Jinan Surrounding Tour - Qingzhou

🕐️DAY 1: We made a sudden trip to Qingzhou. We set off from Jinan 🚗 at noon, got off the highway at Hulingu and headed for Tuoshan. Along the way, we passed through many villages and visited scenic spots such as Fenghuangtai. We arrived at Tuoshan parking lot at about two o'clock. It is free. Considering the time, we first went to Longxing Temple next to Tuoshan. It is very large and imposing, grand and solemn, and very popular. If you want to make a wish and burn incense, you can buy it in the temple. Tuoshan Mountain and Yunmen Mountain face each other. "You can see the caves at Tuoshan Mountain and the scenery at Yunmen Mountain". The off-season ticket for Tuoshan Mountain is 40, and for Yunmen Mountain it is 50. The off-season combined ticket is 80. When we started climbing Tuoshan Mountain, there were steps as soon as we entered the ticket gate. There was no buffered square like in other scenic spots. The steps are relatively high, and there are two viewing platforms in the middle of the route, from which you can see the Longxing Temple at the foot of the mountain and the mountain Buddha in the distance. The view from the viewing platform is very charming. After climbing to Dongtianmen, you can choose to go forward to Nantianmen and then go down the mountain to see the caves, or choose to go down the mountain directly next to Dongtianmen to see the caves and then climb up to Nantianmen. The two routes cover the same amount of distance. The grottoes are protected by iron fences, but the viewing distance is still quite close, so you can see them clearly. The preservation state is also very good. It was quite shocking to see the Buddha statues in the grottoes for the first time. You can even see the preservation of colors in some of them. The whole journey up Tuoshan takes about 2-3 hours. There is only a shop near the caves where you can replenish water, so it is better to bring some water and food with you. After dinner in the evening, we went to Qingzhou Ancient City. The ancient city felt similar. For 5 yuan, you can climb the city wall and Fucaimen Tower. The experience is quite good. 🕐️DAY 2: Qingzhou Museum. Make an appointment in advance. We made an appointment one day in advance and only chose 14:00-16:00. It is possible to scan the code to enter the museum if you arrive at 13:30. After entering the museum, you can choose to rent a tour guide for 25 yuan, and the headphones are charged separately for 10 yuan. In fact, you can bring your own wired headphones, which are the most traditional round-mouth headphones. 2-4F are all exhibition areas. 4F is the Longxing Temple Buddhist statues. This floor is really shocking, very delicate and full of details. The smile of Qingzhou makes people feel calm; 3F is the Xiangshan Han Tomb cultural relics and Hengwang Mansion display; 2F is the Qingzhou history display, the Yi Zisun Jade Bi and the first-class palace examination paper are on this floor. There are cultural and creative stores on the first, third and fourth floors. 🏨Hotel environment: I chose the All Seasons Hotel (Qingzhou Songcheng Ancient City Scenic Area Branch). This is closer to the ancient city than the Qingzhou Ancient City Branch. Parking in the hotel yard is convenient and clean. 🍽Dining recommendation: Walk more than 700 meters from the hotel to Songcheng, where you can have some beef soup and beef sandwiches. The shop is not big, the dishes are served quickly, and the taste is good. Xuewei BBQ Hotpot You can eat both BBQ and hotpot. The quality of the beef is very good. I recommend it. Muslim Longsheng Cakes (Yunmenshan Store) is a must-buy snack when visiting Qingzhou. I arrived at the store around 10 a.m. and there was no queue. My favorite is the Honey Three Knifes. There are three stores in the ancient city of Qingzhou called Suanzaoshu. I like their original fruit hawthorn balls.