[Photo via VCG]

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

Opening Hours: 

(1) 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)

(2) Hours of the Tower of the Fragrance of Buddha, Garden of Virtue and Harmony, Palace Museum and Suzhou Street:

Peak Season (From April 1 to October 31): 8:00-18:00 (Last entry at 17:30)

Off Season (From November 1 to March 31): 8:30-17:00 (Last entry at 16:30)

Scenic spots above are closed on Mondays (Except for statutory holidays).、

(3) Hours of the Pavilion of Clearing Skies, Garden of Harmonious Pleasure, Longevity Hall, Studio of Serene Beauty, Hall of Jade Ripples, Navy Academy in the Scenic Area of "Pictures of Farming and Weaving" and Courtyards on Nanhu Island:

Peak Season (From April 1 to October 31): 8:00-18:00

Off Season (From November 1 to March 31): 8:30-17:00

Longevity Hall, Pavilion of Clearing Skies, Courtyards on Nanhu Island and Navy Academy in the Scenic Area of "Pictures of Farming and Weaving" are closed on Mondays (Except for statutory holidays).

Admission: 

Ticket: CNY 30 per person (peak season) and CNY 20 per person (off season)

Combined Ticket: CNY 60 per person (peak season) and CNY 50 per person (off season)

Scenic Spots in the Summer Palace: 

CNY five per person to the Garden of Virtue and Harmony; CNY 20 per person to the Palace Museum;

CNY 10 per person to the Tower of the Fragrance of Buddha; 

CNY 10 per person to the Suzhou Street.

Combined Ticket includes ticket for the Summer Palace and that for scenic spots in the Summer Palace.

Note: Foreign visitors can book a ticket on the WeChat Official Account "Summer Palace" with their permanent residence permit or passport.

(Sources: Official website of the Summer Palace, official WeChat account "Summer Palace")