Summer Palace Entry Tickets with Audio Guide Beijing

The Summer Palace and Kunming Lake

The Summer Palace, Yiheyuan in Chinese, is the best-preserved imperial garden in Beijing. It covers about 290 hectares, roughly three quarters of them water, and centres on Longevity Hill and Kunming Lake. A garden first laid out in the 18th century was damaged in 1860 and rebuilt in the late 1880s and 1890s under Empress Dowager Cixi, and it was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1998.

Visitors wondering how to get to the Summer Palace can take Beijing Subway Line 4 to Beigongmen station, beside the north palace gate. The ticket options on this page cover entry only, boat combinations and group tours with transport, so choose one and check your date.

The Long Corridor, Longevity Hill and the Tower of Buddhist Incense

The Long Corridor is one of the highlights of a Summer Palace tour: a covered walkway of more than 700 metres along the lake, its beams painted with thousands of scenes from history, legend and landscape. It leads to the foot of Longevity Hill, where the Tower of Buddhist Incense (Foxiang Ge) rises above the palace on a stone terrace and the halls on the slope give some of the best views of Kunming Lake.

The Complete Entry Ticket, our default option, includes the Tower of Buddhist Incense area as well as the main gate. Climbing the hill takes some effort, so wear comfortable shoes and allow time for photographs of the lake and the pavilions.

Kunming Lake, the Marble Boat and the Seventeen-Arch Bridge

Kunming Lake is the heart of the garden. Its shores carry the Marble Boat, a stone pavilion in the shape of a boat, and the graceful Seventeen-Arch Bridge that links the shore to an island. Walking round the lake gives the calm, spacious feeling that the imperial court enjoyed in summer.

The combo option adds a one-way boat ride from Ziyu Bay Pier, outside the palace, on the waterway favoured by Empress Dowager Cixi; the ride takes about 30 to 40 minutes. The boat does not leave from inside the park: you go to the pier first, sail to the palace area and then enter with your ticket. The boat ride inside the park is not included in the other options.

Dehe Garden and the Summer Palace Museum

Dehe Garden, the Garden of Virtue and Harmony, is famous for its three-storey Grand Theatre, where Qing court operas were staged for the Empress Dowager. Close by, the Summer Palace Museum shows imperial objects, furniture and the history of the palace.

These areas are paid extras inside the park. They are included in the Complete Entry Ticket and the boat combo, but not in the Standard Entry Ticket, which covers the main gate only. That is the main difference between the entry options. Ticket-only guests should download the audio guide before entering and keep their phone charged for the day.

Choosing your option: entry tickets or a guided group tour

If you prefer to explore alone, choose an entry ticket and follow the English audio and PDF guide on your phone. If you want commentary and easier transport, our group tours include an English-speaking guide: the Summer Palace with a one-way city transfer (about 3 hours), the Summer Palace with the Temple of Heaven (about 8 hours) and the Summer Palace with the Forbidden City (a full day).

Every option is ticket-based or group-based; hotel pickup is not included in any of them. The booking panel on this page lists the options and shows the current price for each.