I'm in Beijing for work with my family (wife and 8 month old son) until mid June. We're looking for suggestions of places to weekend trips to - ideally somewhere within a train ride from here as flying is a hassle with the baby.

This weekend we're heded to Qingdao but any other suggestions most welcome. As i'm Platinum and Ambassador with PC places with IHG hotels particularly appreciated.

thanks!

Off the top of my head, and in no particular order:

-Chengde
-Goose and Duck Ranch
-beijinghikers.com
-Qinghuangdao (sp)
-Jinan (there's really not much to see there, but the train is pretty convenient; it is fairly close to Mt. Tai)
-Commune by the Great Wall (Kempinski)
hot spring resorts (Jiuhuashanzhuang in Changping is the only true resort I've been to, but I've heard there are several others)
-Shenyang (surprisingly nice)
-Dalian (maybe a bit too far for a weekend train ride)
-Taiyuan (probably the least appealing option on this list, but I'm including it because it is reasonably close)

Thanks for all the suggestions Moondog. Qinghuangdao has come up before and you've finally prompted me to look it up -- i think we'll do that one for sure. I have to go to Jinan on a Friday anyway so will probably spend a couple of nights there.

Will investigate the rest of your list!

In that case, Tai Shan (home of Confucius) is certainly worth a visit.

Will try and do that. Is it easy to get there to/ from Jinan?

once it gets a little bit warmer places like qinhuangdao will get much nicer (and more crowded)....ive been there once, stayed in the HI and it was a nice weekend trip but not much more.....dalian is a great city and again really beautiful when the weather cooperates...a nice break from the BJ air too....definitely pay for a central hotel there.

i personally love shandong and always find myself going there in summertime for weekend trips....great seafood and lots of beautiful sights....the beaches are OK but busy busy busy....qingdao is great to visit, but look into yantai and weihai as well...a little more off the beaten path but still just as enjoyable...and they both have airports....just for the food alone they both make a good weekend trip

Thanks for the tips, benzemalyonnais and Moondog. Well, we are off to Qingdao tomorrow. Will probably do qinhuangdao and Jinan/ Tai Shan over the next few weeks.

Qingdao - do the beer museum, walk the coast line on the sea and watch the peddlers or buy souvenirs.

Taishan - make sure you hike up the scenic route, then down the main route. Much better. ^

Beer museum already on the list!

How hard is the hike up and down to Taishan? We will have an 8 month old baby in tow who has a habit of getting heavier the steeper the incline or the longer we walk!

It might be a challenge. Depends more on you. There are plenty of old Chinese men carrying up supplies heavier than an 8 year old baby. You can ride cable cars up most of the way though if you don't want to walk. Either way, worth the view. If you hike with baby, expect maybe 2-3 hours up. But not stroller friendly, mostly stairs.

A real must see:

Qingdao TV Tower , and largest gift shop maze included.

Unfortunately, our weekend trip to Qingdao fell apart when my wife fell ill. So, it now looks like it will be next weekend - which means i can add the TV tower the list! Thanks for the tip.

[QUOTE=mnredfox;16331247]walk the coast line on the sea and watch the peddlers or buy souvenirs.
QUOTE]

Nice selection of hawks bill sea turtles for sale.

The beach near Laoshan is actually quite nice, even based on international standards. We went swimming there without hesitation.

not sure if you noticed this but the HI in Qinhuangdao went on the pointbreaks list....ive stayed there before and its pretty good for a BJ weekend trip