Private Qingdao Day Tour: Qingdao downtown hotel to Laoshan Mountain

Meet your guide at the lobby of your hotel in Qingdao city centre and be driven in your private vehicle for 1.5 hours to Laoshan Mountain, the highest coastal mountain in China. Located on the shore of the Yellow Sea, Laoshan Mountain is characterized by imposing canyons, undulating peaks and shrouding mists. Featured in many folk legends and festivals, Laoshan is also known as the birthplace of Taosim in China.

Once in Laoshan, you will start a beautiful hike by the Bashui river up to Longtan Waterfall, which translates to Dragon Pond Waterfall in English. During the hike, and depending on the season, you will spot some green tea terraces, famous in China for their fine quality. You will also see the Yellow Sea in the distance from different perspectives, making this visit a unique landscape experience. After Longtan Waterfall, you can make a pleasant stop to have lunch. Food and drinks are not included so we recommend you to bring some sandwiches and enjoy a nice lunch surrounded by nature.

Next you will visit the largest and oldest preserved temple in Laoshan, Taiqing Temple, which is more than 2,000 years old. It is the second most important Taoist Temple in China after the Baiyun Temple in Beijing. The Taoists from Laoshan Mountain were well known for their religious knowledge and legendary skills in Taichi.

The Taiqing Temple complex has more than 150 rooms, including two courtyards named Martyr's Shrine and Shrine of Master of Scriptures, and inner temples like Sanguan, Sanqing and Sanhuang with their own gates and walls. While your guide explains the history of this complex, pay attention to the trees you will find on your way, some of them centenaries, like two old cypresses and a rare camellia.

While descending the mountain, you will come across odd shaped stones, caves and imposing cliffs, as well as many clear springs. Your guide will also explain why this mountain is so important in Chinese culture, as it is said to be home to some “supernatural spirits” that has inspired poems and emperor’s stories over the course of history.

Once the tour is finished, you will be driven for 1.5 hours back to your hotel in Qingdao city centre.