Olympic Park and Bird's Nest, Beijing

Beijing Olympic Park tickets: what's free and what you pay for

The park itself is free: there's no gate or ticket for the central plaza, the boulevard or the Olympic Forest Park. You pay only to go inside the venues. The Bird's Nest's official site lists three tour types — standard, VIP and a rooftop route — but no prices. Guidebooks put the standard tour at ¥50–80 and the version with the skywalk at about ¥100; figures vary between years and sellers, so treat them as unofficial.

The Water Cube is about ¥48 (unofficial), including its indoor light show, and children under 1.2 m go free. The water park and the skating rink in the Ice Cube are separate tickets. Agents also sell combined Bird's Nest and Water Cube tickets.

Buy through an agent such as Trip.com, or at the ticket desks by the venues, and carry your passport — many Chinese tickets are real-name. Pay with Alipay or WeChat Pay linked to a foreign Visa or Mastercard; keep some cash in small notes as a backup.

Bird's Nest and Water Cube opening hours

According to its official site, the Bird's Nest is open for tours every day from 10:00 to 22:00, with last entry at 21:00. The Water Cube runs on low-season hours of 10:30–21:00: the ticket desk closes at 19:50 and the last entry is at 20:00. Big swimming events, such as the short-course world championships, can limit tourist access.

The best time is late afternoon into dark. By day the plaza is huge, flat and shadeless, and hot in summer. After sunset the stadium glows red, the cube turns blue and changes colour, and the boulevard fills with Beijingers out for a stroll. Tour the stadium at 17:00 or 18:00 and walk out into the lights.

In winter a paid ice-and-snow park sets up beside the Bird's Nest — fun with children, but a separate ticket.

Is Beijing Olympic Park worth visiting?

Yes, for an evening. It's the one big Beijing sight that is at its best after dark, it costs nothing to walk, and the Bird's Nest is one of the most recognisable buildings of the century. It's also a welcome contrast to the imperial palaces: wide, modern and calm.

Paying to go inside is worth it if you like sport or architecture — the steel lattice looks completely different from within, and the rooftop skywalk shows the whole axis. The Water Cube's interior is essentially a modern pool, so most visitors are happy with the outside view. If your time in Beijing is short, give the Forbidden City and the Great Wall priority and come here on an evening you'd otherwise spend in the hotel.

What to see at the Olympic Park

• Bird's Nest (National Stadium, 鸟巢) — the woven steel oval. Inside: the 80,000-seat bowl, an exhibition on the two Olympics and the VIP halls.
• The skywalk — a roughly one-kilometre route around the stadium roof, looking down into the bowl and out along the boulevard.
• Water Cube (National Aquatics Center, 水立方) — the blue bubble box. Inside: the Olympic pool, an upper viewing gallery, a water park and the “Light of Water” show several times a day.
• Ice Cube — the 2022 Winter Olympics curling venue; the ice centre entrance is on the Water Cube's south plaza.
• The central boulevard — the broad pedestrian axis running north. Kite flyers by day, crowds under the lit-up stadiums at night.
• Olympic Tower — five ‘blades of grass’ topped with discs that echo the Olympic rings. Admire it from outside while the deck is closed.
• Olympic Forest Park — lakes, a hill and running loops at the north end, free.

Olympic Forest Park

The green northern half of the complex covers 680 hectares of woodland, lakes and hills — Beijing's largest city park, according to the Beijing government. Entry is free and needs no booking. It opens at 6:00; last entry is 21:00 in high season and 20:00 in low season, with closing an hour later.

Locals come here to run the loops, cycle and walk by the water, not for Olympic buildings. The Olympic Tower stands just south of the park, and the nearest station is Forest Park South Gate on Line 8. With children, or if you need a break from the crowds downtown, spend the afternoon in the park and walk south to the stadiums at dusk.

Olympic Park vs Temple of Heaven vs Summer Palace

The Olympic Park is modern Beijing and the only one of the three best seen in the evening. The Temple of Heaven and the Summer Palace are history — save them for mornings and daytime.

Beijing after dark compared

Beijing's best evening spots, rated by YesGo. Tap a column heading to sort.

How to do it right

• Arrive an hour before sunset: tour the stadium in daylight and walk out into the lights.
• Get off at Olympic Sports Center and leave from Olympic Park station — you walk the whole boulevard once, south to north.
• There's no shade on the plaza: bring water and a hat in summer, or start in the Forest Park.
• If the Bird's Nest is closed for a concert, the outside view is unaffected — the walk is still worth it.
• Google Maps is blocked in China without roaming or a VPN — download an offline map and save 鸟巢 for taxis.
• Pair it with the hutongs: Line 8 runs straight from here to Nanluoguxiang and Houhai Lake.
• After a concert, Line 8 trains are packed — wait half an hour or book a DiDi in Alipay.

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