General Information
The Summer Palace is a vast area of lakes, gardens and palaces situated in Beijing, China. The area is mainly covered by Longevity Hill and Kunming Lake, the area stretches for around 1.1sq miles of which around 75% is water. Longevity Hill stands at 60m in height, it contains halls and pavilions and peaceful landscaped gardens. The area was an imperial garden during the Qing Dynasty.
In 1998 the area was made a UNESCO World Heritage Site with it being described as ‘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’.
Getting there
By subway, take line 4 to ‘Beigongmen’ which is situated outside of the Summer Palace. By bus, take the 330, 331, 346, 375, 384 or 696.
Opening Times and Admission
The Summer Palace is open to visitors daily, 6.30am-7pm April to October and 7am-5pm November to March. Entrance fee is set at 30 CYN April to October and 20 CYN November to March.