Tianjin is China’s 4th national central city next to Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing, and because it is so close to Beijing (120km away), we decided to give it a shot at impressing us in a day. Tianjin, are you ready? set go!
1 Day Trip to Tianjin
8:00 am Beijing South Railway Station
Price: 54.50 Rmb on a second class cart/ 65 Rmb for a first class seat
Train frequency: Once every 15 minute
Our escape from Beijing started at Beijing South Railway Station. Buy a return ticket to Tianjin if you haven’t already. However, I strongly advise against buying on the spot because of what happened to us the other day: tickets to Tianjin were ALL SOLD OUT on a regular Wednesday! We resorted to buying tickets online (BOOK IN ADVANCE!) and traveled one day later.
The train was very comfortable, I almost thought we were on a plane (there were "air stewardess" walking around checking on our needs. ). Since the price difference isn't huge, why not spend a few more yuan to experience first class!
8:40 am Tianjin Railway Station
The bullet train ride will take roughly about 30 minutes.
Upon arrival, Tianjin gave us a completely different feel. It is like a graceful merge between the east and the west… when 2 worlds collide. When we exited the railway station the Bund park greeted us with a mix of skyscrapers and old European buildings. Tianjin is also the largest artificial harbor city in northern China boosting 30 sea routes leading to over 300 other international ports, a magnet for international trade now more than ever. That explains the heavy assimilation of cultures we see today!
We started our day with a mandatory cup of coffee and the most typical Tianjin breakfast — Jianbing Guozi (10 Rmb): egg crepe filled with a crispy fried cracker, scallions, coriander and topping up with chili and seafood sauce.
9:00 am Five Great Avenues － 五大道
Similar to Shanghai, Tianjin’s history as a former foreign concession had given rise to much European architecture buildings sprawling up in the city, especially Wudadao, where foreign diplomats and officials used to live.
There are about 230 buildings from Municipal buildings, churches, to cute cafes, with the incorporation of styles revived from the Renaissance, ancient Greece, Gothic, and the Romantic period.…
you can literally spend 2-3 hours if you are willing to walk and learn. However, we decided to cut it short by seeing the main attractions due to time restrains.
10:30 am Garden of Serenity －静园
The Garden of Serenity is the former residence of Puyi, the last emperor of China. Not too impressive but still worth a 5 minutes stop as you grace through the 5 Great Avenues.
It occupies a total floor span of 3360 square meters with an arrangement of “three rings circling the moon”, namely, the forecourt, the backyard, and the west courtyard.
11:00 am Porcelain China House - 中国陶瓷屋
The Porcelain China House on Chafing street is one of the most unique museums in the world: This refreshing Gaudi-Barcelona-ish museum transferred French style Villa has been created thanks to ZhangLianzhi, a native who spent his own money decorating the whole house with his porcelain collection, gems, and antiques.
His motive of building this museum is simple: he believed that he could make much better use of his collections rather than storing it away to dust.
Noon Central Park
The small green area called the Central Park is just opposite to the Porcelain House. Enjoy people watching!
1:00 pm Ancient Culture Street – 古文化街
The Guwenhua Jie on the west bank of the Hai River in Nankai District is supposed to be a must-visit, but I didn’t enjoy it. Perhaps I’ve seen more impressive Hutongs and cultural alleys in Beijing, and this one did not really stand up. Still, it is a fun stroll.
2:00 pm Waterfront of Hai River －海河畔
Han River is the Arterial river running through Tianjin.
The waterfront of Hai River is hands down my favorite part of Tianjin. This particular bridge reminds me a lot of my days in Paris.
Here, we bought a plate of Shuligao, a specialty snack in Tianjin, featuring little cakes of ground hazelnut steamed using the bamboo mold and then topped with multi-colored sauces and jellies.
2:30 pm Little Europe－欧洲风情区
As we crossed the Bridge, here we are standing at an Italian inspired town. The weather was beautiful and we took quite some great pictures.
4:30 pm Tianjin Eye – 天津之眼
Its full name: the Yongle Bridge Tientsin Eye
During my trip, I gave Tianjin Eye a miss considering I’ve visited enough Eyes in my previous trips. However, If you come across any posters of Tianjin, you’ll see the Tianjin Eye makes up an important part of the skyline. It spans the Hai River with a diameter of 110 meters, it's the equivalent of a building 35 stories in height.
If you wish to ride the wheel, this is the best time as a ride costing 80 Rmb will give you a 30 minutes ride, enabling visitors to watch the transition of lights in Tianjin from sunset to nightfall. Book your tickets in advance to avoid disappointment!
6:30 pm Tianjin Binhai Library－天津滨海图书馆
We packed our dinner and traveled more than an hour out of Tianjin city central to Binhai to visit this Library nicknamed The Eye. It is a part of the Binhai Cultural Center.
It quickly took the internet by storm when it first opened in 2017. This futuristic-looking library is basically every book lovers’ dream come true! This explains our will to travel the distance!
My Verdict
Although we managed to check out the most important points in Tianjin in a day, I will still recommend setting aside at least 2 days for Tianjin. Don’t you think a weekend trip from Beijing sounds lovely!
If you have 2 days in Tianjin, head to the outskirts of Tianjin to see the Mansion of Family Shi. Built-in 1875, the Shi Family Grand Courtyard covers a floor area of over 10,000 square meters. It is a large civil residence kept well with unique features of Qing Dynasty in north China. This Tianjin mansion is named the number one Residence of North China. Here you can see genuine period furniture, paintings and calligraphy, and an extensive Shifu Garden to end your visit.
2 days in Tianjin also means more time to eat! Nanshi Food Street is ancient building complex housing more than 100 restaurants.
Recommendations:
- Goubuli baozi (Funny it Literally translates to dogs ignoring stuffed bun 狗不理包子)
- Ear-hole fried cake (耳朵眼)
- Mung Bean dumplings (天津焖子)
- Guifaxiang fried dough twist, (桂发祥麻花)
Where to stay
I stay in Beijing and made Tianjin a 1-day trip, and found it totally doable. If you need more flexibility, stay 1 night in Tianjin.
While there are not much of a choice in Tianjin, this little Hotel Idago caught my attention. Look how beautiful it is from the outside. And its equally pretty interiorly. Price is affordable, I would say midrange.
For backpackers, Zhaguo International Hostel is a great choice.
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Thank You for Reading! This post is based solely on my honest opinion or personal experience. If you have a different opinion, feel free to share your thoughts with me by commenting below!
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