Summer Palace Beijing: Ticket & Optional Guided Tour

The 728-Meter Corridor That Took 14,000 Paintings to Complete

You get entrance to the Summer Palace and the choice to explore solo or join a small group with a guide. Either way, you'll walk the Long Corridor with its thousands of paintings, see the Empress Dowager's quarters overlooking Kunming Lake, and move through a garden that's been rebuilt and refined over centuries. Book with your full name, passport number and birth date. Send a scan of your passport front page when you confirm.

Step-by-step itinerary

Explore Summer Palace highlights

• Visit government affairs building
• See Kunming Lake and surroundings
• Tour Empress Dowager Cixi's quarters
• Walk along the Long Corridor

The experience

The Long Corridor stops you cold the first time you walk it. Seven hundred and twenty-eight meters of covered walkway, beams and ceilings packed with over 14,000 hand-painted scenes: horses, birds, flowers, stories from Chinese history and mythology layered so densely you could spend an hour on a single section and still miss half of it. That's just one part of the Summer Palace in Beijing, the imperial garden that used to belong to emperors during the Qing Dynasty. The whole place sits on Kunming Lake, which takes up about 75 percent of the park and was expanded using 10,000 laborers under the Qianlong Emperor. They dug out the ground and used it to raise Longevity Hill around it.

You can book just the entrance ticket and wander through on your own, or add a guide who meets you at a fixed point and takes you through as a group. Either way, you're walking the same grounds where the Empress Dowager Cixi lived in a large complex facing the lake, with Longevity Hill at its back. The buildings themselves have their own story. The palace was built in 1750, burned down in 1860 by English and French troops, then rebuilt in 1888 by Cixi herself. So what you're standing in front of is a reconstruction, but the scale and the detail are real, and the paintings on that corridor aren't new either.

If you go with a guide, the group stays small and the tour is in the language you request when you book. Without a guide, you're exploring at your own pace, which means you can linger on the paintings or skip ahead to Kunming Lake if that's what draws you. Public transportation gets you there without needing a car. The ticket itself is entrance only, not a combo with other sites, so you know exactly what you're paying for.

What’s included

• Your booking includes entrance to the Summer Palace.
• If you choose the guided option, a group guide in your requested language is included.
• The ticket is entrance only and does not include transportation, meals, or access to other attractions.
• Public transportation is available to reach the site.

Options for this experience

3 options

Summer Palace Ticket onlyGuide in English · 09:00 and 13:00Summer Palace entrance only. This is not a combo ticket and covers only Summer Palace admission. The booking does not include pickup or a guide. Entry is allowed from 7:30 am to 6:00 pm. Pickup is included.

Summer Palace group tourGuide in English · 6 departure times: the first at 12:00, the last at 14:30Includes pickup

Summer Palace Group TourGuide in English · 08:00 and 15:30Lasts 2 hours. You meet the guide at the east palace gate, under the lion, at the set time. Includes pickup.

You'll see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates and prices

Before you book

Days and timesEvery day9 departure times: the first at 08:00, the last at 15:30

Book up to12h before

AgesAdult (9 to 60 years) · Child (4 to 8 years) · Infant (under 4): free

GroupUp to 15

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.You can choose from 2 pickup points.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated 2 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortPublic transport nearby

Operated by Catherine Lu Tours

Is this one for you?Pick this if you want to see the Summer Palace without arranging transport or timing yourself: the entrance ticket removes the logistics, and the optional guide lets you choose between exploring alone or learning the history as you walk.

Traveler reviews

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (4 to 8 years); Infant (under 4): free.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

Do I need a guide or can I explore the Summer Palace on my own?

Both options are available. You can book just the entrance ticket and explore at your own pace, or add a guided group tour with a guide who meets you at a fixed meeting point.

What's included in the ticket?

Entrance to the Summer Palace. The ticket is entrance only, not a combo ticket with other attractions. If you choose the guided option, the guide is included. Pickup is not.

How long is the Long Corridor?

728 meters. The walkway has 4 octagonal gazebos representing the four seasons and is decorated with over 14,000 paintings of scenes from Chinese history, literature, mythology, and nature.

What language is the guide available in?

You can request your preferred language when you book. Mention it in your booking notes.

How do I get to the Summer Palace?

Public transportation options are available nearby. The ticket does not include pickup or transport.

What do I need to provide to book?

Full name, passport number, and birth date for all participants. Send a scanned copy of your passport front page when you confirm your booking.

Is the Summer Palace suitable for all fitness levels?

Yes, it's suitable for all physical fitness levels. You can move at your own pace, whether guided or self-guided.

When was the Summer Palace built?

The original palace was built in 1750, destroyed in 1860, and rebuilt in 1888 by the Empress Dowager Cixi.