a kitchen, a garage and a tennis court will be built on the northeast side of the garden. Jingyuan Garden integrates different architecture styles, such as Japanese and Spanish. The structure and material of gates are of typical Japanese style, simple and plain, while the low pitched roof and the detailed decoration are of obvious Spanish architecture style. The garden is now displayed following its original arrangements of furniture and adornments. And there also exhibit some paper materials and photos related with the daily life and political life of Pu Yi, the last emperor.
Address: 70 Anshan Road, Heping District
Arrival method: take bus 3, 50, 673, 632, or 800 to Anshan Road. You can also take Subway line 1

Former Residence of Zhang Ailing

Early modern Chinese writer whose stories have been adapted into such films as Ang Li’s “Lust, Caution”. Zhang Ailing lived here for a very brief time during her early childhood years.

Address: No.61 32th British colonial street

Former Residence and Mausoleum of Huo Yuanjia

A large museum featuring the life of Huo Yuanjia (a historical figure played by Jet Li in the film “Fearless”) and his contributions to China and Kungfu. The museum also displays a wide variety of weapons he collected. Just outside the museum is the tomb of Huo Yuanjia. Also surrounding the museum and residence is where you can find a professional wushu/kung fu school.
Address: XiQing District
Arrival method: Take bus 156 or 162 for roughly about 40 minutes.

China House Museum

A priceless building decorated with about 4,000 pieces of ancient porcelain, 400 pieces of jade stone carving, 20 tons of crystal and agate and million pieces of ancient Chinese ceramic chips. China house museum is a private museum which belongs to the Tianjin Yueweixian Cultural Industry and Investment group. It is built with more than 700,000,000 pieces of Chinese ancient porcelain; 15000 ancient porcelain bows, dishes, and vases; 300 ancient porcelain-cat pillows; 300 stone lions; 300 marble sculptures; more 20 tons natural crystal, etc. Inside the museum there are 4 floors, filled with Chinese ancient furniture, woodcarving, etc. All the exhibits are collected by the chairman of the museum, Zhang Lianzhi. The Porcelain House is located in a bustling area, close to the former residence of Zhang Xueliang, an instigator of the Xi’an incident and a patriotic hero in China. Built as a 100-year-old French style villa, the residence is a five-storied building with a total area of 3,000 square meters. Porcelain used to decorate the house can date back to the Han Dynasty. Visitors can almost find every type of chinaware from the house, which perfectly combines traditional Chinese architecture and western architecture. On the roof of the house is embedded a 768-meter-long dragon relief made by over ten thousand pieces of porcelain and an eye-catching English word, “China”, with some Chinese characters and the flag of China on both sides. Inside the house there are many famous paintings comprised by ceramic chips, including the world famous painting, Mona Lisa. Besides, the walls of the house are named the “peace wall”, consisting of 635 vases made during Republic China and the late Qing Dynasty.
Address: 72 Chi Feng Road, He Ping District

Huangyaguan Great Wall

Huangya, means “yellow cliff”. The pass takes this name from the yellowish hills and rocks nearby. Originally built in Tianbao 7th of Beiqi (557 AD), the Huangyanguan was repaired for the first time in Ming Dynasty with bricks and for the second time in 1985. In 1986 it was listed as a key relics protection target of Tianjin city. Now it is also chosen as a patriotic education and national defense education base of Tianjin. Besides, starting form 1999, there is going to be a special tourism activity there-International Field Marathon.With various forms of water towers presented along the walls, and the largest tower of the Great Wall “PhoenixTower” and the most unique “BaguaguanCastle”, Huangyaguan Great Wall is like a library of the Great Wall. By now 3025 m of the Huangyaguan Great Wall, 20 water towers and a water pass have been repaired. This section has several features: ”’Strong”’: With its walls and towers built on mountain ridge with an average altitude of 738 m, the Huangyaguan is really overwhelming. To the east there is the cliff, and the west, crags. It winds its way across mountains like a dragon. Guarding a stronghold, it has been the north entrance of Jinxian. ”’Thrilling”’: On the mountains with peaks rising one higher than another, the Great wall jumps its way up and down as a linkage between the cliff and crags. Since the mountain is sloppy, the steps are very high. In some sections, it looks like that the wall is running straight up or down. When you look down, you will feel dizzy at the sight. ”’Beautiful”’: On Huangyaguan, you will be able to enjoy both mountain scenery and waterfalls and springs. ”’Ancient”’: With a history of over 1400 years, the ancient walls was first build in Beiqi, and reserved well until today. In Ming Dynasty, it was added with walls made of bricks. How to get there: There are tourist buses available every weekend at the ”’Northeast Bus Station of Tianjin”’ and there are also buses available from the Tianjin Railway Station, but fewer. Worth a visit for its water run-off controls, well-preserved [[Great Wall of China]] towers, challenging hiking and striking scenery.

