Tour Overview
Just 30 minutes from Beijing by high-speed train, Tianjin is China's most underrated metropolis — a fascinating collision of East and West in a city that served as a treaty port for nine foreign powers. This 2-day tour explores Tianjin's unique identity: the Five Great Avenues with 2,000 European-style villas, the Italian Style Town with its piazzas and cafes, the Ancient Culture Street with Qing Dynasty architecture and folk crafts, and the stunning Porcelain House — a century-old mansion covered in 700 million porcelain fragments. A perfect contrast to Beijing that reveals China's complex international history.
Highlights
- ✅ Five Great Avenues — 2,000 European-style villas in Gothic, Renaissance & Baroque styles
- ✅ Italian Style Town — former Italian concession with Marco Polo Square & Mediterranean cafes
- ✅ Porcelain House — a French villa encrusted with 700 million porcelain shards and 4,000 ancient vases
- ✅ Ancient Culture Street — Qing Dynasty architecture with folk crafts, tea houses & Tianjin snacks
- ✅ Tianjin Eye — 120m Ferris wheel built on a bridge over the Haihe River
- ✅ Goubuli steamed buns & jianbing — taste Tianjin's legendary street food
What's Included
- ✅ Professional English-speaking guide
- ✅ 1 night 4-star hotel with breakfast
- ✅ All entrance tickets
- ✅ Private air-conditioned vehicle
- ✅ Train station transfers
- ✅ Travel insurance
What's Excluded
- ❌ Train to/from Tianjin
- ❌ Lunches & dinners
- ❌ Tianjin Eye ticket (optional)
- ❌ Personal expenses
Day-by-Day Itinerary
Day 1: Arrival — Five Great Avenues & Italian Style Town
Arrive at Tianjin Railway Station (30min from Beijing by high-speed train). Begin at the Five Great Avenues (Wudadao) — a sprawling neighborhood of over 2,000 villas built in the 1920s-30s by British, French, German, Italian, and Spanish architects. Horse-drawn carriages clop through tree-lined streets past Tudor mansions, Mediterranean villas, and Art Deco apartments. Visit the former residence of warlord Zhang Xueliang. Afternoon: Italian Style Town — the former Italian concession transformed into Tianjin's most photogenic district with Marco Polo Square, open-air cafes, and restored Liberty-style buildings. Evening: stroll along the Haihe River as the city's bridges light up. Overnight in Tianjin.
Day 2: Porcelain House, Ancient Culture Street & Departure
Morning: Porcelain House — a French-style villa that artist Zhang Lianzhi spent 8 years (2007-2015) transforming by covering every surface with 700 million ancient porcelain fragments, 4,000 intact vases, and countless jade carvings. The result is a surreal, glittering masterpiece. Then Ancient Culture Street — a 600m pedestrian street lined with Qing Dynasty-style buildings selling Yangliuqing New Year paintings, Clay Figure Zhang sculptures, and Tianjin's famous kites. Sample Goubuli baozi and crispy jianbing (savory crepes) from street vendors. Afternoon: optional Tianjin Eye ride before departure.