Beijing Summer Palace Ticket: Full Access & Tower Views

Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/12

Duration2h–6h

GroupUp to 15

Mobile ticketAccepted

The 728-Meter Long Corridor Waits at Your Own Pace

You get self-guided entry to Beijing's Summer Palace with a digital QR code, flexible timing, and your choice of Standard access or All-Inclusive coverage of the Tower of Buddhist Incense, opera house, and market street. No guide, no transport, no meals—just the ticket and the garden. Decide between the two options before booking.

2h–6h

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Summer Palace and main attractions

Enter Summer Palace main gate
Visit Tower of Buddhist Incense
Walk along the Long Corridor
Explore Suzhou Market Street
Visit Garden of Virtuous Harmony

The Experience

The Long Corridor stretches 728 meters along Kunming Lake's northern shore, and you walk it alone—no group, no schedule, no one telling you when to stop. This is what a Summer Palace ticket gives you: entry to Beijing's UNESCO World Heritage garden on your terms, with two options depending on how deep you want to go. The Standard Main Gate Ticket opens the core areas—the gardens, the lake itself, the Marble Boat, the corridor. The Combined Full Access Ticket adds four more paid inner attractions: the Tower of Buddhist Incense, the Garden of Virtuous Harmony, Suzhou Street, and the Wenchang Gallery. Both come as a digital QR code you scan at the gate, no paper, no waiting in line.

The Tower of Buddhist Incense is the landmark most people come for. It sits on Longevity Hill, three stories tall and octagonal, and you can climb it. Inside is a 5-meter bronze Thousand-Hand Guanyin cast during the Ming Dynasty. From the top, Kunming Lake spreads out below you—the whole palace complex visible at once. If you skip the tower, you still get the Long Corridor, which is itself a world heritage site: 14,000 painted panels running the length of the shore, each one a different scene. It's a covered walkway, so rain doesn't stop you. The Suzhou Street is stranger—a replica of an 18th-century waterside market built inside the palace so the emperor could see a bustling town without leaving. You can walk the banks or take a short boat ride on the canal. The Garden of Virtuous Harmony was Cixi's private theater district, centered on a three-story opera house with underground wells and pulley systems for effects.

You need to decide which ticket before you book. The Standard option costs less and covers what most first-time visitors want. The Combined ticket is worth it if you're spending more than two hours and want to see the tower and the opera house—those two alone justify the upgrade. There's no guide, no transportation included, and no meals. You arrive however you want (public transport is nearby), walk at your own speed, and leave when you're done. The site is wheelchair accessible, and strollers work on the main paths. The QR code entry means you skip the ticket booth entirely—just scan and go.

What’s included

Admission ticket (Standard or Combined option).
digital QR code entry.
advance reservation confirmation.
access to main gardens, Kunming Lake, Long Corridor, and Marble Boat.
with Combined ticket: Tower of Buddhist Incense, Garden of Virtuous Harmony, Suzhou Street, and Wenchang Gallery.

Good to know

Easy physical levelWheelchair accessibleAccessible transportStroller friendlyPublic transport nearby

Operated by NextStop Travel

Is this one for you?Right for anyone who wants to explore the Summer Palace without a guide or group schedule—you move at your own pace and skip the entry-line wait by scanning your QR code at the gate. Choose the Combined ticket if you want the tower views and opera house; the Standard ticket covers the Long Corridor and lake in less time and at lower cost.