Beijing, China Travel Guide
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Summer Palace (Yíhé Yuán)
Summer Palace in Beijing
Overview: My personal favorite place to visit in Beijing, Beijing’s Summer Palace is an absolute must. About 9 miles northwest of Beijing’s city center, the Summer Palace is a palatial royal park that served as a favorite retreat for emperors. It is made up of thousands of structures, including Longevity Hill, Seventeen Arch Bridge, Long Corridor and the central Kunming Lake. The Kunming Lake makes up about 3 quarters of the Summer Palace.
Summer Palace lotus pond
A few standout things about the Summer Palace are the Seventeen Arch Bridge, which stretches to Nanhu Island, the Long Corridor and the boat ride to Nanhu Island. The Seventeen Arch Bridge leading over the Kunming Lake to the highly ornate Nanhu Island is dazzling. The Long Corridor runs parallel with the lake and runs from east to west – from the Gate of the Inviting Moon to Shizhang Pavilion. As a means of protection from the sun between the two buildings, the Long Corridor is now recorded as the longest corridor in the world .
Ticket to Summer Palace
Location: Haidian, Beijing
Website: www.summerpalace-china.com
Ph: 86 10 6288 1144
Cost: General Admission is 30 Yuan. A map of the Summer Palace is 10 Yuan. There are charges for certain towers, temples and art galleries. An all-inclusive ticket costs 60 Yuan.
Accessibility: The East Palace Gate is the main entrance to the Summer Palace and is also wheelchair accessible. The New Palace Gate is not handicap accessible. For the most part, the walkways along the Summer Palace are flat and wheelchair accessible. The Long Corridor is wheelchair friendly as well. The Seventeen Arch Bridge has a bit of a climb initially on either end. The climb is about 10 feet or less and then the bridge is gradual. Nanhu Island walkway around the island accessible. The bathrooms near the East Palace Gate and the small restaurants near the gate are also handicap accessible. Most of the towers and temples are not, unfortunately, wheelchair accessible as they consist of lots of steps.
Getting There: Cab it there for about 50 to 60 Yuan from the city center.