Independent travel guide
Old Summer Palace
圆明园遗址公园Yuánmíngyuán Yízhǐ Gōngyuán
The Old Summer Palace is a vast ruined garden system, not only the Western Mansions photographs. Start from the south with lake-and-garden scale, then end at the eastern stone ruins so the destruction is understood within the larger landscape.
Paid admission · Checked 2026-08-02
Verified ticket prices
Official pricesAdult ¥10; full pass ¥25
Main entrance
¥10Full passIncludes the European Palaces ruins and model exhibition.
¥25- No advance reservation is normally required; tickets are sold on site and through the official park channel.
- No qualifying admission-only or clearly admission-inclusive international-platform product was verified. Use the official channel.
Imported official ticket note
Old Summer Palace Ruins Park fees: adult admission ¥10; Western Mansions ruins area (including Dashuifa, the maze and the exhibition hall) adult ¥15; the Panorama Model of Old Summer Palace exhibition adult ¥10; through ticket (admission + Western Mansions + Panorama Model) adult ¥25. Monthly pass ¥15/month, annual pass ¥120/year. Channels: official WeChat mini-program / official WeChat account (Old Summer Palace Ruins Park) / official-site QR code / on-site window.
Research checked 2026-08-12Book ahead
How to book
Use the official visitor information first; foreign visitors can normally use a staffed window or visitor center with a passport.
Check several days ahead for weekends, holidays and peak seasons.
Booking steps
- 1
Open the official information and check whether advance booking is required for your date or exhibition.
- 2
If no advance-only notice appears, take the original passport to the staffed ticket window or visitor center.
- 3
Keep the booking message, ticket or receipt and present it with the same passport.
Original passport plus the official confirmation, QR code or on-site ticket.
Do not enter a made-up Chinese ID number. If the form blocks foreign documents or phone numbers, use the staffed route or contact the venue before departure.
Imported official reservation note
Walk-up tickets are normally available, but the park recommends buying online via the 'Old Summer Palace official ticketing mini-program', the official WeChat account (Old Summer Palace Ruins Park) or the official-site QR code (on holidays, buy online in advance to avoid queues/limits). Project records indicate 'passport-supported ticket purchase'; confirm the exact passport field in the mini-program before travelling.
Research checked 2026-08-123-4 hours (including the Western Mansions ruins area; about 1.5-2 hours for a quick pass with the admission ticket only)
How to visit
South Gate (Qichun Garden Palace Gate; about 3–5 minutes' walk from Exit B of Yuanmingyuan Station on Metro Line 4—farthest from the Western Mansions ruins but the easiest access). To focus on the Western Mansions, enter from the East Gate instead (near Qinghua West Road; taxi/bus accessible).
Finish near the east-side ruins exit or follow signs back to the metro side.
- 1Stop 1South Gate
Enter via Qichun Garden Palace Gate (Exit B, Yuanmingyuan Station, Metro Line 4); first see the Qichun Garden lakeside and the Zhengjue Temple area.
- 2Stop 2Zhengjue Temple
South-west corner of Qichun Garden; previously hosted the Horse-Head Bronze return exhibition—current opening status per on-site notice.
- 3Stop 3Jianbi Pavilion, Hanqiu Hall
Qichun Garden's core lake view—flowers in spring, foliage in autumn.
- 4Stop 4Western Mansions ruins area
North of Changchun Garden: Dashuifa, Haiyantang and the Yellow Maze are the core—must-see with the through ticket.
- 5Stop 5'Yuanmingyuan in Its Heyday' panorama-model exhibition
Exhibition hall inside the Western Mansions area, helping you understand the site's original grand layout.
- 6Stop 6Fuhai Lake shoreline
The park's largest water surface—take a boat or walk the shore, gazing toward the Western Hills.
- 7Stop 7Exit via the East Gate
Near Qinghua West Road/Qinghua west gate; return by bus or taxi, or walk back to the South Gate for the metro.
Best time
Weekdays 7:00–8:30 are quiet and cool; evenings (after 17:00) have good light and fewer visitors, but entry stops at 19:00 and the park closes at 21:00. Midday is scorching in summer; winter is windy—dress warmly.
