Summer Palace

The Summer Palace is one of the most beautiful and relaxing places to visit in Beijing. The combination of traditional Chinese architecture, peaceful lakes, and lush gardens makes it perfect for a long walk or boat ride. I especially enjoyed the view from the Longevity Hill — it gives you a stunning panorama of Kunming Lake and the entire complex.

Alot of history goes into this UNESCO site. Learn about the history of the past and enjoy the architecture and soak in the atmosphere. Would need at least half a day to walk through the 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

The Summer Palace is huge — about 2.9 sq km in size! If you’re short on time, start from the East Palace Gate & walk through Leshou Hall to see the famous Qingzhixiu stone, then head up toward the Tower of Buddhist Incense for the best lake view. After that, stroll along the Long Corridor beside Kunming Lake & exit at the North Ruyi Gate. Whole walk takes around 1.5 hours, enough to feel the beauty of this imperial garden.

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.

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

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.