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Voykit pocket guide · China
Dalian
大连
Give Dalian 2–3 nights: coast and squares in the centre, one day out to Lüshunkou or Golden Pebble Beach. Skip if you want classical China.
Dalian is northern China's biggest port and a seaside city built on Russian and Japanese colonial bones, with wide squares, a rocky coastline and beaches. It is a domestic holiday city more than an international sightseeing one: come for the sea air, the seafood and the tram, not for ancient monuments. Two or three nights covers the centre and one coastal day trip.
- Country
- China
- Local name
- 大连
- Best months
- May–Jun, Sep–Oct
- Avoid
- Nov (coal-smog season), early Jul–late Aug (domestic peak, higher prices), Labour Day and National Day weeks
- Stay
- 2–3 nights
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- CNY
- Money
- Alipay and WeChat Pay accept Visa, Mastercard, JCB and Amex cards; single payments over ¥200 carry a fee of about 3% on a foreign card (smaller ones are free), and per-payment and yearly caps apply — check the app. Keep a second way to pay.
- Daily spend
- Budget ¥250–450 excl. bed · Mid ¥450–900 excl. bed · High ¥900+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- A roaming eSIM from outside China routes traffic through its home network, so Google, WhatsApp and Instagram work without a VPN — the simplest setup.
- Emergency
- Police 110 · Fire 119 · Ambulance 120
- Plugs
- Types A, C, I · 220 V · 50 Hz · Many sockets take flat two-pin (A), round two-pin (C) and angled three-pin (I) plugs; UK plugs need an adapter.
- Tipping
- Restaurants: No tip; upmarket hotels add 10–15% service.; Taxis and DiDi: No tip.; Tour guides and drivers: Expected on organised tours: about ¥100–200 a day for a guide, ¥50–100 for a driver.; Hotel porters: Not expected; ¥10–20 in luxury hotels.
- Water
- Not for drinking from the tap; bottled water ¥2–5, and kettles and free bottles in hotel rooms. Restaurants serve hot water or tea.
- Toilets
- Public toilets are frequent and free; squat toilets outside hotels and malls. Carry tissues — many have no paper.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | ¥20–40 |
| Bowl of noodles | ¥15–30 |
| Seafood dinner, per person | ¥80–200 |
| Beer: draught / can | ¥15–30 / ¥5–10 |
| Metro ride | ¥2–5 |
| Taxi, 5 kmTaxi, 3.1 mi | ¥15–20 |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | ¥80–150 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- DLC · Dalian Zhoushuizi International Airport
- Metro line 2 to the centre, about 30 min; official taxi queue on the east side of the ground floor
Typical fares
- Airport → centre, metro line 2
- about ¥5, about 30 min (check)
- Taxi, first 3 km
- ¥10 day, ¥13 after 22:00, then ¥2/km¥10 day, ¥13 after 10:00 PM, then ¥2/km
- High-speed train Dalian North → Shenyang
- about ¥150–200, 2–2.5 h (check)
Get around
Metro lines 1 and 2 link the airport, the two train stations and the centre; buses are frequent but signage is patchy in English. Taxis start at ¥10 for the first 3 km (¥13 after 22:00), then ¥2/km, rounded up to the nearest ¥1. The old tram line along the main east–west street is a cheap sight in itself. Cross streets carefully: cars often do not yield on a green pedestrian signal.Metro lines 1 and 2 link the airport, the two train stations and the centre; buses are frequent but signage is patchy in English. Taxis start at ¥10 for the first 3 km (¥13 after 10:00 PM), then ¥2/km, rounded up to the nearest ¥1. The old tram line along the main east–west street is a cheap sight in itself. Cross streets carefully: cars often do not yield on a green pedestrian signal.Metro lines 1 and 2 link the airport, the two train stations and the centre; buses are frequent but signage is patchy in English. Taxis start at ¥10 for the first 1.9 mi (¥13 after 22:00), then ¥2/km, rounded up to the nearest ¥1. The old tram line along the main east–west street is a cheap sight in itself. Cross streets carefully: cars often do not yield on a green pedestrian signal.Metro lines 1 and 2 link the airport, the two train stations and the centre; buses are frequent but signage is patchy in English. Taxis start at ¥10 for the first 1.9 mi (¥13 after 10:00 PM), then ¥2/km, rounded up to the nearest ¥1. The old tram line along the main east–west street is a cheap sight in itself. Cross streets carefully: cars often do not yield on a green pedestrian signal.
