Sight Haidian, Beijing
Summer Palace
A sight in Haidian, Beijing, budget-friendly ($) and worth about 3 hours. Best time to go: Morning.
Why go
Imperial lakeside retreat with the Long Corridor and Kunming Lake.
It is one of 10 curated places we feature in Beijing, alongside 3 sights, 2 places to eat and 2 outdoor spots. The closest of our other picks is Houhai Bar Street, 11 km away as the crow flies.
- Type
- Sight · Culture
- Neighborhood
- Haidian
- Price
- $
- Time needed
- 3 hr
- Best time
- Morning
Nearby
The 6 closest curated picks in Beijing, measured as straight-line distance.
- 1Houhai Bar Street
Lakeside bars with live music along the shore of Houhai.
Drinks · 11 km straight-line - 2Shichahai Hutongs
Old alleyways around Houhai and the Drum and Bell Towers, best by bike or rickshaw.
Activity · 11 km straight-line - 3Jingshan Park
Hill park directly north of the palace with a view over its golden roofs.
Outdoors · 13 km straight-line - 4Forbidden City (Palace Museum)
The Ming and Qing imperial palace, nearly a thousand buildings behind red walls.
Sight · 14 km straight-line - 5Guijie (Ghost Street)
Street of restaurants lit by red lanterns, known for spicy crayfish and hot pot late into the night.
Food · 14 km straight-line - 6Siji Minfu
Popular Peking duck chain carving crisp duck tableside at fair prices.
Food · 15 km straight-line
On these curated routes
Summer Palace is a stop on our Beijing, Xi'an & Shanghai route. Open it to see the full day-by-day plan.
More sights to see in Beijing
2 more curated sights in Beijing. See the full Beijing guide.
When to go
Average daily highs in Beijing run from 2°C in January to 33°C in July; July is usually the wettest month. For Summer Palace itself, we suggest: Morning.
Modelled monthly averages for Beijing from NASA POWER, not a forecast. Full Beijing weather by month.
Getting there
Map links open a live search for Summer Palace, so hours and directions come straight from the map app.
- Address
- Haidian District, China, 100091
- Coordinates
- 39.99998, 116.27546
- Destination
- Beijing, China
Summer Palace: quick answers
How much time do you need at Summer Palace?
Plan on about 3 hours at Summer Palace. That is our curated estimate for a typical visit; groups that linger will want more.
When is the best time to visit Summer Palace?
Our pick: Morning. Insider tip: Take a boat across the lake to save walking.
Where is Summer Palace?
Summer Palace is at Haidian District, China, 100091. The Google Maps and Apple Maps links on this page open it for directions.
Which TripsCircle routes include Summer Palace?
Summer Palace appears on Beijing, Xi'an & Shanghai, a curated route you can open on TripsCircle and plan with your group.
Add Summer Palace to your crew's plan
Save it to a shared TripsCircle itinerary, settle the timing with a quick poll, and split the costs with everyone going to Beijing.
Plan Beijing
- Beijing travel guide 10 places
- Best time to visit Beijing weather by month
- Beijing to Xi'an 905 km straight-line
Lists & regions
Also in Beijing
- Mutianyu Great Wall Outdoors
Curated recommendation, not live listing data. Confirm hours, prices, bookings and access before you go.