The Summer Palace

halmester's picture

Location

Beijing
China
39° 59' 59.6508" N, 116° 16' 26.1552" E
CN
General info: 

The Summer Palace is the largest and most well-preserved royal park in China. It is a vast ensemble of lakes, gardens and palaces that fully radiates the natural beauty and the grandeur of royal gardens.

The construction of the palace started in 1750 as a luxurious royal garden for royal families to rest and entertain. Artisans reproduced the garden architecture styles of various palaces in China. The Summer Palace is mainly dominated by Longevity Hill and the Kunming Lake which was created by extending an existing body of water to imitate the West Lake in Hangzhou. Later on the palace became the main residence of royal members in the end of the Qing Dynasty.

In December 1998, UNESCO included the Summer Palace on its World Heritage List. It declared the Summer Palace private://a masterpiece of Chinese landscape garden design. The natural landscape of hills and open water is combined with artificial features such as pavilions, halls, palaces, temples and bridges to form a harmonious ensemble of outstanding aesthetic value.private://

Longevity Hill is adorned with an ensemble of grand buildings. The focal point of the buildings is the 41 meters high Tower of Buddhist Incense that is built on a 20-meter-tall stone base.

Getting there: 

• To East Gate at Tongqing St. and Yiheyuan St.: Beijing Subway Xiyuan Station (Line 4); Beijing Bus routes 209, 330, 331, 332, 346, 394, 579, 601, 608, 683, 696, 718
• To North Gate at Yiheyuan Rd. and Qinglongqiao East St.: Beijing Subway Beigongmen Station (Line 4); Beijing Bus routes 303, 330, 331, 346, 375, 384, 498, 563, 601, 608, 683, 696, 697, 718, 特5, 特10.
• To West Gate at Jinhe Rd. and Yiheyuan Ximen Rd.: Beijing Bus routes 469, 539

Costs: 

Entrance Fee:
Nov.1 - Mar.31 20 CNY
Apr.1 - Oct.31 30 CNY

Opening Hours:
Nov.1 - Mar.31 7:00-17:00
Apr.1 - Oct.31 6:30-18:00

You might be interested in

On the top of the Galata hill raises the medieval tower, making the panoramic view of the Istanbul utterly impressive. The Galata tower is tall more than 60 meters and on its top is located a restaurant and a night club.

Crossing the Bosporus canal means getting from one continent to another. This canal is the separator between Europe and Asia.

Stepping onto Red Square never ceases to inspire. There are few places with such impressive historical buildings as around the Moscow Red Square. St.

If one building was to be chosen to represent Moscow, it would most probably be St. Basil’s Cathedral. This pride of Russian architecture stands on the exact spot where the geometric center of the city is.

The Kremlin is the oldest part of Moscow. It was built in the 12th century and since the city has grown around it. Nowadays the Kremlin stands in the very center of the Russian capital.

Gorky Park is an amusement park in the middle of the city, named after the famous Soviet writer Maxim Gorky. The park stretches along the Moskva River making it a very popular destination in the summertime.