Summer Palace, Beijing

Summer Palace tickets: entry or through ticket?

The basic entry ticket is ¥20 from November to March and ¥30 from April to October. It covers the whole park — the lakeshore, the Long Corridor, the Marble Boat, the Seventeen-Arch Bridge and the outside of Longevity Hill. The through ticket, ¥50 in winter and ¥60 in summer, adds four sights with their own gates: the Tower of Buddhist Incense, Dehe Garden with its opera stage, the Wenchang Gallery museum and Suzhou Street.

Bought separately those cost ¥10, ¥5, ¥20 and ¥10, so the through ticket pays off as soon as you want the tower and Suzhou Street. Get it for a half-day visit from Tuesday to Sunday. Plain entry is enough on a Monday, for a late walk after the halls close, or if you only want the lake. Ages 6–18 and students pay half; children under 6 or under 1.2 m and foreign visitors over 60 with a passport go free.

Tickets are real-name. The Beijing government says you can book 1–7 days ahead through the park’s official WeChat account and bring your passport on the day, and there’s a ticket window at the gate area too. Unofficially, sales for each date open at 21:00 in the “颐和园官方在线购票” mini-program or the “畅游公园” (Visiting Beijing Parks) account; pick “Passport” as the ID type and enter your name as printed.

Payment is the snag. The mini-program runs on WeChat Pay and doesn’t always accept foreign cards, and its English is thin. Link your Visa or Mastercard to Alipay or WeChat Pay before you fly; if it still fails, book through an agent such as Trip.com or join a tour — your passport details are needed either way. Keep a little cash for boats and drinks.

Summer Palace opening hours

From April to October the park is open daily 6:00–20:00, last entry 19:00. From November to March it’s 6:30–19:00, last entry 18:00. Those are the Beijing government’s figures, and the official Visit Beijing portal gives the same.

The paid sights keep shorter hours: in summer 8:00 to 18:00 with last entry at 17:30, in winter 8:30 to 17:00 with last entry at 16:30. They’re closed on Mondays except on holidays; in July and August the city has opened them on Mondays by special notice.

Come on a weekday morning. Be at the gate at opening, walk Suzhou Street while it’s empty and reach the tower just after the halls open. By midday on weekends and Chinese holidays the Long Corridor and the boat piers are packed.

Is the Summer Palace worth it, and how long do you need?

Yes, if you have at least two days in Beijing. On a clear day it’s the most beautiful place in the city — water, a temple-covered hill and a painted lakeside corridor, everything the stone courtyards of the Forbidden City are not. But it isn’t a quick stop: it’s about 50 minutes each way from the centre and the grounds are huge.

Allow 3–4 hours. The classic route runs from the North Gate through Suzhou Street, over Longevity Hill to the Tower of Buddhist Incense, down to the Long Corridor and the Marble Boat, across the lake by boat to the Seventeen-Arch Bridge, and out of the East Gate to Xiyuan station. With only two hours, enter by the East Gate and do the corridor and the tower.

With a single day in Beijing, skip it for the centre. On a Monday, or on a bitter winter day, buy plain entry and just walk the shore.

What to see at the Summer Palace

• Tower of Buddhist Incense (佛香阁) — the 41-metre, three-storey tower on a stone base halfway up Longevity Hill. A steep climb, rewarded with the whole lake below you. Through ticket or ¥10.
• The Long Corridor (长廊) — a 728-metre covered walkway along the shore, its beams painted with thousands of landscapes and scenes from Chinese novels and legends.
• The Marble Boat (石舫) — a stone pavilion shaped like a ship at the west end of the corridor; boats leave from here for the island.
• Seventeen-Arch Bridge (十七孔桥) — the 150-metre bridge to South Lake Island, its railings lined with stone lions. Best from the east shore late in the afternoon.
• Suzhou Street (苏州街) — a canal-side shopping street on the Back Lake, modelled on the waterways of Suzhou, right by the North Gate.
• Dehe Garden — the three-storey opera stage built for Cixi’s Peking opera performances.
• Hall of Benevolence and Longevity by the East Gate, where Cixi and the emperor received officials.
• Garden of Harmonious Pleasures (谐趣园) — a small garden copied from a famous one in Wuxi, in the north-east corner, with a pond wrapped in a covered walkway.

Dragon boats on Kunming Lake and the boat from Beijing Zoo

Ferries, including dragon-headed boats, cross the lake on fixed routes — for example from the Marble Boat or the South Ruyi Gate to South Lake Island. At the last prices published by Visit Beijing a crossing costs ¥30–40, and children under 1.2 m ride free; you can also rent rowing, pedal and electric boats by the hour against a deposit. The season runs roughly from mid-to-late March to mid-November, and boats aren’t included in any park ticket.

The crossing saves a half-hour walk: board at the Marble Boat after the Long Corridor and land by the Seventeen-Arch Bridge, a short walk from the East Gate.

You can also arrive by water. The Royal River boat leaves from a pier inside Beijing Zoo and runs about 9 km up the Changhe river, with a change at Ziyuwan pier in Zizhuyuan Park, to the South Ruyi Gate pier of the Summer Palace. Boats run hourly from late morning into mid-afternoon, from mid-March until late October or early November depending on the day’s notice. Fares aren’t officially published. The zoo and the palace each need their own ticket.

Summer Palace vs Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven and Beihai

The Forbidden City is the headline sight — book it first. The Summer Palace is the runner-up for wow factor but needs its own half day. If you can’t fit in the trip north-west, Beihai gives you a smaller dose of lake, boats and hilltop views in the centre.

Beijing’s palaces compared

Palaces and imperial residences in Beijing rated by YesGo. Tap a column heading to sort.

How to do it right

• Start at the North Gate by Beigongmen station and work downhill: Suzhou Street, the hill, the tower, the corridor, the lake.
• Book two or three days ahead — weekend and Chinese-holiday dates sell out.
• Screenshot your booking QR code; signal at the gates can be patchy.
• Google Maps is blocked in China without roaming or a VPN — save an offline map and 颐和园北宫门 before you go.
• The Seventeen-Arch Bridge looks best late in the day from the east shore.
• Pair it with the Old Summer Palace, two stops south on Line 4 at Yuanmingyuan Park station.
• Bring water and snacks — the circuit is several kilometres and kiosks are few on the hill.

Questions