Best Time to Visit Summer Palace:

Normally 3 hours are needed to cruise around Summer Palace itself. With your time on the city transportation included, you are advised to allocate at least half day in visiting Summer Palace. Summer Palace presents itself with different views for different seasons. Winter sees people skiing on the Kunming Lake; Spring time finds people breathe under fresh trees and flowers; Summer time often sees Summer Palace in a foggy day like a beautiful ”water and mountain” Chinese scroll painting. Autumn is the best time walking around Summer Palace, clear and blue sky with comfortable weather.

How to Get to Summer Palace:

Subway: Line 4:Take subway line 4 to the northest direction and get off at the last but one of Beigongmen (北宮門) and exit from Exit D and walk to the west, soon you will see the north gate ( Beigongmen Gate ）to Summer Palace 頤和園on your left side. Line 10: Take subway line 10 to Bagou station at the end of Line 10, and then get a taxi from outside the station to the New Palace Gate (新建宮門). Or you may just walk for about 1.5km from Bagou Station to the New Palace Gate. Get off Bagou Station, follow your nose, you will meet a river, then turn right and walk along the river bank till the New Palace Gate of Summer Palace. If confused upon which way to go upon leaving the subway, just follow the crowd.

Public Bus: Buses via the East Gate of the Summer Palace (頤和園正門, 東宮門) Bus 330、331、332、346、394、712、718、726、732、737、801、808、817、826 Buses via the North Gate of the Summer Palace (北宮門) Bus 303、330、331、346、375、384、393、634、716、718、737、801、808、817、834、Express 5 Buses via the South Gate of the Summer Palace (新建宮門) Bus 374、437、481、952、704、992

Taxi: A taxi from Beijing city center will cost about RMB 80 and take about 50 minutes without much traffic. Summer Palace Visiting Routes: Entering Summer Palace via the different three gates, you will have three different tour routes visiting Summer Palace.

Starting from New Palace Gate (south gate) Loop Line Route: New Palace Gate – Walk north along East Dyke – the former Court Area (the East Palace Gate, the Hall of Benevolence and Longevity…) – Long Corridor – Longevity Hill – Marble Boat – Ferry Boat and back to New Palace Gate (loop line) Starting from East Palace Gate Route: East Palace Gate – the former Court Area (the East Palace Gate, the Hall of Benevolence and Longevity…) – Long Corridor – Longevity Hill – Marble Boat – Ferry Boat – New Palace Gate Starting from North Palace Gate: North Palace Gate – Suzhou Street – Marble Boat – Longevity Hill – Long Corridor – the former court area – East Palace Gate

Tickets and Hours of Summer Palace:

High Season (From April 1 to Oct. 31) Open: 6:30-18:00; Close: 20:00 Low Season (From Nov. 1 to Mar. 31 next year) Open: 7:00-17:00; Close: 19：00 After the tickets stop selling, the visitors are not allowed to enter, and to leave on time. Entrance Ticket: RMB ¥20 from November to March, and RMB ¥30 from April to October.

Tips:

1.Get familiar with its 3-part layout: The Former Court Area is a royal palace where once Princess Dowager Cixi and the emperor lived and handled court affairs, accepted laudations and received foreign diplomats during their stay in the Summer Palace. The Long Corridor and Longevity Hill is the second part features the Long Corridor, the Hall of Dispelling Clouds, the Tower of Buddhist Incense, the Hall of the Sea of Wisdom, the Back Lake, the Suzhou Market and Longevity Hill. Kunming Lake and Nanhu Isle is the last part is Kunming Lake, which consists of the Marble Boat, Nanhu Island, the Bronze Ox and the beautiful 17-Arch Bridge.

2.To hire a boat is a good choice to visit the lake in the Summer Palace.

Wonderful Beijing Tours including Visit to Summer Palace

Hotels surrounding Summer Palace