Dalian as a city has been an important seaport for centuries, being well-known for its Zhongshan Square that is designed by the Russians with a handful of classical buildings built by the Japanese during their colonial period over the city. It has a unique history of being eyed by foreign powers for its ports, especially Russia and Japan. It is not surprising, considering that it is located on the southernmost part of the Liaodong Peninsula, strategically across the Shandong Peninsula on the southwest over the Bohai Straits, while the region of Korea is just across the Yellow Sea to the east. It is the second-largest city in the Liaonong Province with sub-provincial administrative status. Now a major centre of finance, shipping and logistics in Northeast Asia, Dalian has been named as China's most livable city by China Daily and is also ranked in the Top 50 of the Global Financial Centers Index and Top 100 of the Global City Competitiveness Index.

Airports in Dalian

Dalian Zhoushuizi International Airport

Dalian Zhoushuizi International Airport is the airport that is meant to serve the Dalian city in Liaoning Province, which is the 24^th busiest airport in China and the busiest in Northeast China with almost 18.76 million passengers served on an annual basis. It is located in Ganjingzi District which is about 10 kilometres northwest of the Dalian city centre. Originally known as Zhoushuizi airfield which was majorly used for military purposes since its inception in 1927, it was later converted into a civilian airport around 1973 and traffic begin to skyrocket in the 1980s and then 1990s, causing it to expand four times up till present day. Currently, the airport has a terminal building that is 71,000 square meters in size which are recently built-in 2011. The airport is the focus city of China Southern Airlines which handles many of the airline’s Japanese destinations. There are several connecting flights to and from Kuala Lumpur via airlines such as Asiana, Korean Air, Malaysia Airlines, Shanghai Airlines and Xiamen via Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Shanghai and even Seoul with prices ranging around 1,000 ringgit.

How to Get Cheap Flights to Dalian?

Traveloka is a travel search engine that makes it easy for travellers to find the cheapest flights to Dalian. All you need to do is to key in the information in the search box simply, and the application will recommend the best trip according to your budget. It compares flight prices across some trusted airlines to help you to get the best possible deal. Don’t hesitate to use Traveloka’s price alert feature to be notified of flights in your desired price range to get the best flight price to Dalian.

When is the Best Time to Fly to Dalian?

The off-peak season to visit Dalian is in the summer period in general and specifically during the month of July because of the much higher temperatures as well as the more frequent precipitation that could make it less comfortable to go out. This could be a great time to get good offers at lower prices. Therefore, it is great news if you plan your trip well, you can save your money because the price for hotels and flights during the peak season will be much higher and cost you a lot of money. Nonetheless, if you want to come over when the crowd is around, the peak season in Dalian is during the months of March, April and September which is during the beginning of spring and fall seasons. The best time to visit Dalian has to be around this period because of the much better weather and mild temperament, which is suitable for going out.

Dalian has a monsoon-influenced humid continental climate which implies warm, wet summers affected by the East Asian monsoon and cold, windy and dry winters that are mainly influenced by Siberian anticyclone. Given its position in the Liaodong Peninsula, Dalian will almost always experience a seasonal lag up to one month, with the exception of the winter season. The average temperature is ranging from -3.6 degree Celsius during winter in January to 23.7 degree Celsius during the summer in July. Meanwhile, the annual precipitation is around 1,888 mm in which a bulk of the precipitation would typically occur during the summer season. The coldest temperature ever reached is at -21.1 degree Celsius on January 1970 while the hottest temperature ever reached is at 36.6 degree Celsius on July 2015.

What are the Top 3 Things to Do in Dalian?

Dalian has retained many of its heritage while adding more modern attractions that are equally interesting to visit. There are many places of interest that can be found upon coming over to Dalian.

Zhongshan Square – Originally built as Nikolayevskaya Square in 1898, the current name is given to honour Sun Zhongshan which is the first president of the Republic of China. It is the most historical and important square in town with a diameter of 213 meters, is currently utilized as Dailan's Central business district together with the adjacent Zhongshan and Renmin Roads.

Dalian Forest Zoo – The Dalian Forest Zoo is a local zoo of Dalian that has been opened to the public since 1997, covering an area of 7.2 square kilometres. It features more than 150 species of animals and is divided into several zones connected by three overpass bridges. There is also a one-kilometre-long elevated sightseeing car that allows visitors to have a good look at the zoo and also the city at an elevation of 259.6 meters.

Dalian Discovery Kingdom – Opened since 2006, the Dalian Discovery Kingdom is found at Jinshitan National Holiday Resort in Jinzhou District. Spread into six themed areas, namely Crazy Town, Mysterious Desert, Metal Factory, Magic Forest, Legend Castle and Wedding Palace, the park is the largest of its kind in Liaoning.