The Summer Palace blew me away. It is massive, with over 3,000 buildings stretched out over 700 acres. You cannot see the whole thing in a day, so pick your parts - plan on a full day here to see the parts that you'll want to see the most. We spent nearly 6 hours and still didn't get to see... more

In my opinion the best attraction in Beijing - I preferred it to the Forbidden City, Tianamen Square and the Temple of Heaven. The Summer palace is a lovely mix of parkland, gardens, buildings, lake and history. I was captivated by the beautiful paintings along the Long Gallery - 6 paintings on every 10 foot section of it's almost 800... more

The Summer Place After visiting the Forbidden City we thought it could not get better- well it did! The Summer Palace is quite beautiful. It is quite strenuous a walk but the palaces that have been restored are worth the exertion! The vistas are stunning with the a large part of Beijing in front of you- so do try to... more

The Summer Palace is slightly cooler than other Beijing attractions because it has many shaded areas and the lake provides a cooler breeze. The buildings are beautiful. We didn't have much history about the attraction, but there are some signs around the buildings. This was our first attraction in Beijing, so I did not buy souvenirs because I didn't know... more

I made the mistake of not telling my driver to drop me at the east gate. If you don't want to visit the lama temples, stopping at the north gate is not good. We have to walk extra 2 km one way to reach the east gate. Because of that, we don't have time for climbing up to fouxiangge as... more

You go to the Summer Palace for the lake and the park, because if you've already seen the Forbidden City and you're not that in to Chinese culture and history then the buildings won't blow you away. But the place is a beautiful way to get out of the city and spend 2 to 4 hours on a nice afternoon.... more

We enjoyed our day here very much and preferred it to the Forbidden City. It's a great balance between temples, palaces and the great outdoors. Go on a nice day and be prepared to spend most of the day. Bathrooms were clean and lots of places to eat. get the combination ticket. more

An absolute must for any trip to Beijing. This will happily occupy you for a full day. Beautiful grounds and extraordinary buildings. Try to take a trip on the lake although the winds coming off the mountains can close these down quite quickly. There really is something for everyone here. Our kids loved exploring all the nooks and crannies and... more

If you have time to burn in Beijing by all means go to the Summer Palace. It is a wonderful alternative to spending the day in much of dirty, polluted Beijing. The lake gardens especially to the south are not crowded and can be very relaxing (bring bug spray!). The buildings on the north side are well cared for and... more