A Guide to Feeding Seagulls at Qingdao Zhanqiao Pier (Learned from N Visits)

Come feed the seagulls in Qingdao this winter! Guaranteed to melt your heart 10,000 times. Every year, I take my kids to feed the seagulls in Qingdao. It's our family's way of welcoming winter. Here's a guide to feeding seagulls, compiled from 100 visits. Seriously, don't go without reading this... 1️⃣ Best Times to Feed Seagulls 👉 7-8 am: Fewer people, hungrier seagulls, more enthusiastic interaction, ideal for feeding. 👉 Around 3 pm: Soft lighting, perfect for taking photos. 👉 Low tide: Walk into the sea for close-up shots of the pier, very picturesque. Seagulls lazily gather on the exposed beach, tons of them! 👉 High tide: Most seagulls take flight, making it easy to feed and photograph them from the shore. 2️⃣ Best Photo Spots 📸 👉 Morning: Zhanqiao Pier's east side, shooting westward with the sun behind you, makes for better photos. 👉 Afternoon: Soft lighting, both sides of the pier are great. East side, facing east, captures the golden sunset on the red tiles—super romantic! West side, try the Hai Shang Huang Gong (Maritime Palace) and Badaguan area. Fewer people, plenty of seagulls, easier to get good shots. 👉 Low tide: Walk further onto the beach for close-up photos with the pier. 3️⃣ Helpful Tips 👉 Bring plenty of youtiao (fried dough sticks), mantou (steamed buns), and bread. They eat a lot! 👉 Wear water shoes to avoid getting soaked when walking into the sea. 👉 Bring sand toys for the kids, they can play all day. We went in the morning, which happened to be low tide, so we got closer to the pier and saw tons of seagulls.