18 Free Parks in Beijing You Must Visit
Taking a stroll in a park near your home in the evening or on weekends is a truly delightful thing. And if these parks are also free, that makes it even better. Today, we will introduce some parks in Beijing's urban area that are both beautiful and free. Go breathe some fresh air in your spare time!
1. Liuyin Park
Liuyin Park is located on Waiguan Xiejie outside Andingmen. The park's symbol is the evergreen willow, and it gets its name because the willows form shade in summer. Walking through it always gives you a feeling of traveling back in time - few are suited to worldly ways by nature, one's heart loves the hills.
Ticket price: Free
Opening hours: 6:00-21:00
Address: No. 8 Huangsi Dajie, Dongcheng District
Transport: Take Bus 113 or 123 and get off at Waiguan Xiejie Station to reach the park's north gate.
2. Binhe Park
Even in summer, strolling here does not make you feel the unbearable heat, making it a great place for outdoor exercise in summer. After renovation, it is even more alive with birdsong and flowers, presenting a beautiful scene of "clear waters winding around the city, light boats with sails moving."
Ticket price: Free
Opening hours: All day
Address: No. Jia 1 Guang'anmen Bei Jie, Xicheng District, Beijing
Transport: Take Bus 40, 50, or Yuntong 102 to Guang'anmen Bei, then walk 235 meters.
3. Rendinghu Park
Here you will find a garden environment with the charm of European formal courtyards. Marble reliefs show people the history of world gardens. The Garden of Eden is like a dream world. The gardens of ancient Rome, Egypt, and Babylon, Islamic courtyards, the Gardens of Versailles, Italian terraced gardens, and classical Chinese scenes such as Three Pools Mirroring the Moon are all taken in at a glance.
Ticket price: Free
Opening hours: 6:00 to 21:30
Address: No. 25 Liupukang Street, Ande Road, Xicheng District
Transport: Take Subway Line 8 to Andeli Bei Jie Station, then walk to reach the park's east gate.
4. Olympic Forest Park
Here there is not only the Olympic Forest Park with layered green peaks and lakes and mountains, but also Olympic venues that showcase top technology and green environmental concepts, as well as distinctive buildings and design details full of classical Chinese cultural charm. Friends living nearby can plan a run together!
Ticket price: Free
Opening hours: Peak season 6:00-21:00, off-season 7:00-19:00
Address: No. 15 Beichen East Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing
Transport: Take Subway Line 8 to Forest Park South Gate Station, exit from Exit B
5. Xinglong Park
Xinglong Park has many trees, dense shade and grass, birdsong and flowers, and is extremely quiet. The white marble bridge on the lake surface becomes a central landscape. On the west side of the lake is a waterside pavilion, on the southern peak is an octagonal double-eaved pavilion, and by the north lake is the Moon-Grasping Pavilion. The park also has more than 20,000 trees and shrubs of various kinds.
Ticket price: The park is free to enter, and amusement facilities are charged separately.
Opening hours: 5:00-22:00
Address: No. Jia 8 Xinglongzhuang, Gaobeidian Area, Chaoyang District, Beijing
Transport: Take Subway Batong Line to "Gaobeidian" Station, then walk to arrive.
6. Jiangfu Park
A rare wetland park in Beijing's urban area is Jiangfu Park. The wildflowers throughout the garden are beautiful and spectacular, with fragrance filling the air, and walking among them is especially pleasant. Wild ducks and small fish swim in the water, and it is said that in midsummer there will also be a pond full of lotus flowers.
Ticket price: Free
Opening hours: Winter: 6:00-20:30; Summer: 6:00-21:30
Address: Dongbajianfang Village, Jiangtai Area, Chaoyang District
Transport: Take Bus 503, 571, 659, 847, or 983 to Dongbajianfang Station.
7. Zizhuyuan
Here there are patches of bamboo forest, making it a good choice to cool off in summer. Wandering among the bamboo groves and walking around the river, the temperature is at least three to five degrees lower than on the street. In summer, the pond is full of lotus flowers, and boating here makes even the hot summer feel cool.
Ticket price: Free
Opening hours: Summer 6:00-21:00, quiet time 22:00; Winter: 6:00-20:00, quiet time 21:00.
Address: No. 35 Zhongguancun South Street, Haidian District, Beijing.
Transport: Take Bus 334, 347, 360 Express, 482, or Special 5 to Zizhuyuan Station and get off.
8. Beijing Yuquan Country Park
Yuquan Country Park borders the Summer Palace, a royal garden, to the east, looks toward Fragrant Hills to the west, connects to Yuquan Mountain to the north, and neighbors the Jin River to the south. Its natural scenery is beautiful and full of rustic charm. Based on famous poems about Fragrant Hills, Yuquan Mountain, and the Summer Palace, it is designed according to the mountain terrain and blends into the surrounding scenery, connected by landscape forest belts.
Ticket price: Free
Opening hours: All day
Address: Sijiqing Town, Haidian District
Transport: Take Bus 469 or 539 to Zhongwu Station, then walk west about 500 meters; or take Bus 698, 360, or 714 to Xiaotun and get off.
9. Beijing Gucheng Park
Gucheng Park was the first residential park built in Shijingshan District in 1981 and is known as the "flower of the building blocks." The flower and bonsai garden contains the king of flowers with more than twenty years of history: peonies and Chinese peonies complement each other with lattice windows and landscape walls, together forming a stunning scene.
