✨Old summer palace ruins
by LanceLee
Feb 10, 2025
Chongyang Festival is the perfect time for climbing|Top autumn travel guide for the Old Summer Palace, enjoy the royal ruins in golden autumn for 200 yuan!
🌼On the Chongyang Festival, it's the perfect time to climb high and enjoy autumn! No need to travel far, come to the Old Summer Palace—a historic and poetic imperial garden. See ginkgo trees turning yellow, withered lotus listening to the rain, and maple leaves coloring the broken walls. Every step reveals a scene, a poetic autumn epic woven from history and nature.
💰Total budget: 200 yuan (light travel plan for two)
🚇Transportation: Metro Line 4, "Yuanmingyuan Station" Exit B direct access, round trip about 30 yuan
🎟️Tickets: 10 yuan per adult × 2 = 20 yuan (half price for students, free for seniors over 60! Perfect for family outings)
🎯Must-see highlights (within 400 words):
✔ Chongyang exclusive rituals:
- Climb the Lion Grove Rockery in Changchun Garden or the Immortal’s Dew Terrace in Qichun Garden, symbolizing "step by step rise," overlooking the picturesque autumn forest
- Follow the "Blessing, Longevity, Health, and Peace" themed route: check in at auspicious spots like the Sutra Hall and Clear Heart Hall to catch some festival luck
✔ Stunning autumn photo spots:
- Ginkgo Avenue (near East Gate): Hundreds of ancient trees shining golden, fallen leaves carpet the ground, best photo time 9:00-11:00
- Quyuan Wind Lotus: Withered lotus listening to the rain has a unique charm, paired with the distant silhouette of Western Hills, full of artistic conception
- Western Mansions Ruins: Watch the autumn light slanting through broken pillars and walls, a coexistence of history’s vicissitudes and vitality
📸Recommended outfit: Hanfu or plain long shirts, every snap is a masterpiece of traditional Chinese style!
🍽️Food & drink plan|Beijing snacks + warm refreshments:
✅Breakfast: Grab from convenience store before departure|Sandwich + hot soy milk = 30 yuan × 2 = 60 yuan
✅Lunch: "Songfeng Luoyue" teahouse inside the park
✔ Offers simple meals: Old Beijing fried sauce noodles + pumpkin porridge|35 yuan per person × 2 = 70 yuan
✅Afternoon tea: Bring your own osmanthus cake + buy a cup of hot goji berry and red date tea in the park (¥12)|Total 24 yuan
🎁Blogger Tips:
- Seniors over 60 get free admission on Chongyang Festival with ID, great for bringing elders along
- Electronic guide devices available for rent (¥20) to deeply understand the rise and fall of the garden
- Recommended route: enter from Southeast Gate → Ginkgo Avenue → Western Mansions → panoramic sand table → exit from North Gate, smooth and efficient
✨One sentence recommendation:
Climb high to admire autumn colors, step on leaves to listen to ancient and modern stories—this Chongyang, come to the Old Summer Palace and measure a warm piece of history with your footsteps.
Post by HenrikMortensen | Oct 23, 2025























