In Beijing's winter, if there is anything more worth looking forward to than snow, it must be ice skating. When standing on the ice, you become the most shining star, free, happy, full of speed and passion. Beijing's outdoor ice rinks are the most unmissable places in winter.
1. Shichahai Ice Rink
Speaking of ice skating in Beijing in winter, the most distinctive and impressive one is undoubtedly the Shichahai Ice Rink. Shichahai Ice Rink is the most famous outdoor ice rink in Beijing, located in the northwest corner of Beijing, with very convenient transportation. It is a traditional scenic area with old Beijing characteristics that retains the original folk culture of the inner city of Beijing. In winter, it becomes a natural ice rink.
Shichahai Ice Rink has a very rich entertainment program, including ice carts, ice skates, ice bicycles, ice motorcycles, children's playgrounds, etc. Friends who can skate can skate freely on Shichahai with just a pair of ice skates, and those who cannot skate can have fun on ice carts.
Address: No. 23 Yangfang Hutong, Xicheng, Beijing
Transportation: Take bus No. 13, 42, 107, 111, 118, 701, 810, 823, or 850 and get off at Beihai North Gate.
2. Beihai Park Ice Rink
As the first outdoor ice rink opened in municipal parks, the area of Beihai Park Ice Rink has doubled this year compared to last year, reaching 20,000 square meters.
According to historical records, as the "Winter Palace," Beihai Park was once an important venue for the "national custom" ice play performances in the Qing Dynasty. Empress Dowager Cixi, Emperor Guangxu, and other Qing emperors and empresses came to Beihai in winter to enjoy the ice play performances and the winter fun.
Beihai Ice Rink is divided into four areas according to the projects, including a mixed area of ice bicycles and ice carts, an ice skate area, a bumper car area, and a drift car area. In order to meet the diverse needs of ice entertainment for the general public and tourists, the ice rink is equipped with a variety of entertainment facilities, including cartoon ice carts, traditional ice carts, ice bicycles, and ice bumper cars.
Opening hours: 9:00-17:00
Address: No. 1 Wenjinjie(St), Xicheng, Beijing
Transportation: Take bus No. 5, 101, 103, 13, 42, 107, 111, 118, 109, 124, 609, 685, 614, 619, 701, 623 or subway line 6 and get off at Beihaibei Station.
3. Taoranting Park
Taoranting is a famous pavilion in the Qing Dynasty and one of the four famous pavilions in China. In the 34th year of the Kangxi reign of the Qing Dynasty (1695), Jiang Zao, the supervisor of the kiln factory, created this pavilion in the Cibei Temple and took the poetic meaning of Bai Juyi, a Tang Dynasty poet, "waiting for the chrysanthemum to turn yellow and the wine to mature, let's get drunk together and be carefree." This is also the origin of the park's name.
The Taoranting Park Ice Rink is now officially open to visitors, divided into the East Lake Ice Rink and the West Lake Ice Rink, including five areas: ice cart activity area, ice bumper car activity area, ice skating activity area, ice bicycle activity area, and ice slide activity area.
Address: No. 9 Taipingjie(St), Xuanwu District, Beijing
Transportation: Take subway line 4 to Taoranting Station Exit C; take bus routes 14, 70, 106, 102, 40, 613, special 5, 66, 343, 603, special 3, Yuntong 102, Yuntong 202, 53, 122, 800, 927 extended line, 958, 59.
4. Zizhuyuan Park Ice Rink
Zizhuyuan Park boasts bamboo scenery and is dedicated to the promotion of bamboo culture. The park's design is exquisite and its layout is novel. The artificial hills and water features are designed to look natural, with carefully placed rocks and pavilions, corridors, pavilions, and halls arranged in a scattered manner. Bamboo and flowers are cleverly arranged among them, making it a picturesque sight all year round.
In winter, Zizhuyuan Park opens two ice rinks on the north and south lakes, with a speed skating rink, practice rink, ice hockey rink, and various ice activities such as bicycles, electric bumper cars, large ice slides, small ice carts, ice skating, and ice hockey, making it an ideal place for families to play.
Address: No. 35 Zhongguancun Nandajie(St), Haidian, Beijing
Transportation: Take subway line 4 to National Library Station Exit D and walk south for 200 meters; take bus routes 114, 300, 323, 334, 374, 811, 814, 817 to Baishiqiao Station.
5. Zhongshan Park
The Houhe Ice Rink in Zhongshan Park is located on Chang'anjie(Ave). The Houhe Ice Rink in Zhongshan Park covers an area of about 8,400 square meters. It is divided into ice cart area, practice area, speed skating area, ice hockey competition area, and children's practice area. To facilitate visitors, the ice rink also provides services such as sharpening ice skates, renting ice skates, and cold and hot drinks. The surrounding area is dominated by red wall corner towers, which overshadow the nearby Forbidden City, giving it a royal feel. If you choose to visit Beijing in winter, after visiting the Forbidden City, you may want to come here and experience a winter game of Beijing locals.
Opening hours: From the end of December to early February of the following year (subject to the actual opening time of the park)
Early session: 8:30-11:00, evening session: 18:00-20:30;
Midday sessions are added during holidays, from 13:30 to 16:00.