Address: 30 km north of Jixian
Arrival method: take a train from Tianjin East Railway Station for Jixian, departure 8:30 ￥8, or take a bus from Hebei Coach Station to Jixian Coach Station ￥16, and then take a van ￥5/person

Chaoyin temple

The Chaoyin Temple was built on 1404 (Ming Dynasty). It used to be called Nanhaidasi Temple or Shuangshan Temple. It faces the Haihe River Mouth at Dagu and is one the few temples that faces east. It is the only cultural relics in the south of Tanggu District that opens to outside world.

Tianjin Italian Town

Tianjin Italian Town is also known as the Italian Concession which was built in 1902. The Italian Town was finished in 2005. It covers the area from Coast area to the Victory Road. Across the river from Italian Town lies the Ancient Culture Street, Peace Shopping and Pedestrian Street, Tianjin Financial Road, Little White CBD and Tianjin Municipal Government. Owning the unique location, the Italian Town is merged with different cultures. Here you can find the celebrities’ residences, chic bars, international restaurants, western art deco, etc. Among those buildings, the most famous are Liang Qichao’s Yinbin Room, Residence of Feng Guozhang, Residence of Cao Yu, Residence of Hua Shikui, First Worker Cultural Palace and Italian Military Camp. Although the Italian Town is named after a street, actually it is a small town. The center of the town is the Marco Polo Plaza. The layout of the street is shaped like a chess board. Both sides of the street are decorated with lamp lights and green trees. In addition, the well preserved fences and other ancient buildings make the town full of Italian aroma. The Free Path is the only pedestrian street in the Italian Town and most of the buildings are restaurants and bars which attracts many tourists. Most restaurateurs are from Apennines Peninsula. Here one can not only taste the real pizza, Italian pasta and other Italian aperitives, besides, he can also enjoy the Italian performances and other Italian clothes and handicraft exhibitions. There are 24-hour bars, cafés, restaurants, art museum and cinemas, attracting tourists from all over the world.

Activities

Fanta Wild Advanture
Address: No.4888, Zhongsheng Ave, Binhai District
Arrival method: Bus No.462, 528, 128, 932. Or take Fanta express bus at Lightrail Donghai Station.
Ticket: ¥200 for adult, ¥150 for kids between 120 – 150 cm
Opening hours: 09:00-17:30 for weekday, closes at 18 for weekends and holidays

Food

Shiba Jie Mahua (Shiba Jie Fried Dough Twist)
Shiba Jie Mahua is sweet-smelling and crispy. It cannot go bad even being stored for several months.

Goubuli Baozi (Goubuli Steamed Stuffed Bun)
Goubuli means the infant of a restaurateur; while Baozi means steamed stuffed bun. Goubuli Baozi has had more than 150 years of history. It is not an exaggeration to say that Goubuli Baozi is a food calling card of Tianjin. Now its chain restaurants can be found in Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen and other cities in China as well as cities in America, Japan and Korea.

Erduoyan Zhagao (Ear-hole Fried Cake)
With relatively fine ingredients and a renowned reputation, Erduoyan Zhagao is almost 100 years old.

Except for the traditional must-eat snacks mentioned above, exotic flavors can be enjoyed here as well. Korean, Japanese and other western style cuisines will make your mouth water and satisfy your stomach.

Shopping

Tianjin has both modern shopping malls and distinctive traditional stores, both of which will fulfill your desire. Binjiang Dao Business Street and Heping Lu Business Street are the busiest and most prosperous shopping centers in Tianjin. Most of top malls or department stores can be found on these two streets, like Quanye Chang, Isten Department Store, Jinhui Shopping Square, and so on, of which Quanye Chang is the most famous.
Gu Wenhua Jie needs a particular mention here. Traditionally designed stores line either side of the street, dealing in paintings, calligraphy, jade, or other renowned Chinese arts and crafts. It is a good place to find souvenirs and enjoy the architectural spectacle. To some extent Gu Wenhua Jie is like Shuyuan (Academy of Classical Learning) Gate in Xian.
A variety of Tianjin specialties will provide you many choices for commemorating your visit to this beautiful city, such as Yangliu Qingnian painting, Wejin kites, Niren Zhang painted sculptures, paper-cuts, etc. You can visit Gu Wenhua Jie, Yilin Ge, Wenyuan Ge for inspiration, and to buy.

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