Summer Palace

It’s massive — you could easily spend a whole day exploring. Bring sunscreen, umbrella, snacks, water, and comfy sneakers. Plenty of scenic views around every corner and lots to see and walk through. Large groups seen here too

Summer Palace is enormous! There is simply no way you can see it all in one day so my advice is, do a little research, find out what you want to see there and stick to the plan. Sure there is one "must" the central pagoda of the "Buddhist Incense" but other than that the place is just so large, you simply won't be able to walk it all, so pick your poison or come back for day two

It depends which entrance you use, but I’d really recommend checking the side with the Marble Boat—it’s one of the highlights here. From there you can hop on a boat across the lake (about 40 yuan), which is very scenic and gives you a great view of the palace grounds. The little souvenir shop opposite the Marble Boat also has surprisingly good quality items. I was here about 15 years ago and it definitely has improved since then—more organized, easier to get around, and still just as beautiful. Overall, I had a really positive experience. The Summer Palace is beautiful and easy to get to from central Beijing—subway plus a short bus ride. I got my ticket right at the entrance and the line was short that day. The scenery is gorgeous all around and it’s a place where you can easily spend a few hours just exploring and enjoying the views.

This is one of the main attractions of Beijing. The emperor's summer residence is set in an immense park where you can spend half a day just visiting part of it. Everything is very well kept and beautiful.

The most beautiful and interesting Palace. Full of history set in the most lovely scenery. Wish we had longer to spend more time here

Probably the busiest place in summer with locals just relaxing. Nice lake sail after walking the amazing long corridor full of art work. Interesting stories about the unlucky rock. Also one of the few places to see museum pieces on site that were not looted by English and French. Stuff luckily found in the lake

In A Nutshell: -Summer Palace is worth visiting as long as you have a lot of patience to deal w/ the crowds. -It is about an hour drive from the Beijing city center. -You will be walking many steps exploring this vast area. -Parking is found on the street just outside the palace. -I enjoyed climbing up to the top where you can view the lake & the surrounding area. Overall, it's worth checking out & learn more about the ancient Chinese culture.

Iconic. One of China's most outstanding sights. The area is huge so be sure to bring enough time. There are nice parks between the palaces and buildings. Some paths are very steep and almost need climbing skills. Can be very crowded in weekends. Ferry boats are charged extra. In the vicinity there are a lot of restaurants, inside there are only snacks and drinks available. Tickets can be bought at the counters near the entrances, no need to but online. Getting there by subway coming from downtown will take a while and a little walk but the taxis can be stuck in traffic.