Address: Zhongshan Park, Chang'anjie(Ave), Xicheng, Beijing
Transportation: Bus: Take bus routes 10, 1, 22, 37, 52, 5, 728, 802, special 1, special 2 to Tian'anmenxi and walk 300 meters; take special 1, special 2 to the west gate of Zhongshan Park and walk 350 meters, or take subway line to Tiananmen Station or Tiananmenxi Station.
6. The Summer Palace Ice Rink
The Summer Palace Ice Rink is the largest natural ice rink in the urban area of Beijing. Standing on Kunming Lake, the view is wide and the sky is blue and the ice is green. You can see the Wanshou Mountain, the Fuxiang Pavilion, the Seventeen-Arch Bridge, and the West Dam from a 360-degree view.
This year's Summer Palace Ice Rink is divided into two areas: the main Kunming Lake area and the ice slide area on the West Dam. Visitors can exercise and have fun on the ice surface in the designated area, experiencing the unique charm of the royal garden ice and snow world.
All ice activities in the Summer Palace are mainly focused on fitness and entertainment, suitable for teenagers and children to participate in. There are 10 ice entertainment projects, including single-person sleds, double-person sleds, ice bicycles, electric bumper cars, electric ice boats, electric ice dogs, electric scooters, ice slides, and speed skating.
Opening hours: 8:30-16:30
Address: No. 19 Xinjian Gongmen Lu(Rd), Haidian, Beijing
Transportation: Take Subway Line 4 and get off at Beigongmen Station (North Gate), or get off at Xiyuan Station and walk 500 meters westward along Tongqingjie(St) to reach the East Gate (main entrance) of the Summer Palace.
7. Beijing Botanical Garden
The ice rink in the botanical garden is not built on a frozen lake surface, but is formed by artificially watering the rose garden bed area. That is to say, the area under the ice surface is not a lake, but solid ground. In terms of safety, even if the ice surface cracks, visitors do not have to worry about falling through.
The ice layer thickness of the botanical garden ice rink is 20-30 cm. Due to the consumption caused by visitors playing during the day and the sun shining, the park will water the ice surface every night and then level it after the water freezes into ice.
It is also quite interesting to experience the old Beijing ice and snow culture in the Beijing Botanical Garden. Here, you can enjoy traditional winter activities such as sleds, single-person ice rings, ice rollers, and speed skating, as well as park activities such as snow CS, polar science popularization, and ice bumper cars, which can meet the ice-playing needs of different people.
Address: Xiangshan Wofosi Lu(Rd), Haidian, Beijing
Transportation: Take bus 505, 331, 563, 696, Yuntong 112, 360 slow, 360 fast, 318, 714, or 698; take Metro Line 1 to Gu Cheng Station and transfer to bus 318, or take Subway Line 2 to Xizhimen Station and transfer to bus 563; take Subway Line 2 to Xizhimen Station and transfer to 360 slow or bus 563 at Exit D.
8. Old Summer Palace
The Old Summer Palace Ice Rink was the first to launch the Royal Ice and Snow Festival. If you want to experience the fun of the Royal Winter Games, you can also visit the Old Summer Palace. In addition to skating, there are also wonderful performances by the Royal Circus and non-heritage display performances in previous years, making it a good choice.
In addition to visiting the royal garden, you can also go skating. In the Old Summer Palace, there is a lot of water and trees. When winter comes, the silver is wrapped in white, and the ice surface is like a mirror. Many tourists come here to enjoy the snow and go skating.
Address: No.28 Qinghua Xilu(Rd), Haidian, Beijing, inside Yuanmingyuan Park.
Transportation: Get off at Yuanmingyuan Station on Subway Line 4; Bus routes 331, 365, 429, 432, 438, 498, 508, 549, 562, 579, 594, 601, 614, 664, 681, 699, 717, 982, Special Bus 4, Special Bus 18, Special Bus 19, Yuntong 105, Yuntong 124, Yuntong 126.
9. Yuyuantan Park
Yuyuantan Park holds an annual ice and snow festival, which takes place on the northwest side of the south gate bridge of the park, covering an area of about 20,000 square meters. During the festival, visitors who love ice sports can play snow flying discs, snow rolling balls, snow real-life CS games, and also watch polar animals, appreciate the ice and snow culture, and experience the fun of the ice and snow world.
The Yuyuantan Park ice rink has three natural ice skating rinks located in the lotus pond at the south gate, the south gate pier, and the east gate pier, with a large space.
Address: Yuyuantan Park, Haidian, Beijing.
Transportation: Take public transportation/subway, get off at Military Museum Station or China Millennium Monument, and walk to the west side of the south gate of Yuyuantan.
10. Peking University Weiming Hu(Lake)
Few Peking University students have not skated on Weiming Hu(Lake), and the Weiming Hu(Lake ice rink was already a scenic spot in the western suburbs of Haidian when it was still Yanjing University.
The Weiming Hu(Lake) ice rink at Peking University is the closest natural ice rink to Zhongguancun, with a skating period of about 30 days each year. Friends who love skating can come to the Peking University ice rink with their families and friends for leisure, immerse themselves in the cultural atmosphere of the university campus, appreciate the beauty of nature, and take photos and write inspirational stories, suitable for "little literati".
Address: No.5 Yiheyuan Road, Haidian, Beijing, Peking University.
Transportation: Take Subway Line 4 to Peking University East Gate Station; Bus routes 307, 355, 498, 549 to Zhongguanyuan Station.