Foreigner notes
Project records verify passport-supported ticket purchase. Both official online channels (mini-program/WeChat account) and on-site windows can sell tickets; foreign visitors can try the online channels with a passport or use the on-site window—follow the document options on the purchase page.
The online ticketing mini-program usually needs a WeChat account (overseas numbers can register WeChat). On-site window sales don't involve a phone number, and no rule requiring a mainland China phone number was found.
The official site lists no payment restrictions. Online purchases are mainly WeChat Pay; on-site windows usually accept cash/mobile payment (change availability per site); electric carts, boats and restaurants in the park are also mainly mobile-payment.
The official visitor notice offers an English version (Notice to Visitors). Key sites (Western Mansions ruins, Dashuifa) have bilingual signs and plaques. Talks are mainly Chinese; check the official 'audio tour' section.
Fuhai and the long internal axis establish the site's original scale, making the Western Mansions more meaningful than a standalone photo stop.
Avoid these mistakes
The admission ticket alone doesn't get you into the Western Mansions ruins. The Dashuifa fountain and Yellow Maze are inside the Western Mansions area and need a separate ¥15 ticket; buy the ¥25 through ticket to cover it all at once (admission + Western Mansions + the Panorama Model exhibition).
Brutal summer sun and windy winters with no shelter. The ruins area has almost no shade—bring water and sun protection in summer and avoid midday; in winter it's windy and cold, so check the forecast. In extreme weather the park officially adjusts opening/closing times.
Continue nearby
Summer PalaceHalf dayForbidden CityAbout 3.5–5 hours (half a day).Temple of Heaven Park2-3 hours (Beijing Tourism Network suggests 2 hours; existing project leads say 2-3 hours; allow 3 hours with the combined core-site ticket)Beijing seasonal itinerary guideBeijing itinerary and seasonal travel guide for a 4–5 days first visit.Beijing food guideIncludes spice, ingredient, allergen and ordering notes for independent travelers.Beijing Travel Guide & MapBeijing travel guide and interactive map for independent travelers.
Sources and evidence
Published by China Trip Primer · Read the editorial and verification methodology
Items to reconfirm
- The official homepage shows only current (summer) hours of 07:00–21:00; winter (Nov–Mar) hours aren't displayed directly, and the recorded 06:30–19:30 couldn't be confirmed on official pages. — Check the Old Summer Palace homepage hours or official WeChat notices before travelling.
- The passport document-field format in the ticketing mini-program hasn't been directly tested. — Try the document options in the official Old Summer Palace mini-program, or call 010-62543673.
- Whether Zhengjue Temple is open to the public and whether its ticket is listed separately depends on the on-site notice. — Check the Old Summer Palace 'News' section or on-site notices before travelling.
Official
OfficialPark map and recommended routesPublisher · Old Summer Palace
Used forGate choice, park map and ruins route
Verified 2026-07-29OfficialOld Summer Palace Ruins Park official homepage (opening/ticket sales, entry cut-off, closing times)Publisher · Yuanmingyuan Park AdministrationUsed forUsed to verify the imported ticketing, booking, opening-hours or visitor-guidance fields.
Verified 2026-08-12OfficialOld Summer Palace Ruins Park — tickets · prices (admission / Western Mansions / Panorama Model / through ticket / monthly & annual passes)Publisher · Yuanmingyuan Park AdministrationUsed forUsed to verify the imported ticketing, booking, opening-hours or visitor-guidance fields.
Verified 2026-08-12OfficialOld Summer Palace Ruins Park — tickets · buy online (official ticketing mini-program / WeChat account)Publisher · Yuanmingyuan Park AdministrationUsed forUsed to verify the imported ticketing, booking, opening-hours or visitor-guidance fields.
Verified 2026-08-12OfficialOld Summer Palace Ruins Park — visitor notice (Chinese & English, no-smoking / water & mountain areas / extreme-weather adjustments)Publisher · Yuanmingyuan Park AdministrationUsed forUsed to verify the imported ticketing, booking, opening-hours or visitor-guidance fields.
Verified 2026-08-12Venue-specific official pages are used where available. City-level official references provide context and are not booking confirmation; editorial and community sources are used only for route choices, pacing and first-hand experience.
圆明园遗址公园清华西路28号