Tianjin, China: Self-Guided Walking Tour

Tianjin is a major municipality in northern China where historic concessions, riverside scenery and modern landmarks sit side by side, offering a varied travel experience just a short trip from Beijing. Neywo provides a free audio guide for Tianjin with 55 narrated places, letting you explore the city at your own pace.

Explore Tianjin’s highlights

Taku Forts (museum)

The Taku Forts, also known as the Dagukou or Peiho Forts, sit at the mouth of the Hai River in the Binhai New Area about 60 km southeast of the city centre. Dating back to the Ming and Qing dynasties, they formed a key coastal defence line protecting northern China and were the main battleground for three major Battles of the Taku Forts. Today two forts remain—one on each bank of the Hai River—with the southern fort restored since 1988 and opened as a museum and ruins park in 1997.

Caserma Ermanno Carlotto (artwork)

This former Italian Barrack was the main base of the Royal Italian Army in Tianjin’s Italian concession. Built in 1916 along what is now Guangming Road in Hebei District, it is one of only nine preserved foreign military camps from the concession era.

National Maritime Museum of China (museum)

Located in the Binhai Tourism Zone of the Sino‑Singapore Tianjin Eco‑city at the intersection of Rongsheng Road and Haixuan Road, this museum opened for trial operation on 1 May 2019. As China’s only national‑level comprehensive maritime museum, it integrates collection, display, research and education to preserve and share the country’s maritime heritage.

Memorial to Zhou Enlai and Deng Yingchao (museum)

Situated in Nankai District near Tianjin Water Park, this three‑story museum houses white jade sitting statues of Zhou Enlai and Deng Yingchao in its entrance hall. Inside, photographs, documents, detailed dioramas and more than 140 personal artifacts give an intimate view of the premier’s life and work across roughly 60,000 sq m of exhibition space.

Tianjin Drum Tower (museum)

A faithful reconstruction completed in 2001, the Drum Tower in Nankai district mirrors the original tower that once stood as one of Tianjin’s Three Treasures. The site is recognised as a national 2A‑level scenic spot and serves as a gateway to the old town.

Kiev (attraction)

Moored as the centrepiece of a theme park, the Kiev is the first of the Soviet Kiev‑class aircraft carriers. Built at the Chernomorski shipyard in Mykolaiv (then Soviet Ukraine) and launched in 1972, it entered service in 1975 as the flagship of the Soviet Northern Fleet. Notable features include a 4.5‑degree angled flight deck and a large island superstructure; lacking catapults or arresting gear, it was decommissioned by Russia in 1993.

Marco Polo Square (square)

This 2,200 sq m plaza marks the former crossroads of Tianjin’s Italian concession. Surrounded by Italian‑style garden villas and a former sports venue, it was the first European‑style square fully restored to its original look. At its centre stands a sculpture of the goddess of peace, created by the Italian community to celebrate the end of World War I and later restored after early PRC damage.

St. Joseph Cathedral (cathedral)

Also known locally as Xikai Church, this grand Roman Catholic church sits at the southern end of Binjiang Dao in Heping District, once part of the French concession. Built between 1913 and 1916, it is the largest Roman‑style church in North China and has been the seat of the Catholic Diocese of Tianjin since its completion.

Wenhuazhongxin Station (museum)

Located in Hexi District east of the Leyuan Road–Youyi Road interchange, this station serves as a transfer point for Metro Lines 5, 6 and 11. Line 6 opened on 26 April 2018, Line 5 on 22 October 2018 and the newest Line 11 began service on 28 December 2024, making it a growing hub for visitors heading to the Tianjin Cultural Center area.

Hai River (natural feature)

The Hai River, known in English as the Sea River, is the largest river system in northern China. It forms where the Ziya River, Northern Canal, Southern Canal, Daqing River and Yongding River converge before flowing through Tianjin and emptying into the Bohai Sea. Its creation is tied to the Grand Canal, which fused the lower reaches of these watercourses into a single outlet; before that, the Wei, Ziya, Yongding and Bai Rivers flowed independently into the sea.

Austro‑Hungarian Consulate, Tianjin (park)

Built in 1908, this building was the only structure in the Austro‑Hungarian concession funded and erected by the Austro‑Hungarian government itself. It stood at the corner of the former Main Road and Riverside Road; today the site is found at 153 Jianguo Road and 33 Haihe East Road in Hebei District.

2015 Tianjin explosions (other)

On the night of 12 August 2015, a series of massive explosions ripped through the Ruihai International Logistics warehouse at the Port of Tianjin in Binhai New Area. The first two blasts occurred 33 seconds apart shortly before midnight, with the second detonating roughly 800 tonnes of ammonium nitrate—equivalent to about 445 tonnes of TNT. The shockwave was felt across Tianjin and as far as Cangzhou, Hengshui and Shijiazhuang, and seismographs in Beijing recorded the events as minor earthquakes of magnitude 2.3 and 2.9.

Tianjin Binhai International Airport (other)

Situated in Dongli District about 14 km east of downtown Tianjin, this airport is a key domestic trunk airport and major international cargo hub. Airbus operates an A320 final assembly line on the grounds (started 2008) and an A330 Completion and Delivery Center (finished end‑2017). It is the home base for Tianjin Airlines and Okay Airways and a focus city for Air China; in 2025 it handled nearly 19.9 million passengers, ranking it the 26th busiest airport in China. The airport has two terminals: T1 (opened May 2008) for international flights and T2 (opened August 2014) for domestic routes.

Tianjin Olympic Center Stadium (stadium)

Locally nicknamed the “Water Drop” for its exterior resembling a droplet, this stadium was built for the 2008 Summer Olympics and hosted the football preliminaries. Construction ran from August 2003 to August 2007 based on a design by Japanese firm AXS Satow. When completed it was the second‑largest comprehensive stadium in China, covering 78,000 sq m and seating about 54,700 spectators. The structure measures 380 m long, 270 m wide and 53 m high, with a total cost of roughly 1.5 billion yuan. It has also hosted the 2007 FIFA Women’s World Cup and the athletics events of China’s National Games in 2017, and served as the home ground of Tianjin Jinmen Tiger.

Tianjin Binhai Library (library)

Opened to the public in October 2017, the Binhai Library is nicknamed “The Eye” for its striking main hall where terraced bookshelves sweep from floor to ceiling, creating the illusion of a giant eye. The shelves hold around 1.2 million books, and a central spherical room serves as an auditorium for 110 people, forming the glowing “pupil.” The five‑floor building covers about 33,000 sq m and has earned accolades such as Time magazine’s top world destination in 2018 and China’s first‑class library rating in 2023.

Explore Tianjin with Neywo

Neywo’s free audio guide for Tianjin includes four walking tours and one bus route. The walks range from 3.6 km to 5.6 km (95–111 minutes) with 5 to 8 narrated stops each, while the bus route covers 14.2 km in about 61 minutes with 5 stops. As you reach each point, the app tells the story of that place, allowing you to explore at your own pace without a group or a fixed schedule. Narration is available in 11 languages, so you can enjoy the guide in the language that suits you best.

If you’re planning to explore more of China, you might also consider visiting nearby destinations such as Shanghai, Xi’an or Qingdao, all easily reachable from Tianjin. For broader country information, see the China page. Happy travels!