Ticket price: Free
Opening hours: All day
Address: Gucheng South Road, Shijingshan District, Beijing
Transport: Bus routes: 325, 663, 472, 622.
10. Yongding River Leisure Park
The characteristic of Yongding River Forest Park is its vast land and sparse crowds - more trees and fewer people! The park has also transformed the former Shougang steel slag railway line into a sightseeing route, and introduced a sightseeing mini train and rail bikes.
Ticket price: Free
Opening hours: Winter: 7:00-18:00; Summer: 6:00-20:00
Address: Lianshi West Road, Shijingshan District (near Hedi Road)
Transport: Take Bus 327, 385, 951, 965, or Special 91 to "Yanshan Cement Plant" Station.
11. Shijingshan Sculpture Park
There are more than fifty sculptures in the park, scattered among pavilions, terraces, and waterside structures. Other buildings have almost no deliberate decoration, showing a unique beauty in which nature and sculpture art complement each other.
Ticket price: Free
Opening hours: All day
Address: Bajiao West Street, Shijingshan District, Beijing, north of Yinxing Baby Paradise
Transport: Bus 598 or 399 to Bajiao West Street Station; Bus 527, 597, 472, or 325 to Science and Technology Museum and get off.
12. Yuyuan
There are not many people in Yuyuan, so it feels very quiet and secluded. It resembles a Suzhou garden, but has fewer people than the Summer Palace and is more tranquil than Beihai Park. The buildings in the garden use a log style, very simple and natural.
Ticket price: Free
Opening hours: 6:00-18:00
Address: Yushuzhuang, Kandan South Road, Fengtai District
Transport: Take Subway Line 9 to Fengtai Dongdajie Station, exit from Exit C, cross to the opposite side of the road to Yongchangchang North Road East Entrance Station, take Bus 678 and get off at Renmincun Station; or take Subway Line 10 to Niwa Station, exit from Exit A2, and at Qianniwa Station on the north side of the road, take Bus 678 and get off at Renmincun Station.
13. Nanhaizi Country Park
Nanhaizi Park is one of Beijing's four major country parks and also the largest wetland park in Beijing. Its area is at least 10 times larger than Beihai Park. In the park, green waves ripple and elk gather in herds, making people linger and forget to leave...
Ticket price: Free
Opening hours: All day (Elk Park: 9:00-16:00, closed on Mondays except statutory holidays)
Address: Gongyuan South Ring Road, Daxing District, Beijing
Transport: Take Subway Yizhuang Line to Jiugong East Station, transfer to Bus 953 and get off at Zhongxingzhuang, then walk about 832 meters to Nanhaizi Park South Gate.
14. Shahe Reservoir
Shahe Reservoir is a paradise for photography enthusiasts, also known as "Drunken Lake." The entire lake area is more than 20 square kilometers. The tranquil water surface has different scenery with the changing seasons. In the evening, the afterglow of the setting sun falls on the water - truly beautiful.
Ticket price: Free
Opening hours: All day
Address: Shahe Town, Changping District (roughly about 10 kilometers due north of Huilongguan Community)
Transport: Take Bus 557 or Special 50 to Xiaoshahe Village Bus Terminal and get off.
15. Lafayette Castle Park
The buildings of Lafayette Castle Park are all in European style. The 5-kilometer waterway around the castle and the park roads are all set within greenery, making it a great place for photos. There are also activities such as hot springs and golf.
Ticket price: Free. However, only visiting Lafayette Castle Park is free; accommodation and entertainment fees are based on the actual prices within the hotel.
Opening hours: All day
Address: South side of Beiqijia Town Government, Changping District
Transport: Take Subway Line 5 to Tiantongyuan North Station, transfer to Bus 860 and get off at Caonian Station, then walk to arrive.
16. Hanshiqiao Wetland Park
Hanshiqiao Wetland is the only existing large reed marsh wetland in Beijing and a habitat for many rare waterfowl. Large areas of reeds grow here, and it has the nicknames "Great Reed Marsh East of Beijing" and "Little Baiyangdian" of the Beijing suburbs.
Ticket price: Free
Opening hours: 7:00-19:00
Address: No. 59 Lingshi, Muyan Road, Yangzhen Area, Shunyi District
Transport: Take Bus 918 at Dongzhimen, get off at Yangzhen Sanjie, and take a taxi to go there.
17. Changyang Park
Changyang Park is a particularly good place for running, strolling, and sunbathing. The park's landscaping is especially well done. Because pets are not allowed inside, even the grass in the park is spotless.
Ticket price: Free
Opening hours: All day
Address: Junliuzhuang, within the central town area of Changyang Town, Fangshan District
Transport: Take Subway Fangshan Line to Libafang Station, transfer to Bus Fang 2, get off at Libafang and walk to the park's north gate.
18. Grand Canal Forest Park
Along the two banks of the 8.6-kilometer Grand Canal, more than 430,000 plants of various flower types bloom one after another in brilliant colors! Grand Canal Forest Park currently has one river, two banks, six major scenic areas, and eighteen scenic spots. In the future, this place may be developed into a 5A-level scenic area.
Ticket price: The park is free to enter, and some amusement facilities inside the park are charged separately.
Opening hours: All day
Address: Southern section of Songliang Road, Tongzhou District
Transport: Take a bus to Zhangxinzhuang East Entrance Station and get off, then walk to arrive.