Baiyun Yanshui · Lianhua Mountain Viewing Platform

Lianhua Mountain viewing platform at 259.6 m (the city's highest point with a 360° panorama over Xinghai Bay), plus the Baiyun Yanshui fitness trail. At 259.6 m, Lianhua Mountain is the highest point in urban Dalian, and the summit platform offers an unobstructed 360° view over Xinghai Bay: the Century City Sculpture at Xinghai Square, the arc of the cross-sea bridge and the city skyline spread out before you like a panoramic painting, and on clear days you can make out Sanshan Island and the far reaches of the Yellow Sea. You can hike to the platform on foot or ride the Lianhua Mountain cable car (round trip CNY 90) up through the air — the ride across the forested slopes is itself part of the scenery. Below, the Baiyun Yanshui fitness trail loops around a lake with water birds and dense tree shade, a favorite spot for Dalian locals' morning exercise and hikes. The route of "Yanshui first, then Lianhua Mountain" goes from gentle to steep; watching Xinghai Bay light up at dusk from the platform is one of Dalian's top night-view photo spots.

Getting there: western section of Binhai Road