The Golden Pebble Beach.[Photo/icpress]

Day 2

Take the light rail from the terminal near Dalian Railway Station to Jinshitan, the Golden Pebble Beach State Tourist Resort. It takes about one hour to get there.

You can also hit all the scenic spots by taking a sightseeing bus. Tickets cost RMB 10.00 per person for the whole day.

Start the journey from Jinshi Cultural Expo Center, which accommodates a waxworks museum, a museum that features badges of Chairman Mao Zedong, and the Mysterious Life Museum. The Mysterious Life Museum reveals the vertebrate evolution process by more than 2,000 specimens preserved by advanced plastic technology.

Then, one can admire the wonderful work of nature along the seaside. One should definitely stop at the Dinosaur Leisure Park. The mountain was carved as a dinosaur drinking water in the sea. While enjoying the beautiful scenery, one can dine at a sidewalk seafood stand.

If you still have any energy left, then check out the Discoveryland Theme Park (open to the public from April to October). With splendid amusement facilities, one can linger there until it closes at 9 pm.

Or visit the Tang Dynasty Hot Spring club, stay there for one night and have a hot spring spa next day.

Or if you love playing golf, you can enjoy spending the day at the Jinshi Golf Club.

Day 3

Only just a 40-minute drive from downtown Dalian is Dalian’s Lushunkou District.

When going through Lushun South Road, you can see Dalian’s software industrial belt, a most dynamic industry for the city. Also, if it is the cherry blossom season (only about seven to 16 days in early spring), do visit the cherry blossom park at Longwangtang.

Located at the southernmost tip of the Liaodong Peninsula, Lushun has the reputation of being “half the modern history of China.” During the end of the 19th century it became an important military port.

As the main battle field of the Sino-Japanese War of 1894 and the Russo-Japanese War in 1904, it has many War relics and historic sites, such as the Russia-Japan Prison, Dongjiguan Hill and 203 Highland.

Climb Baiyu Hill and the white tower, which was built after the Russo-Japanese War by the Japanese invaders to commemorate their causalities to enjoy a bird’s eye view of Lushun.

Then, you can go to Laotieshan, a National Nature Preserve. Every spring and fall, millions of migrating birds fly over the hill. There is also a famous lighthouse which was built in 1893. Standing at the promontory rock in front of the main peak, you can see the natural division between the Yellow Sea and Bohai Sea.

Other options for a two or three-day trip:

During the summer one can travel to the Bingyu Provincial Tourism Resort in Zhuanghe. With beautiful mountains, a river, and unique caves and rock formations, the area’s beauty can be compared with that of Guilin in Southwest China’s Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region.

During the winter season, one can enjoy the hot spring spas and snow skiing in Pulandian, Wafangdian or Lushun.