The Summer Palace in a nutshell
The Summer Palace, Yiheyuan in Chinese, is an imperial garden in Haidian district in northwest Beijing. Longevity Hill and Kunming Lake shape the whole park, and about three quarters of the area is water. Its earlier name was Qingyi Yuan. UNESCO inscribed it as a World Heritage Site in 1998.
This guide covers what you need to plan a visit: tickets and the through ticket, opening hours, tours, the lake and its boats, the Long Corridor, the Marble Boat, the Tower of Buddhist Incense, Suzhou Street, the history, the Old Summer Palace, getting there, the best time to go and practical tips. It is an independent site. It is not run by the park administration, a museum, a tourism authority or a tour company. Prices are in yuan (CNY), as of 2026, and they can change.
Our picks: Summer Palace tours and tickets
A guided walk, a plain entry ticket and a private day trip to both palaces.
Hand-picked tours, booked through GetYourGuide. Prices are indicative starting prices in US dollars (as of October 2026). Tap a tour for live availability and the current price in your currency.
Private day trip to both Summer Palaces
A private vehicle with hotel transfer, a licensed English-speaking guide, entry to the Summer Palace and the Old Summer Palace, an Imperial Canal boat ticket and a Peking duck lunch. Drinks and insurance are extra.
Check availability →
Summer Palace entry ticket with a reserved slot
Main or combined entry depending on the option. Entry works with your original passport or a QR code; a personal guide is not included.
Check availability →
Walking tour of the Summer Palace with a guide
An English-speaking guide and park entry, without the museums and Suzhou Street. Tips, transport, food, drinks and boat tickets are extra.
Check availability →Summer Palace tours and day trips
Guided visits, private tours and day trips that combine the Summer Palace with other Beijing sights.
Everything for your Summer Palace visit
One page for each question you are likely to have.
Tickets and the through ticket
The CNY 30 park ticket, the CNY 60 through ticket, reductions and booking with a passport.
Opening hours
Peak and off-peak seasons, last entry and the Monday closures of the inner areas.
Tours compared
Audio guides, guides at the gates, private tours and combination trips.
Kunming Lake and boats
Electric boats, ferry routes, the Seventeen-Arch Bridge and the winter ice.
The Long Corridor
728 metres of painted beams along the lakeshore.
The Marble Boat
A stone boat on the northwest shore, built in 1755.
Tower of Buddhist Incense
The octagonal tower on Longevity Hill and its extra ticket.
Suzhou Street
A canal street laid out as a market for the court.
History
Qianlong, the burnings of 1860 and 1900, and Cixi's rebuilding.
The Old Summer Palace
Yuanmingyuan, a separate ruins park with its own tickets.
Getting there
Metro Line 4, the gates, taxi and the Didi tip.
Best time to visit
Lotus in summer, autumn walks, winter ice and holiday weeks.
Beijing travel tips
Passport booking, paying by card or app, and visa-free rules.
What you can see
The park is built around a hill and a lake.
Longevity Hill and the tower
The Tower of Buddhist Incense stands on the hill above the lake. It is an octagonal tower with 3 floors and 4 roof eaves, and it needs an extra ticket.
Tower guide →The Long Corridor
A covered walkway of 728 meters along the lakeshore, with over 14,000 paintings on its beams. It is part of the normal park walk.
Corridor guide →The lake and its bridge
Kunming Lake has electric boats, ferries and the Seventeen-Arch Bridge from 1750. In some winters the ice opens for sleds.
Lake guide →The Marble Boat
A stone boat on the northwest shore, built in 1755 and rebuilt in 1893 after fire damage in 1860. It stands on the shore and does not float.
Marble Boat guide →Allow about half a day for the main walk. Start with the lake shore and the Long Corridor, then climb toward the tower if you want the view. If you add the inner areas and a boat, the visit becomes a full day. The history page explains why the buildings look the way they do, since most were rebuilt after 1860.
A few things to know before you plan
The points that most often change a plan.
Two different tickets
The park ticket (CNY 30 in the main season, CNY 20 in the off-season) covers the grounds. The through ticket (CNY 60 or CNY 50) adds the paid inner areas: the Garden of Virtue and Harmony, the Tower of Buddhist Incense, Suzhou Street and the Summer Palace Museum. Boats cost extra.
Ticket guide →The park is open on Mondays
There is no regular closing day for the park itself. The tower, the Garden of Virtue and Harmony, the museum and Suzhou Street are closed on Mondays, except on the holidays the park names.
Opening hours →Visitors aged 60 and over
Entry to the park is free from age 60, and that also applies to visitors with a foreign passport. Bring the passport. Extra areas are a separate question.
Reductions →Booking and entry
You can book with a passport on the park's WeChat account, from 1 to 7 days ahead, or buy at the service counter by the gates. Tickets are valid for the entry window you choose.
Practical tips →Beyond the Summer Palace
Other big Beijing sights have their own guides.
If you are also planning the imperial city in the center, read the guide to the Forbidden City. For the Great Wall, there is a separate guide to the Mutianyu section. This site stays with the Summer Palace and the Old Summer Palace next door.
Summer Palace: frequently asked questions
How much is a Summer Palace ticket?
In 2026 the park ticket costs CNY 30 from 1 April to 31 October and CNY 20 from 1 November to 31 March. The through ticket costs CNY 60 and CNY 50. See the ticket page for the extra areas and reductions.
How long should I plan?
Plan a half day for the lake shore, the Long Corridor and Longevity Hill. Add time for the inner areas and a boat. The park is large, and about three quarters of it is water, so distances between sights add up.
How do I get there?
Take Metro Line 4 to Beigongmen for the North Palace Gate, or to Xiyuan for the East Palace Gate. Line 16 also serves Xiyuan. The getting there page explains the gates.
Is the Summer Palace the same as the Old Summer Palace?
No. The Old Summer Palace, Yuanmingyuan, is a separate ruins park with its own tickets and hours. It is two metro stops from Beigongmen. See the Old Summer Palace page.
Is this the official Summer Palace website?
No. This is an independent travel guide with no link to the park administration, the Yuanmingyuan park, Beijing's tourism authorities or any tour operator.