Located in the western suburbs of Beijing, and 15 kilometers away from central Beijing, Summer Palace (formerly the Qingyiyuan), an imperial garden during Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), covers an area of 3.009 sq. km, three quarters of which is water. Inspired by Hangzhou's West Lake, and adopting design features of gardens from the south of China, Summer Palace consists of the Longevity Hill and Kunming Lake, and is a large landscape garden. It is also the best preserved imperial garden, and regarded as "Museum of Imperial Gardens".

Address: No.19, Xinjiangongmenlu, Haidian District, Beijing

Hours of Most Sites

Peak Season (From April 1 to October 31): 6:00-20:00 (Last entry at 19:00)

Off Season (From November 1 to March 31): 6:30-19:00 (Last entry at 18:00)