See and do
Known for
- Russian and Japanese colonial architecture
- Xinghai Square
- Coastal road and beaches
- Seafood and cherries
- Historic trams
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Lüshunkou (Lüshun) | Metro line 12 or bus from the centre to Lüshun, then local buses | 1.5–2 h each way |
| Golden Pebble Beach (Jinzhou) | Metro line 3 to Golden Pebble Beach station, then a short bus or taxi | About 1.5 h |
| Zhuanghe and Bingyu Valley | Long-distance bus or train north, then local transport | 3 h+ |
| Dandong | High-speed train from Dalian North | About 2.5–3 h |
Sleep
- Zhongshan
- Downtown: Zhongshan Square, the train station, the old tram and the ferry terminal. Best first base.
- Xigang
- People's Square and the municipal district; quieter, still central, walkable to Zhongshan.
- Shahekou
- Xinghai Square and the universities; good for beaches and newer hotels, further from the station.
- Jinzhou
- North, near Golden Pebble Beach; only worth it if the beach is your main plan.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Hello | 你好nǐ hǎo |
| Thank you | 谢谢xièxie |
| How much is it? | 多少钱？duōshao qián |
| Please use the meter | 请打表qǐng dǎ biǎo |
| I don't eat spicy food | 我不吃辣wǒ bù chī là |
| Where is the metro? | 地铁站在哪里？dìtiě zhàn zài nǎlǐ |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake and a nod; use surnames with a title; avoid: Hugs and cheek kisses
- Face: Disagree privately and indirectly; avoid: Correcting or embarrassing someone in front of others
- Gifts: Give with two hands; expect the gift to be refused once or twice and opened later; avoid: Clocks, umbrellas, white flowers, sets of four
- Business cards: Present and receive with both hands, read it, keep it on the table; avoid: Writing on it or pocketing it at once
- Queues and crowds: Hold your ground politely in scrums at buses and lifts; avoid: Taking pushing personally
- Temples: Walk clockwise around Tibetan stupas and prayer wheels; remove hats; avoid: Touching statues or photographing where signs forbid
- Politics: Listen; follow your host's lead; avoid: Raising Tibet, Taiwan, Xinjiang, 1989 or the party leadership
- Numbers and colour: Red and 8 are lucky; red envelopes carry money gifts; avoid: Writing names in red; the number 4
Scams and watch-outs
- Air pollution can be heavy in November when coal heating starts; bring N95 masks if you travel then.
- Illegal taxis exist: use the official queue and prefer cars with a blue or white roof light.
- Some drivers pick up extra passengers in rush hour; say no if you are not comfortable.
- In heavy rain or snow some drivers refuse the meter or only take long fares.
- Pavements can be slick with dust and dew in the morning and shiny tile is dangerous when wet or icy.
- Book long-distance train and plane tickets early in the summer holidays and around 1 May and 1 Oct.
Dalian is a low-crime city and walking the centre is fine day and night. The real risks are traffic that ignores pedestrian signals, slippery pavements, unlicensed taxis and winter air pollution.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Dalian yet. Suggested stay: 2–3 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Russian and Japanese colonial architecture
- Xinghai Square
- Coastal road and beaches
- Seafood and cherries
- Historic trams
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Dalian municipal government: dl.gov.cn
- China National Tourist Office: www.cnto.org
- Wikivoyage: Dalian, revision 5275029 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5275029
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Dalian大连
请到这个地址
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
Most countries have embassies in Beijing and consulates-general in Shenyang or Shanghai; check before you travel.
Show the Chinese address to the driver; few speak English.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/dalian). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.