Beijing attraction guide
Summer Palace Tickets, Gates and Best Walking Route
颐和园
Plan a Summer Palace visit with the right ticket, passport purchase options, gate-by-gate route, opening-hour differences, and realistic walking time.
- Allow
- 3–5 hours
- Classic start
- East Palace Gate
- Metro option
- Line 4
- Bring
- Passport
The Summer Palace is a landscape, not a quick photo stop. Kunming Lake, Longevity Hill, the Long Corridor, palace courtyards, gardens, and separately ticketed areas are spread across a large site.
Your entrance gate determines whether the walk feels elegant or exhausting. Decide the route before ordering the ride, because East Palace Gate, North Palace Gate, and New Palace Gate lead to different first impressions.
Quick answer
Allow three to five hours. Use East Palace Gate for the classic palace-and-corridor route or North Palace Gate for a steeper start near Suzhou Street. The basic entrance ticket does not include every separately charged site; foreign visitors can use official online or staff-assisted on-site purchase routes.
Photo guide
What Summer Palace looks like
Kunming Lake shapes most routes through the Summer Palace
Photo: HoweyYuan. Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
A wide view across Kunming Lake
Photo: Gary Todd from Xinzheng, China. Wikimedia Commons · CC0
Kunming Lake in winter
Photo: Lucas Vandroux. Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0
Basic ticket or combined ticket?
The basic ticket covers the main park. The combined ticket also covers designated paid attractions such as major galleries, gardens, or tower areas listed by the park. If your priority is the lake, Long Corridor, and general landscape, basic entry may be enough. If you want a fuller first visit, compare the current combined-ticket inclusions.
Official guidance says foreign visitors may use their passport for booking and entry. A mainland phone number may be needed for some online workflows, but current Beijing 12345 guidance also describes staff-assisted ticket purchase at entrance service windows.
Pick a route before you pick a gate
- East Palace Gate: best for the classic palace courtyards, Long Corridor, and lakefront sequence.
- North Palace Gate: convenient from Beigongmen Station but starts near a hillier section.
- New Palace Gate: useful for the eastern lakefront and Seventeen-Arch Bridge.
- A one-way route saves energy; do not assume you must leave through the gate where you entered.
- Boat services are seasonal and weather-dependent, so treat them as a bonus rather than the only way back.
Do not confuse park hours with attraction hours
The outer park stays open longer than many buildings and separately charged areas. In the off-season, some interior attractions close on Mondays except public holidays. Plan the paid interiors first and the lakefront walk second.
On hot or crowded days, the distances around Kunming Lake add up quickly. Carry water, choose only one major hill climb, and leave extra time for the walk back to a useful gate.
A good half-day sequence
- Enter East Palace Gate and visit the main administrative and residential courtyards.
- Walk west through the Long Corridor.
- Choose either the Tower of Buddhist Incense climb or a flatter lakefront route.
- Continue toward the Marble Boat, then decide whether to exit north or retrace part of the corridor.
- Keep a Chinese screenshot of your chosen exit for the return DiDi pickup.
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Plan My Beijing TripFrequently asked questions
Can foreigners buy Summer Palace tickets without a Chinese phone number?
Current official Beijing guidance says foreign visitors can use a staff-assisted on-site service window with a passport if the online route does not accept their phone number.
Which Summer Palace gate is best?
East Palace Gate is the clearest start for a classic first visit. North Palace Gate is convenient by Line 4 but produces a different, hillier route.
How long do I need at the Summer Palace?
Three to five hours is realistic for the main landscape. A full loop of the lake or multiple paid interiors needs longer.
Official information used for this guide
Operational details last checked August 13, 2026. Tickets, hours, transport, closures, and passport workflows can change; confirm the final details with the venue.