Where to stay in Dandong comes down mostly to how much you want a river view: Dandong is a border city in Liaoning province, on the Chinese bank of the Yalu River directly across from Sinuiju in North Korea, and its lodging scene is built almost entirely around that riverfront setting rather than around a historic old-town core.
The Binjiang riverside strip, facing the water near the Yalu River Broken Bridge, the bombed span left standing since the Korean War alongside the still-functioning Sino-Korean Friendship Bridge, holds Dandong's densest run of mid-range and premium hotels, most marketed on their river-facing rooms and evening views across the water. Guesthouses and budget hotels spread further back into the city center, useful for travelers more focused on price than the view. A smaller number of properties further from the water round out the mid-range options for travelers who want proximity to the train station and long-distance bus connections instead. There is no meaningful lodging scene away from this riverfront-to-center spread; Dandong is a compact city built around the crossing itself.
Book a river-view room on the Binjiang strip ahead of major domestic holidays, when Chinese tourists visiting for the border-viewing experience fill the best-positioned hotels first; midweek and off-peak dates are far easier to secure. Payment runs on standard Chinese systems, so have a local mobile payment option or cash ready, since some smaller guesthouses do not take international cards. Dandong's climate brings cold winters and warm, sometimes humid summers, and the riverside views hold up reasonably well in both, so timing a stay here is more about avoiding domestic holiday crowds than working around the weather itself. Local trains and buses connect Dandong easily to other Liaoning cities, making it a workable stop for travelers combining a border visit with a wider northeastern China itinerary.