Beihai Park is one of the oldest, largest and best-preserved imperial gardens in the world — a thousand-year-old royal pleasure ground laid out around a shimmering lake, just northwest of the Forbidden City. Its centrepiece, the brilliant white Tibetan-style dagoba crowning Jade Island, is one of Beijing’s most beloved landmarks, and the lake that fills more than half the park makes it the city’s favourite spot for a leisurely boat ride. As of 2026, park admission is a modest ¥10 in peak season (¥5 off-season), with the all-access “through ticket” at ¥20, and the park keeps long hours — open as late as 10:00pm in summer. After the intensity of the great palaces, Beihai is where Beijing exhales.
Beihai (the name means “Northern Sea”) sits at the heart of the imperial city, a short walk from both the Forbidden City and Jingshan, which makes it the natural relaxed counterpart to a heavy day of monuments. This guide covers the White Dagoba and Jade Island, the rare Nine-Dragon Wall, boat rentals on the lake, the thousand-year history, the best time to visit, and how it links to the surrounding imperial sights. If you want beauty without exhaustion, this is the park for you.
Beihai Park at a glance
- Park admission: ¥10 peak (Apr–Oct), ¥5 off-season (Nov–Mar).
- Through ticket: ¥20 — adds Jade Island/Qiongdao (¥10) and the Round City (¥1).
- Hours: 6:00am–10:00pm in summer (Jun–Aug); 6:00am–9:00pm Apr–May & Sep–Oct; 6:30am–8:00pm Nov–Mar.
- Boats: rowboats, pedal boats and electric boats from around ¥100–200 per hour plus deposit; 10 piers, hundreds of boats.
- Don’t miss: the White Dagoba, the Nine-Dragon Wall, the Round City, and a boat ride at dusk.
- Nearest metro: Line 6 to Beihai North (Beihaibei) for the north gate.
- Time needed: 2 hours for the highlights; a half day to do it justice.
- Best for: a relaxed afternoon, families, couples, photographers, lotus season in summer.
The White Dagoba and Jade Island
The image everyone carries away from Beihai is the White Dagoba, a 36-metre Tibetan-style Buddhist stupa that has crowned Jade Island (Qiongdao) in the middle of the lake since 1651, when it was built to mark the visit of the Dalai Lama during the early Qing dynasty. Its smooth white bell shape against the blue lake and sky is unmistakable, and climbing Jade Island to its base rewards you with a fine panorama across the water to the Forbidden City and Jingshan beyond.
You reach Jade Island by a bridge from the south or east gates, or — much more fun — by pleasure boat across the lake. The island’s slopes are laced with winding paths, pavilions, grottoes and the lovely Yong’an Temple climbing toward the dagoba, plus a long covered gallery along the northern shore. Give yourself time to wander; this is the green heart of the park.
The Nine-Dragon Wall
On the lake’s northern shore stands one of Beihai’s hidden treasures: a magnificent Nine-Dragon Wall, one of only three surviving in all of China. Built in 1756 from glazed coloured tiles, it stretches nearly 26 metres long and 6.5 metres high, with nine writhing dragons on each side — and, counting the smaller dragons worked into the ridges and ends, some 32 in total. The colours are astonishingly vivid even after two and a half centuries. It’s easy to walk past if you don’t know to look for it, so make a point of seeking it out near the north shore. Nine-dragon walls were imperial symbols; this freestanding double-sided example is the finest you can see in Beijing.
The Round City and other corners
Near the south gate, the Round City (Tuancheng) is a small circular walled compound — almost a miniature castle — that predates much of the park and holds a celebrated giant jade wine bowl from the Yuan dynasty and a beautiful white-jade Buddha. It’s a one-yuan add-on and easily missed, but worth the few minutes. Elsewhere, look for the Five-Dragon Pavilions strung along the northwest shore, the tranquil Painted Boat Studio garden, and the lotus beds that fill the lake’s edges with pink blooms in mid-to-late summer.
Boat rides on Beihai Lake
The lake makes up more than half the park, and getting out on it is the quintessential Beihai experience. From the ten piers you can hire rowboats, pedal boats and electric boats — generally from around ¥100–200 per hour with a refundable deposit — in everything from four-seaters to dragon boats. Drifting on the water with the White Dagoba rising behind you is genuinely lovely, and on a warm evening it’s magical: after about 8pm the dagoba, the Yong’an Bridge and the pavilions are gently illuminated, and the lake reflects the lights. If you only do one boat ride in Beijing, this — or Kunming Lake at the emperors’ summer retreat — is the one.
