Summer Palace Beijing: Tickets, Hours and How Long to Stay
The Summer Palace in Beijing costs CNY 30 to enter from April to October and CNY 20 from November to March, and the gates open at 6:00 in peak season. Most visitors need two to three hours inside, or at least half a day with travel. Bring your passport for the ticket, and don't confuse it with the Old Summer Palace ruins nearby, which are a separate site.
How Long to Spend at the Summer Palace
A Beijing tour company's visitor guide puts the walk at about two to three hours, and at least half a day once you add city transport. The park covers 2.9 square kilometers, and three-quarters of that is water, so most of your time goes into walking between the halls, the hill and the shore.
Photo: Summer Palace Buddhist Temple on Longevity Hill (9864617064) by Gary Todd from Xinzheng, China, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped.
A simple loop from the main East Palace Gate takes in the former court area, the Long Corridor, Longevity Hill and the Marble Boat. From there you can take the ferry across the lake and leave by the New Palace Gate on the south side. Starting from the North Palace Gate, the same loop runs in reverse via Suzhou Street.
If you are short on time, stick to the court area and the Long Corridor, then climb to the Tower of Buddhist Incense for the view over Kunming Lake.
Summer Palace Tickets, Hours, and Booking
According to Beijing's official visitor information, prices change by season:
| Season | Dates | Entrance | Discount | Combined ticket |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peak | April 1 – October 31 | CNY 30 | CNY 15 | CNY 60 |
| Off | November 1 – March 31 | CNY 20 | CNY 10 | CNY 50 |
The combined ticket adds the separately charged sites: the Tower of Buddhist Incense, the Garden of Virtue and Harmony, the palace museum and Suzhou Street.
Hours also shift with the season. In peak season the entrance gates open 6:00 to 19:00 and the park closes at 20:00. In off season the gates open 6:30 to 18:00 and the park closes at 19:00. The separately charged sites close at 18:00 in peak season and 17:00 in off season. In off season they are also closed on Mondays, except for major festivals and holidays.
To book, reserve 1 to 7 days ahead on the park's official WeChat account and arrive at your booked time with your passport. Tickets are also sold at the service window in the gate area.
Getting to the Summer Palace
Three gates are the most useful for a first visit, and the metro station you choose decides which one you use. (A fourth, the West Gate, is served by the Xijiao Line.)
- North Palace Gate: Beigongmen Station on Line 4, Exit D, then a short walk west.
- East Palace Gate (main gate): Xiyuan Station on Line 4 or Line 16, Exit C2, then about 870 meters on foot.
- New Palace Gate (south): Bagou Station on Line 10, then a taxi or a walk of about 2.9 kilometers.
The East Palace Gate is the best start for a first visit because the court area is right inside. The North Palace Gate puts you closest to Suzhou Street.
What Makes the Summer Palace Special
This was a working palace, not just a holiday garden. Beijing's official visitor information describes it as the most important venue for political and diplomatic business in the late Qing dynasty outside the Forbidden City. The palace area by the East Palace Gate is where Qing emperors and empress dowagers lived and worked.
Photo: Beijing - Summer Palace (8272629188) by Mulligan Stu, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped.
The rest of the park is designed landscape. Longevity Hill is about 60 meters high, with the Tower of Buddhist Incense on its slope facing the lake. Along the shore, the Long Corridor runs 728 meters and is painted with famous places in China and scenes from mythology and folk tales. UNESCO added the Summer Palace to the World Heritage List in December 1998 and called it "a masterpiece of Chinese landscape garden design."
If you are planning several days in the capital, a Beijing tour package shows how the Summer Palace fits with the Forbidden City and the Great Wall.
Summer Palace vs. Old Summer Palace
These are two different sites. The Summer Palace (Yiheyuan) is the restored lakeside park described here. The Old Summer Palace (Yuanmingyuan) is a separate complex, also in Haidian District, kept today largely as ruins.
Both were hit in the Second Opium War. In 1860, British and French forces sacked and burned the Summer Palace and the Old Summer Palace. The Summer Palace was rebuilt in the 1880s and given its present name, Yiheyuan, in 1888, then damaged again in 1900. The Old Summer Palace remains largely in ruins. If an itinerary just says "Summer Palace," check which one is meant before you set off.
When to Visit and What to Pair It With
Autumn is the best season for a long walk, with clear blue skies and comfortable weather. Spring brings fresh leaves and flowers.
The Summer Palace is in the northwest of the city, away from the central sights. It pairs easily with the Old Summer Palace for a day in Haidian, or with the Forbidden City for a full day of imperial Beijing. Our Beijing day tour lets you pick two of the Forbidden City, the hutongs, the Summer Palace and the Temple of Heaven, with a local guide and taxi transfers between them (a private car costs extra).
FAQ
How much are Summer Palace tickets?
Entrance is CNY 30 from April 1 to October 31 and CNY 20 from November 1 to March 31. The combined ticket, which adds the Tower of Buddhist Incense and Suzhou Street, is CNY 60 or CNY 50.
How long to spend at the Summer Palace?
About two to three hours inside the park. Allow at least half a day in total with travel from central Beijing.
Which metro stop serves the Summer Palace?
Take Line 4 to Beigongmen Station for the North Palace Gate, or to Xiyuan Station for the main East Palace Gate.
Is the Summer Palace the same as Yuanmingyuan?
No. The Summer Palace (Yiheyuan) is the restored lakeside park, and Yuanmingyuan, the Old Summer Palace, is a separate site in the same district, kept largely as ruins.
If you choose the Summer Palace on our day tour, your guide explains the thinking behind the bridges and pavilions, and we stop halfway for coffee at a quiet café inside the garden.
Cover photo: Longevity Hill of the Summer Palace by xiquinhosilva, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons, cropped.
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