Atlas of China
Tianjin 天津Tiānjīn
Concession-era villas, crosstalk comedy and serious street breakfasts
- Type
- Municipality
- Capital
- Tianjin
- Featured places
- 1
- Listed sites
- 642 rated 5A · 34 rated 4A · 32 national heritage
About Tianjin
Tianjin grew up as Beijing's gateway to the sea, and from the 1860s several foreign powers held concession districts here, leaving whole neighbourhoods of British, French and Italian-style villas. Today it is an easygoing counterpart to the capital, a short high-speed train ride away, with a reputation for quick wit: xiangsheng crosstalk comedy still fills its teahouse theatres. Mornings revolve around street breakfasts, and locals will happily argue over who makes the best fried and steamed snacks.
Tianjin at a glance
- Area
- 11,920 km²
- Population
- 13.9 million 2020
- Highest point
- Jiushan Peak 九山顶1,078 m
Area, population and highest point from Wikidata; the population is the latest census or official estimate there.
What to eat in Tianjin
- Jianbing guozi crêpes (煎饼果子)
- Goubuli steamed buns (狗不理包子)
- Eighteenth Street fried dough twists (十八街麻花)
Places to visit in Tianjin
-
Five Great Avenues 五大道
Leafy lanes of century-old villas from Tianjin's treaty-port days
Listed sites in Tianjin
64 sites in Tianjin are on the official lists, 2 of them rated 5A and 32 protected as national heritage. They are listed by city, with what each is and how to get there.
All 64 listed sites in TianjinGetting to Tianjin
Train, flight and driving times from the cities most visitors come from, with stations, fares and how many run a day; each opens the full comparison.
- Beijing 北京 high-speed train 25 min, 185 a day, from ¥45
- Datong 大同 train 7 h 31 min, 4 a day, from ¥72
- Taiyuan 太原 high-speed train 3 h 3 min, 10 a day, from ¥217; one nonstop flight a day, 1 h 5 min in the air
- Qingdao 青岛 high-speed train 2 h 54 min, 14 a day, from ¥301
- Pingyao 平遥 train 10 h 22 min, 1 a day, from ¥102
- Zhengzhou 郑州 high-speed train 3 h 14 min, 31 a day, from ¥361; a nonstop route is listed
- Linfen 临汾 high-speed train 4 h 31 min, 2 a day, from ¥283; a nonstop route is listed
- Shenyang 沈阳 high-speed train 3 h 42 min, 78 a day, from ¥264
- Nanjing 南京 high-speed train 2 h 58 min, 51 a day, from ¥473
- Xi'an 西安 high-speed train 5 h 46 min, 11 a day, from ¥557; 8 nonstop flights a day, 1 h 50 min in the air
- Shanghai 上海 high-speed train 3 h 59 min, 34 a day, from ¥607; 15 nonstop flights a day, 2 h 10 min in the air
- Wuhan 武汉 high-speed train 5 h 20 min, 15 a day, from ¥620; 7 nonstop flights a day, 1 h 55 min in the air
- Hangzhou 杭州 high-speed train 5 h 5 min, 20 a day, from ¥588; 7 nonstop flights a day, 2 h 15 min in the air
- Harbin 哈尔滨 high-speed train 6 h 18 min, 32 a day, from ¥524; 4 nonstop flights a day, 2 h 10 min in the air
Before you go
- Visas and visa-free entry Can I visit China without a visa?
- Paying for things How do I pay for things in China without a Chinese bank account?
- Internet and apps Will Google and my other apps work in China?
- Trains and 12306 How do I book train tickets in China with a foreign passport?
- Book popular sights early Which sights in China need booking in advance, and how?
- When to go When is the best time to visit China?
On the map
Open Tianjin on the illustrated map to see where its places sit, how far apart they are, and to add them to a trip.
Open Tianjin on the map