A thousand years of imperial gardens
Beihai’s history reaches back over a thousand years, to the Liao and Jin dynasties of the 10th–12th centuries, making it far older than the Forbidden City. Successive dynasties — Jin, Yuan, Ming and Qing — enlarged and embellished it as an imperial pleasure garden, and Kublai Khan’s Yuan-dynasty capital of Dadu was centred near here. The lake and Jade Island we see today were shaped largely under the Ming and Qing, with the White Dagoba added in 1651. For most of its existence it was a private royal garden; it finally opened to the public in 1925. That continuity — a garden enjoyed by emperors for a millennium and now by Beijing families on a Sunday afternoon — is what gives Beihai its gentle magic. For the wider story, see our overview of the imperial landmarks that shaped Beijing.
Getting there and combining your visit
The simplest metro approach is Line 6 to Beihai North station for the north gate, which puts you near the Nine-Dragon Wall and Five-Dragon Pavilions. The south gate, closer to the Round City and the bridge to Jade Island, is a short walk or bus ride from the Forbidden City area. The full network is mapped out in our line-by-line metro guide.
Beihai sits in the middle of a cluster of must-sees, which is its great advantage. It’s an easy walk from the viewpoint hill at Jingshan and the walled palace complex to the east, and from the Shichahai lakes and the hutong neighbourhoods around the old timekeeping towers to the north. A perfect imperial-city day runs Forbidden City → Jingshan for the view → Beihai for a boat ride at dusk.
Visitor tips
- Buy the through ticket (¥20) to access Jade Island and the dagoba — the park-only ticket doesn’t include them.
- Come early or stay late: dawn for tai chi and calm; after 8pm in summer for the illuminated dagoba and bridge.
- Take a boat at dusk — the best hour on the lake.
- Seek out the Nine-Dragon Wall on the north shore; it’s easy to miss.
- Visit in summer for the lotus blooms, or autumn for golden foliage; see our month-by-month look at the weather.
- Allow 2 hours minimum; the park is large and made for lingering.
Beihai through the seasons
Beihai is a year-round pleasure, but each season has its signature. Summer is lotus season — the lake’s northern inlets fill with broad green leaves and pink blooms from roughly July into August, a classic Beijing sight, and warm evenings are perfect for boating beneath the illuminated dagoba. Autumn brings golden foliage and the year’s clearest skies, ideal for the cross-lake views to the Forbidden City. Spring softens the park with blossom and new green. And winter transforms it entirely: when the lake freezes, Beihai becomes one of the city’s most beloved ice rinks, with skaters, ice chairs and ice bikes out on the surface beneath the snow-capped White Dagoba — a wonderfully local, uncrowded scene, and admission is cheaper. For the full seasonal rundown, see the best time to visit Beijing.
Imperial snacks at Fangshan
Beihai holds a genuine culinary landmark: the historic Fangshan Restaurant, founded in 1925 by former imperial palace chefs, which serves elaborate “imperial cuisine” modelled on the dishes of the Qing court — tiny pea-flour cakes, kidney-bean rolls, minced-meat sesame buns and the like, plus full banquet menus. Set on the lakeshore of Jade Island, it’s a special-occasion lunch with real history behind it (book ahead for the banquet rooms). For lighter fare, kiosks around the park sell drinks and snacks, and the lanes outside the gates — especially toward the Shichahai lakes — are full of casual options. Our rundown of what and where to eat has more on this part of the old city.
Photography tips
The signature shot is the White Dagoba reflected in the lake, best captured from the northern or eastern shore in the soft light of early morning or late afternoon. For a different angle, climb Jade Island to the dagoba’s base and shoot back across the water toward the Forbidden City and Jingshan. In summer, frame the dagoba behind the lotus beds; in winter, against snow. After dark in the warm months, the illuminated dagoba, Yong’an Bridge and Five-Dragon Pavilions reflecting on the lake make for atmospheric long exposures. As always in Beijing, a clear, low-pollution day makes all the difference to the distant views.
Exploring Jade Island and a suggested route
Jade Island repays slow exploration. From the south gate, cross the elegant Yong’an Bridge and climb through the Yong’an Temple — a series of Buddhist halls ascending the hillside — toward the White Dagoba at the summit. The climb is gentle and broken up by pavilions, grottoes and viewpoints, and from the top the panorama sweeps across the lake to the Forbidden City and Jingshan. Coming down the northern side of the island, you’ll find a long, beautiful covered walkway (the Painted Gallery) hugging the shoreline, and the famous Fangshan Restaurant set among the lakeside halls. It’s an easy, varied loop that packs a lot of beauty into a small space, and it’s the heart of any Beihai visit.
