Old Summer Palace (Yuanmingyuan)
圆明园遗址公园
The ruins of an imperial garden from the Qing dynasty. The broken columns of the Baroque-style Great Water Pavilion are a historical witness to the Old Summer Palace, once called the Garden of Gardens, which was burned down.
The Old Summer Palace is made up of three gardens: Yuanming, Changchun and Qichun. It was set on fire by British and French forces in 1860, and it is now a ruins park. Must-see sites include the Western-style palace ruins in the northern part of Changchun Garden, with the Great Water Pavilion and the broken columns of Yuanying Pavilion, as well as the Fanghai Lake and Nine Islands areas and the reconstructed Zhengjue Temple. The park is very large, so enter from the south or east gate and take the park boat or electric shuttle to save energy. The entrance fee is about 10 yuan, while the Western palace ruins and some other sites require separate tickets or a combined pass. You can schedule it on the same day as the Summer Palace and Tsinghua and Peking University. Metro Line 4 stops at Yuanmingyuan Station, which is right by the south gate.
Opening hours
Apr–Oct 07:00–19:00; Nov–Mar 07:00–17:30
Nearby sights
- Peking University
- Summer Palace
- Tsinghua University
- Beijing Zoo
- Beijing Planetarium
- Central Radio & TV Tower
- China National Botanical Garden (North) & Wofo Temple
- Yuyuantan Park