adventures in the summer palace
The Summer Palace and imperial gardens in Beijing – or Yíhé Yuán (which literally translates to Gardens of Nurtured Harmony) is just an amazing area of some 2000-3000 buildings built around a pretty sizable Kunming Lake (the area totals 2.9 sq km, or 717 acres). Understandably this place is also one of the Unesco’s World Heritage sites. This site is in the Northwestern part of the city after the 4th ring road, so it can be slow getting there: it didn’t take us long to get there, but about 2.5 hours to get back during the weekend afternoon traffic).
It consists of two main parts – the Longevity Hill and the the Kunming Lake with its bridges and canals – there is just too much to see for one day only! The history of the site dates back to Jin Dynasty, with the palace being built on the hills some 900 years ago although the palace in its current state was constructed from 1750 onwards! All the current buildings are beautifully and carefully restored to former glory with colourful details and ancient stories painted on the ceilings of the Long Corridor by the lake. There are golden Buddhas in the temples, tunnels carved on stone, dragon boats and canals – the list is endless and one just needs to experience it all to really appreciate this place.
We found the Summer Palace just irresistible and it was a lot of fun even for little kids – a definitely one of my top five sites to see in Beijing!
My review of the Summer Palace ( Yíhé Yuán – 颐和园): Excellent
Address: 新建宫门路19号 Haidian District, Beijing. Opening hours: 6.30-18
“This is just an amazing and breathtaking place – the details and stories displayed on the buildings and covered walkways. We went on a hot and crowded day and the kids got tired after about 5 hours walking up and down the hills – for cooling down a stroll by the lakeside will help a little. One needs to come back a few times to really appreciate and discover all that is on offer. The basic entrance fee is cheap (20 or 30 RMB depending on the season ($3-5 USD) but there are some low separate fees for few additional sights and the boats – so definitely worth the money as there is nothing kitsch about this place – just history at its best.
There are few restaurants on site and plenty of smaller vendors (and people on the hills) selling snacks and ice cream – so needed on a hot a day! A boat ride is definitely worth the money, and doesn’t cost much to start with. We took one of the canal boats instead of going on the lake and just loved it. The end station is more southern in style with little shops and restaurants by the water – just look after your kids so that they don’t fall into water as there are no railings.”