For a satisfying half-day route, I’d suggest entering at the north gate (Line 6), where you can see the Nine-Dragon Wall and the Five-Dragon Pavilions strung along the shore, then taking a boat across the lake to Jade Island. Explore the island and the dagoba, descend to the Painted Gallery, then cross the Yong’an Bridge to the south gate and the Round City. This route uses the boat to save walking, sees the park’s highlights in a logical order, and ends near the Forbidden City and Jingshan for an easy onward connection. If you’d rather just relax, simply renting a boat and drifting on the lake for an hour — especially toward sunset — is a perfectly good way to experience Beihai with no agenda at all.
Don’t overlook the smaller pleasures, either. The Round City near the south gate holds a remarkable Yuan-dynasty jade wine vessel large enough to hold gallons of wine, carved with sea creatures, and a delicate white-jade Buddha. The lakeshore teahouses are a lovely place to pause, and in lotus season the northern inlets are thick with blooms. Beihai is the kind of place that rewards whatever pace you bring to it — a brisk highlights tour or a whole lazy afternoon both work.
Why Beihai feels different
Of all Beijing’s imperial sights, Beihai has perhaps the gentlest atmosphere, and there’s a reason for that. Unlike the Forbidden City, which was a seat of power, or the Temple of Heaven, which was a place of solemn ritual, Beihai was a pleasure garden — somewhere emperors came to relax, boat, compose poetry and escape the formality of court. That spirit of leisure survives. On any given morning you’ll find locals practising tai chi under the willows, retirees singing opera in the pavilions, families paddling boats, and couples strolling the lakeshore. It’s a living park as much as a monument, woven into the daily life of the surrounding neighbourhoods in a way the grander sights aren’t.
That accessibility makes Beihai an ideal place to decompress between heavier sightseeing days, or to end an afternoon of palace-hopping. Entry is cheap, the pace is your own, and there’s no reservation scramble or timed-entry pressure. Bring a book, rent a boat, find a bench by the water, and you’ll understand why generations of Beijingers — emperors and ordinary citizens alike — have treasured this thousand-year-old garden at the heart of their city.
One last practical note: Beihai is large and the gates are spread around the lake, so check which gate suits your onward plans before you set off — the north gate is closest to the metro and the Nine-Dragon Wall, while the south gate is the handiest for walking on to the Forbidden City, Jingshan or the Shichahai hutongs. Whichever you choose, give yourself enough daylight to enjoy the lake, because the views across the water to the imperial city are the whole point.
Beihai Park FAQ
How much does Beihai Park cost?
Park admission is ¥10 in peak season (¥5 off-season). The ¥20 through ticket adds Jade Island and the White Dagoba plus the Round City — get the through ticket to see the highlights.
Do I need a reservation?
Generally no — you can buy tickets at the gate or online. Carry your passport for ticketing, as with most Beijing parks.
Can I rent a boat?
Yes — rowboats, pedal boats and electric boats are available from ten piers, typically ¥100–200 per hour plus a deposit. A dusk ride with the illuminated dagoba behind you is the park’s signature experience.
How long should I spend?
Two hours covers the dagoba, Nine-Dragon Wall and a short boat ride. To explore Jade Island fully and relax by the lake, give it a half day.
Is Beihai Park good for families?
Very — the boats, open space and gentle paths make it one of the most kid-friendly imperial sights in central Beijing. See our family travel guide to the city for more.
What’s the best time of day to visit?
Early morning for calm and local life, or late afternoon into evening for a boat ride at golden hour and the illuminated dagoba after dark in summer.
The bottom line on Beihai Park
Beihai Park is the gentle, beautiful counterpoint to Beijing’s monumental sights — a thousand-year-old imperial garden built around a lake and crowned by the white dagoba. Buy the through ticket to reach Jade Island, seek out the dazzling Nine-Dragon Wall, and above all take a boat onto the lake, ideally at dusk when the dagoba lights up. It sits within easy walking distance of the Forbidden City and Jingshan, so slot it in as the relaxed finale to a day in the imperial city.
Combine it with the view from Jingshan Park and the grandeur of the Summer Palace for a day of imperial gardens, and see the whole collection in our guide to Beijing’s historical attractions. Planning the trip? Start with our full walkthrough of visiting Beijing. If you want a day of imperial history further afield, the burial valley of 13 Ming emperors, 50km north of the city, makes a compelling full-day excursion, especially combined with the Great Wall.
