Zhanqiao Pier is the classic Qingdao postcard: a long, low pier pushing out from the old city waterfront to the octagonal Huilan Pavilion. It is simple, crowded, and still worth it, because the view gathers several parts of Qingdao into one frame: sea, colonial-era streets, hills, and the sweep of Jiaozhou Bay.
Come early or near sunset if you want atmosphere rather than tour-group traffic. The pier is less about solitude than orientation. Once you have walked it, the German-influenced old town, the cathedral district, and the seafront promenades make more sense as pieces of the same coastal city.