Qingdao Catholic Church, Things to do in Qingdao

A taste of Europe in Qingdao

We have family coming into town next month, and I realized I don’t have a single organized list on things to do in Qingdao! The Qingdao Catholic Church will definitely be on the list as one of our stops. This Qingdao landmark rests in Old Town, the German area west of Qingdao.

A miniature version of the traditional grandeur of a European plaza, it still contains basic plaza requisites – weathered cobblestone, anxious street vendors, amateur artists, chocolate fragrant cafes, throbbing souvenir shops and playful tourists relentlessly taking selfies.

The difference between being in China verses Europe is that depending on the day, or more importantly the weather, this area can be crammed with engaged couples documenting their fairytale love story with the help of photogs, stylists and plenty of fluffy wedding dresses and bedazzled costumes.

If you’re looking for a peaceful area to worship, you might be better off elsewhere (such as Qingdao Zhanshan temple) or pay the 10rmb entrance fee to enter into the church. But if people watching is your thing, this is a great place to park it on a bench and rest for awhile.

The stillness of some these pictures is a bit deceiving. It took a couple visits to finally get some shots of the church without mobs of people photo bombing. Lucked out on a pretty chilly day in March with the sun teasing us with an appearance.

Qingdao is well known for it’s cafe scene, so head on across the street or around the corner. This one happens to be one of the sleekest looking cafes I’ve been to in Qingdao, with plenty of floors and secluded rooms to find some downtime.