Rating: 5A
Opening Hours:
Peak Season: (April 1-October 31)
The entrance gate is open from 6:00 to 19:00. The whole park closes at 20:00.
Attractions with separate charges: The entrances are open from 8:00 to 17:30. Attractions close at 18:00.
Off Season: (November 1 - March 31)
The entrance gate is open from 6:30 to 18:00. The whole park closes at 19:00.
Attractions with separate charges: Attractions close on Mondays (excepted for important festivals and holidays). The entrances are open from 8:30 to 16:30, from Tuesdays to Sundays. Attractions close at 17:00.
Reserve/Purchase Tickets: As a park under the administration of Beijing Municipality, The Summer Palace offers ticketing services at the ticket office.
Visitors can book tickets 1-7 days in advance on the park's official WeChat account. Visitors shall come to the park with your passports at the  selected time of the selected day.
Go to the comprehensive service window in the park gate area to purchase tickets.
Peak season: full-price ticket CNY 30, discount ticket CNY 15
Off season: full-price ticket CNY 20, discount ticket CNY 10
Address: 19 Xinjian Gongmen Road, Haidian District, Beijing
Description: The Summer Palace (formerly known as Qingyi Garden), built in 1750, is one of the best-preserved royal gardens. It was reconstructed and renamed the Summer Palace by the Qing government in 1886. As the most  important venue of political and diplomatic activities for the supreme ruler of the late Qing Dynasty outside the Forbidden City, it was both an important witness to China's modern history and the site of many major historical events.
The Summer Palace mainly consists of the  palace area, the Longevity Hill area, and the Kunming Lake area. In the  past, the palace area was where the emperors and empress dowagers of the Qing Dynasty worked and lived. It is comprised of such buildings as the  East Palace Gate, the Hall of Benevolence and Longevity, the Garden of Virtue and Harmony, the Hall of Happiness and Longevity, the Hall of Jade Ripples and the Hall of Yiyun. The Longevity Hill area has the most tourist attractions in the Summer Palace. Particularly, the Hall of Dispelling Clouds, the Tower of Buddhist Incense and the Sea of Wisdom Temple, located in the heart of the area, are the most iconic buildings  of the Summer Palace. The South Lake Island, the Zhijing Pavilion, the Talent-selecting Hall and the West Causeway constitute the main attractions in the vast Kunming Lake area.
In 1961, the Summer Palace was listed among the first batch of the major historical and cultural  sites protected at the national level. In 1998, it was included in the  World Heritage List by UNESCO for its rich historical and cultural heritage, beautiful natural environment and excellent preservation  efforts. It is known as a powerful symbol of Chinese civilization, one  of the world's greatest ancient civilizations.