Travel Guide for Visiting the Laolongtou (Old Dragon's Head) in Shanhaiguan, Qinhuangdao

📍Shanhaiguan - Laolongtou Scenic Area 📚The Great Wall starts from Laolongtou in the east and stretches to Jiayuguan in the west. Laolongtou is the eastern seafront starting point, where the stone city extends into the Bohai Sea like a dragon's head, hence the name 'Old Dragon's Head'. It is the only part of the Great Wall that combines mountain, sea, pass, and city into one maritime and land military defense system. Climbing up the Chenghai Tower, one can feel the grandeur and vastness as if 'the Great Wall joins the sea, the sea joins the sky, and people ascend the tower to reach the pinnacle of a hundred feet'. 🚗It takes about 15 minutes to drive from Shanhaiguan Station to Laolongtou Scenic Area, and a taxi costs around 10 yuan. For self-driving, parking at Laolongtou costs 5 yuan per hour. 🚪Opening hours in October: 07:30 - 17:30 🎫Adult ticket is 48 yuan, just scan the QR code to enter the park, no ID required. The visitor center offers luggage storage for free. ‼️Shanhaiguan Scenic Area Joint Ticket (Laolongtou + The First Pass under Heaven + Zhonggulou + Wangjia Dayuan + Wangyanglou + Ying'enlou + Sightseeing Car) is 118 yuan. If you have one day to spend in Shanhaiguan, consider buying a combo ticket as there are many attractions with separate charges. The First Pass under Heaven alone costs 40 yuan, Wangjia Dayuan 30 yuan, and climbing Zhonggulou costs 10 yuan. ‼️All attractions are mainly in two places: The First Pass under Heaven Scenic Area (Ancient City) and Laolongtou Scenic Area. It's about a 13-minute drive between the two areas. The Ancient City is divided into The First Pass under Heaven and the Pedestrian Street. If you want to see the night show (light show) at The First Pass under Heaven, go to Laolongtou first. If not, start with The First Pass under Heaven, as Laolongtou is closer to the recommended restaurant below, a 5-minute drive away. 👪For a family trip with 2 adults and 1 child, the Shanhaiguan All-Access Ticket is 326 yuan. 👀Highlights of Laolongtou: Ninghai City (Ming dynasty military camp, including the General Administration, Longwu Camp: The First Pot in the World, which doesn't look real but is indeed preserved from the past. The big characters on the wall 'Fǔ', meaning pot, and 'Fǔ dǐ chōu xīn', meaning 'undermine the foundation of something', refer to the pot. The pot and the place for making fire are one story high.) ➡️ General's Platform + Bagua Maze (Horse riding costs 50 yuan for a small round, and the price is the same for big and small horses. Taking photos on the horse costs 10 yuan) ➡️ Chenghai Tower ➡️ Great Wall Sea Entrance ➡️ Beach. You can take photos on and below the city walls at the sea entrance, which is quite impressive. When there are fewer people, taking photos on the city wall is very photogenic, refer to the photo spots in the pictures. If you don't want to capture other visitors, go early. There are no changing rooms in the scenic area, and the sea breeze can be cold, so make sure to bring clothes for children. 🍗It is not recommended to eat in the scenic area, as there are restaurants not far from it. Recommended 📍Yunxuan Seafood Restaurant, which has branches in Shanhaiguan and Nandaihe. Spicy crab, golden wheat shrimp, and shrimp dumplings are specialties of Qinhuangdao. The Yunxuan special tofu is not highly recommended (though it can be tried for novelty). 📍Shanhai Fisherman's House: Great value for money, a seafood pot costs just over 100 yuan. Enough for two people.