Summer Palace

颐和园 · Yíhéyuán

A Qing imperial garden around Kunming Lake and Longevity Hill, on the UNESCO list.

Booking recommendedBring your passport3–4 hours

Tip

Enter at the North Gate, walk over Longevity Hill to the lake, and leave by the East Gate.

Opening hours: Apr–Oct 06:00–20:00, Nov–Mar 06:30–19:00 (last entry 1 hour before).
Price: Entry ¥30 / ¥20; through ticket ¥60 / ¥50 (Apr–Oct / Nov–Mar).
How to book: Online booking needs a mainland Chinese phone number. Without one, go to the service window at the entrance with your passport and staff will book for you.
Getting there: Beigongmen (Line 4) for the North Gate
Address in Chinese: 北京市海淀区新建宫门路19号

Photo: xiquinhosilva · CC BY 2.0

Open in a map app Apple Maps Amap (Gaode) Take a taxi here

From other travelers

In the encyclopedia

Encyclopedia · PeopleQianlong Emperor 乾隆帝He laid out the garden around Longevity Hill and Kunming Lake in the 1750s, in honour of his mother’s 60th birthday.Encyclopedia · DynastiesQing dynasty 清朝A Qing imperial garden around Kunming Lake and Longevity Hill.Encyclopedia · Arts and craftsPeking opera 京剧Its Garden of Virtue and Harmony has the great three-storey theatre where Empress Dowager Cixi watched opera.Encyclopedia · Ideas and beliefsClassical Chinese gardens 中国古典园林Compare Jiangnan’s private gardens with a vast Qing imperial landscape around Kunming Lake and Longevity Hill.

Travel guides

Beijing in 4 days: a practical itinerary with booking timesForbidden City, Great Wall, Temple of Heaven and Summer Palace in four days, with a checklist of when each booking opens and how to avoid Mondays.

Sources

Checked against these sources on 2026-09-27. Rules change often, so confirm on the official site before you go.

english.beijing.gov.cn

More in Beijing

故宫博物院Forbidden City (Palace Museum)The Ming and Qing imperial palace, now China’s largest museum of imperial art.慕田峪长城Mutianyu Great WallA restored, forested stretch of the Ming wall with a cable car and toboggan, quieter than Badaling.八达岭长城Badaling Great WallThe most visited and most restored section of the wall, and the easiest to reach by train.天坛公园Temple of HeavenThe Ming altar complex where emperors prayed for good harvests, in a large park.