Intro：Spring in Beijing always sneaks up, and before you know it it’ll be gone again. It usually feels like as soon as we take off our winter coats the heat of summer is already here. Spring is really a wonderful time in Beijing (no matter how short it may be) so why not take advantage of the nice weather to get outside? Want to know the best places for a day out in Beijing？Follow us and we’ll show you the nicest places in Beijing in April-places that offer the very best of spring…

Keywords： Flowers, boating, bird watching, tree planting, hill climbing, fruit picking, museums

It’s Blooming Time- See Beijing’s Most Beautiful Flowers

It is said that spring flowers and the autumn moon are the most beautiful sights a person can see. Flowers are the messenger and protagonist of spring. Right now flowers all over Beijing are beginning to bloom, with yearly highlights being the Yuyuantan Cherry Blossom Festival and the Botanical Garden Peach Blossom Festival.

Recommendation 1：Yuyuantan Park—Admire the Cherry Blossoms

“Yesterday’s snowflakes are like flowers, while today’s flowers resemble snowflakes. A mountain cherry is like a young beauty, its roots will easily fade.”This poem introduces the brevity and beauty of cherry blossoms. April is the best time of the year to visit Yuyuantan to see cherries. You might take advantage of the Qingming Festival holiday to take your family, kids or friends here. If you can’t find anyone to go during the Qingming Festival, why not make time on the weekend before the best blooming period is over?

Yuyuantan’s 2013 Cherry Blossom Festival started on March 23 and is expected to continue until the end of April. From now through April, nearly 2000 plants of more than 20 varieties of cherries will bloom. Apart from this，the park has more than 30,000 strains of geraniums, pansies and chrysanthemums as well as last fall’s newly planted tulips. More than 20,000 strains of daffodils and other flower bulbs will also greet visitors. Different areas of the park will bloom at different times, depending on the flowers.

Yuyuantan Park also has around 300 boats of different styles which visitors can rent for a leisurely paddle around the lake.

Yuyuantan Cherry Blossom Viewing Information

Best viewing period：End of March-End of April

Hours：March：6:30-19:00 April：6:00-20:30

Tickets：Normal tickets 10 RMB，Half Price 5RMB，year passes、seasonal passes、monthly passes、seniors with ID get discounts，but not on weekends or holidays(Qingming Festival on April 4-6) 9:00-16:00

Address：Beijing Haidian District, Xisanhuan Zhonglu No. 10(across from the Central TV tower)

Phone：010-88653800

Transportation：

South Gate：Bus 1、4 to Daliang Chang’anjie，or the subway to Junbo station，then the Shijitan North Entrance

North Gate：Bus 121、846、37 to Mashenmiao or Baiduzi stop

West Gate：Bus 300、323、374，or Te 8 （South to North：Bayihubei stop，North to South：Fuchenglu stop）

East Gate：Bus 320、114(trolleybus)、717、727 to Yuyuantan stop

Recommendation Two：See Peach Blossoms at the Botanical Garden

The Beijing Botanical Garden is one of the country’s top gardens for the cultivating and viewing of peach varieties. Every spring you can see over 10,000 blossoms of 70 kinds of peaches here, including crimson peaches, longevity peaches and chrysanthemum peaches. The beautiful blossoming peach flowers of every color are sure to enchant visitors.

The Beijing Botanical Garden’s annual Peach Blossom Festival is one of the top spring destinations for enjoying flowers. Peach blossoms are a symbol of love, and in the reawakening of early spring it’s a nice place to take your sweetheart.

After the spring equinox, the garden’s early magnolia blossoms and hickories are already in bloom as well as the flowers at the Reclining Buddha Temple and those north of the Science Building.

Botanical Garden Visitor Information

Best visiting time：End of March-Beginning of May

The 25th Peach Blossom Festival：March 28- May 5,

Tickets：Main gate：5 RMB（students 2.5 RMB）；Big Greenhouse：50RMB（students 40RMB）；Reclining Buddha Temple：5RMB；Through ticket：50RMB（Students 40 RMB）

Open hours：Botanical Garden：6:00-20:00 Greenhouses：8:00-16:30 Reclining Buddha Temple：8:00-16:00 Cao Xueqin Memorial Hall：8:30-16:30

Address：Haidian District Xiangshan Wofosi Road

Phone：010-62591561-3644

Transportation：1、Bus 331、563、696、Yuntong 112 to Beijing Zhiwuyuan stop,to or Wofosi stop，or Bus 360、318、714、698 to Zhiwuyuan stop then walk north 200 meters；

2、Subway Line 1 to Pingguoyuan station then Bus 318，Subway Line 2 to Xizhimen station Exit D then Bus 563；

Driving Directions

Fifth Ring Road：Take the Xiangshan exit，at the Xiangquan roundabout head towards Xiangshan 300 meters. Fourth Ring Road：At the Xiangshan exit，drive towards Xiangshan for about 10 minutes.Third Ring Road：At Suzhouqiao exit go north and take Wanquanhe Highway，then take the North Fifth Ring Road.

Tips：

1. The weather in Beijing can change quickly，so take a jacket and an umbrella

2. If you’re visiting Beijing in spring, understand that you may encounter sandstorms. Beijing is prone to sandstorms from mid-April to early June, but in recent years the environment has improved, so the storms occur less frequently. If they do occur it does not affect normal work and life, so there is no need to take protective gear.