Beihai Park, Beijing

Beihai Park tickets: price and do you need to book?

Beihai is one of the cheapest big sights in Beijing. Entry is ¥5 from November to March and ¥10 from April to October. The combo (through) ticket — ¥15 in winter, ¥20 in summer — adds Jade Flower Island, with Yong'an Temple, the White Dagoba and the Yilan Hall, plus the Round City by the South Gate. Concessions are half price.

Get the combo. The climb to the dagoba is the reason to come, and the difference is ¥10. Plain entry makes sense only for an evening walk round the lake or on a Monday, when the temples are shut.

You don't need to book. The Beijing government's 12345 hotline says every Beihai gate sells paper tickets on the spot; online tickets are sold in the 畅游公园 (Visiting Beijing Parks) WeChat mini-program, using your passport name and number. Older pages and some guides insist there are no tickets on site — that is out of date.

For payment, link a foreign Visa or Mastercard to WeChat Pay or Alipay before you fly, and carry a little cash in small notes as a backup. Agents such as Trip.com also sell tickets if WeChat won't cooperate.

Beihai Park opening hours

From November to March the park is open daily 6:30–20:00, last entry 19:30. From April to October it opens 6:00–21:00, last entry 20:30, according to the Beijing government; Visit Beijing gives a 6:30 summer opening, so don't plan to the minute at dawn.

The temples and walled “gardens within the garden” keep shorter hours: from November to March 8:30–17:00, last entry 16:30, and they're closed on Mondays. So do the island and the north shore first, and save the lakeside loop for later in the day.

A weekday morning is best: be at the dagoba by 8:30 and you'll beat the tour groups. After 16:00 the shore is quiet again, and at sunset the White Dagoba is reflected in the lake.

Is Beihai Park worth it, and how long do you need?

Yes, especially if you're already at the Forbidden City or Jingshan. It's cheap, central, needs no booking, and gives you something the palace doesn't: water, willows, boats and everyday Beijing life. The view from the dagoba terrace takes in the lake, the palace roofs and Jingshan hill.

Two hours covers the island and a walk along the shore. Add an hour for the north bank — the Nine-Dragon Wall, the Five-Dragon Pavilions and Jingxinzhai — or for a boat. If you've only got time for one big lakeside park, the Summer Palace is grander, but it needs a separate half day out in the north-west.

What to see in Beihai Park

• Yong'an Bridge and Jade Flower Island — a marble bridge from the south leads to the island and Yong'an Temple (Temple of Everlasting Peace); stairs climb a 32-metre hill.
• The White Dagoba (白塔) — a Tibetan-style stupa from 1651 at the top of the island. From the terrace below it you see the lake, the Forbidden City roofs and Jingshan.
• The Round City (团城) by the South Gate — a small walled citadel. Its hall holds a white jade Buddha about 1.5 m tall; in the courtyard stands a huge Yuan-dynasty jade bowl.
• The Nine-Dragon Wall on the north shore — 1756, coloured glazed tile, dragons on both faces; one of three such walls in China.
• The Five-Dragon Pavilions — five Ming-era pavilions linked by walkways over the water, and the best view back to the dagoba.
• Jingxinzhai (Quiet Heart Studio) — a garden within the garden, with a pond, rockery and galleries, a favourite of the Qianlong Emperor.
• Xiaoxitian and Chanfu Temple — Buddhist courtyards on the north shore; closed Mondays.

Boats in summer, skating in winter

From spring to autumn you can hire rowing, pedal and electric boats from piers on the east and west shores and by the island. The season runs roughly April to October, and rental stops in strong wind or smog. Prices vary a lot between guides; you pay at the pier with WeChat Pay or Alipay, plus a deposit.

In a cold winter the lake freezes and a skating rink opens on the ice. Last season it ran from late January to early February, 8:30–17:30; dates depend on the weather each year. Never walk on the ice when the rink is closed.

In November, with the boats gone and no ice yet, Beihai is simply a quiet autumn walk — golden trees, fewer people and a ¥5 ticket.

A short history of Beihai Park

The garden is older than Beijing's role as the capital. A Jin-dynasty summer palace stood here from 1179, and the Yuan, Ming and Qing courts all rebuilt it. The White Dagoba went up in 1651 for the visit of the 5th Dalai Lama; an earthquake toppled it in 1679 and it was rebuilt.

The Qianlong Emperor added much of what you see on the north shore in the 18th century, including the Nine-Dragon Wall in 1756. The imperial garden opened to the public in 1925, and in 1961 Beihai and the Round City were among the first sites put under national protection. The name means “Northern Sea” — the “seas” being the palace lakes, and Beihai the northernmost.

Beihai Park vs Temple of Heaven vs Summer Palace

Beihai is the easiest of the three: central, no booking and the cheapest. The Summer Palace is bigger and more dramatic but takes a half day of its own. With two days in Beijing, Beihai slots in neatly after the Forbidden City and Jingshan.

Beijing by the water, compared

Waterside places in Beijing rated by YesGo. Tap a column heading to sort.

Nearby — add to your day

37

Jingshan Park

Beijing, China

45 min · ¥2, ¥10 during exhibitions · 11 min walk

Yes — add to my route: Jingshan Park

61

Forbidden City

Beijing, China

3 h 30 min · ¥40 Nov–Mar, ¥60 Apr–Oct · 20 min walk

Yes — add to my route: Forbidden City

33

Prince Gong's Mansion

Beijing, China

1 h 30 min · ¥40, book ahead with passport · 24 min walk

Yes — add to my route: Prince Gong's Mansion

42

Beijing hutongs

Beijing, China

1 h 30 min · Free; rickshaw about ¥100–200 · 27 min walk

Yes — add to my route: Beijing hutongs

How to do it right

• Enter by the North Gate from the metro and leave by the South Gate towards the Round City and the Forbidden City — or the other way round.
• Get to the island before 16:30: the temple and the dagoba close then, while the park stays open into the evening.
• Skip Monday if the White Dagoba is the point of your visit.
• The best view of the dagoba is from the north shore by the Five-Dragon Pavilions, especially at sunset.
• Google Maps is blocked in China without roaming or a VPN — save an offline map and 北海公园北门 before you go.
• Walk on north to the Shichahai and Houhai lakes afterwards — 10–15 minutes along the water.
• Carry water: the loop round the lake is long and the stairs to the dagoba are steep.

Questions