Sightseeing & tourist spots in Chinese 旅游景点

lǚyóu jǐngdiǎn

Tourist attraction in Chinese is 景点 (jǐng diǎn).

Also searched for as: tourist attractions in Chinese, sightseeing in Chinese, scenic spot, scenic area, tourist trap.

Ticket in hand, crowds ahead. 15 essential sightseeing & tourist spots words in Mandarin Chinese, with pinyin and English. Open it in the app to hear each word, tick off the ones you know and turn them into flashcards.

Whether you're heading for the Great Wall or a local temple, the word you'll use most is 景点 (jǐng diǎn), a tourist sight, while a larger fenced-off area with its own ticket gate is a 景区 (jǐng qū). Along the way you'll buy a 门票 (mén piào), admission ticket, and on public holidays you'll meet the famous 人山人海 (rén shān rén hǎi), literally 'people mountain, people sea', which describes the crowds perfectly.

Usage tips

• Many popular sights require you to book online with your passport details before you go, so check 需要预约吗 (xū yào yù yuē ma) before turning up at the gate.
• 打卡 (dǎ kǎ) originally meant clocking in at work; for sightseeing it means visiting a famous spot and posting a photo to prove it, and a 网红打卡地 (wǎng hóng dǎ kǎ dì) is a place that's popular on social media.
• Always ask 有学生票吗 (yǒu xué shēng piào ma); many sights offer discounted student or senior tickets, though some accept only certain student cards, so carry yours.

Common mistakes

• 排队 (pái duì) is a separable verb, so 'we queued for an hour' isn't 排队了一个小时; say 排了一个小时队 (pái le yī ge xiǎo shí duì) or 排队排了一个小时 (pái duì pái le yī ge xiǎo shí).
• 拍照 (pāi zhào) can't take a direct object, so 我可以拍照你吗 is wrong; ask 我可以给你拍张照吗 (wǒ kě yǐ gěi nǐ pāi zhāng zhào ma) or 我可以拍你吗 (wǒ kě yǐ pāi nǐ ma).
• Mixing up 导游 (dǎo yóu), tour guide, with 导演 (dǎo yǎn), film director; they differ only in the second syllable.

Mini dialogue

1. A我们明天去故宫吧？Wǒ men míng tiān qù Gù gōng ba?Shall we go to the Forbidden City tomorrow?
2. B好啊，不过要提前预约。门票买了吗？Hǎo a, bù guò yào tí qián yù yuē. Mén piào mǎi le ma?Sure, but you have to book ahead. Have you got tickets?
3. A买了，有学生票，便宜一点。Mǎi le, yǒu xué shēng piào, pián yi yī diǎn.Yes, and there were student tickets, so it was a bit cheaper.
4. B太好了。明天是周六，游客会不会很多？Tài hǎo le. Míng tiān shì zhōu liù, yóu kè huì bù huì hěn duō?Great. It's Saturday tomorrow, will it be packed with tourists?
5. A肯定人山人海，我们早点儿去排队吧。Kěn dìng rén shān rén hǎi, wǒ men zǎo diǎnr qù pái duì ba.It'll definitely be heaving. Let's go early and queue.

Example sentences

• 北京有很多有名的景点。Beijing has lots of famous sights.
• 这个景区太大了，一天逛不完。This scenic area is huge, you can't see it all in a day.
• 门票多少钱一张？How much is a ticket?
• 去故宫一般要提前预约。You usually have to book ahead for the Forbidden City.
• 我们排队排了一个小时。We queued for an hour.
• 节假日游客特别多。There are loads of tourists on public holidays.
• 国庆节到处人山人海。There are crowds everywhere during National Day.
• 我们请了一个导游。We hired a tour guide.
• 我不太喜欢跟旅游团。I don't really like going with tour groups.
• 这里可以拍照吗？Can I take photos here?
• 很多年轻人来这儿打卡。Lots of young people come here for the photo op.
• 这是一个网红景点。This place is famous on social media.
• 我们坐缆车上山吧。Let's take the cable car up the mountain.
• 请问有学生票吗？Do you have student tickets?
• 景区里的东西太坑人了。Everything in the scenic area is a rip-off.

Practise speaking

Ready to use these words? The Sightseeing & tourist spots speaking island has 8 everyday questions about sightseeing & tourist spots to prepare your own answers to.

Related topics

• Visas & residence permits 签证和居留
• Drinking culture & toasts 酒桌文化
• Alipay & WeChat Pay 移动支付
• Food delivery 外卖
• Ride-hailing (Didi) 网约车
• High-speed rail 高铁
• Bargaining & haggling 砍价
• SIM cards & Wi-Fi 手机卡和流量

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