11 MUST-SEE PARKS IN BEIJING

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One of the biggest surprises of my trip to Beijing was the sheer number and size of outdoor spaces in the city. Somehow, I imagined China’s capital to be more industrial, mostly grey and crowded, and with little of interest aside of a couple of main sights. Nothing could have been further from the truth – Beijing is probably the “greenest” city I have been to!

When I researched my trip beforehand, I put a bunch of parks on the list but to be honest I had a hard time imagining what to expect. This did not matter so much as I had three weeks in this fascinating city and could see most. However, if your trip is shorter you may wonder which parks are best?

As so often, the answer will depend on your personal interests and preferences. In this post you will find a brief description (and a couple of photos) for some of Beijing’s best parks. Hopefully, they will help you to get a better idea of the different vibes so you can choose the right park for you.

I have sorted the parks in three categories: those that are part of major sights (and likely already on your itinerary), those that are true parks (most of which do have various smaller sights), and outdoor spaces/parks that are more for people-watching and leisure activities (but also offer some green). And at the end I still give my recommendations for which parks are best for which kind of traveller.

Parks attached to major Sights

New Summer Palace

The New Summer Palace is one of Beijing’s main sights and probably already on your list. While the New Summer Palace is partly a park its main attractions are the various palace buildings within it.

The two main park features are the large Kunming Lake and the hilly grounds. While the steep steps and slopes make touring the New Summer Palace pretty tiring, they also allow for great views over the surrounding area.

The New Summer Palace does get very busy and is best visited during the week. Near the lake you will find plenty of shops and food stalls. However, overall there are less benches to sit and relax than in many other parks in Beijing.

There is an entrance fee. At 60 RMB (for a combo ticket) it isn’t high, but more expensive than most of the other places on this list.

Biggest Plus: The huge lake, beautiful buildings, and landscaping.

Biggest Minus: Tends to be rather crowded and can be quite exhausting due to hilly terrain.

Temple of Heaven

This is basically a combination of two attractions: the Temple of Heaven and Hall of Prayer for Good Harvest on one hand and an extensive park with flowers, smaller sights, wide walkways, and vibrant life on the other hand. The more touristy area is of course a must-see in Beijing (and likely already on your itinerary) but the park itself is just as much fun!

Temple of Heaven has an especially lively atmosphere with many (often senior) locals dancing, practising Tai Chi, singing, playing instruments, line dancing, playing various sports and on and on. There is also a quite popular “marriage market” where parents advertise their (mostly late twenties to early thirties) children.

If you only have time for one park, this is probably the one.

Biggest Plus: Easy to get to, wonderful lively atmosphere, easy to combine with touring

Biggest Minus: Not much. There is a small fee for entrance.

Old Summer Palace

Not far from the New Summer Palace is the Old Summer Palace, my top recommendation if you want to see extensive gardens with a sprinkling of history. The area is huge (there is a bus) and there is so much to see.

The Old Summer Palace is made up of three separate areas. In the past, there were imperial buildings scattered around the grounds (similar to the New Summer Palace). However, they were burned down so you will only see some ruins, aside of a couple of reconstructed buildings.

The entrance fee for the majority of the Old Summer Palace is quite low at RMB 10. However, there is a separate charge of RMB 15 if you want to visit the ruins of Yuanmingyuan where most of the ruins and reconstructions are located.

Biggest Plus: It is vast and beautiful.

Biggest Minus: You will have to do a lot of walking if you want to see the entire park and the area of does get crowded.

If you want to see even more nature, you can of course do so during a day trip to the Great Wall of China, an excursion that is probably part of any China itinerary. Check out my review of this tour to Mutianyu to find out what to expect.

Typical Parks (with minor sights)

Ritan Park

If you are just looking for a wonderful park with a lively atmosphere, many beautiful features, and a true park atmosphere, Ritan Park may be your best bet. It is centrally located between the Forbidden City and the CBD. Visiting is free and you will find pretty much everything you may want from a park: playgrounds, sports fields, pavillions, a lake, flowers…

It also had one of the best park activity scenes I saw. There were people doing Tai Chi, line dancing, playing instruments, flying kites, drawing and on and on. In addition there is the Temple of the Sun, somewhat similar to the Temple of Prayer for Good Harvest at the Temple of Heaven.

Biggest Plus: One of the best examples of a typical park.

Biggest Minus: Not really anything. It is not as big or spectacular as some of the other places on the list but as a pure park it is almost perfect.

Jingshan Park

Jingshan Park is located directly north of the Palace Museum. I have heard the advice to quickly visit Jingshan Park after a tour of the Palace Museum as it offers a great view over the Forbidden City. Well, I don’t know about you but after touring the Forbidden City I did not need any more exercise! But Jingshan Park is well worth a visit on its own.

Basically, Jingshan Park is a largish rectangle. In the middle is a small hill/mountain – from the top you have a great view over the city but especially over the Forbidden City. You will also find the central point of Bejing City there! In addition, there are various imperial buildings and a small museum inside this park – great for history lovers.

Jingshan Park was one of my favorites in Beijing. There is a small entrance fee (RMB 2) but you can just pay right there, no planning or booking ahead required.

Biggest Plus: View over Forbidden City and imperial buildings.

Biggest Minus: Climbing up the hill can be a bit tiring and some areas do get crowded.

Zhongshan Park

Zhongshan Park is right at the southwestern edge of the Forbidden City. To be honest, the only reason I visited was because I kind of got myself lost looking for a way to Tiananmen Square. As I didn’t want to backtrack, I decided to pay the small fee (RMB 3) and walk through this park.

Now, I did not manage to get where I wanted to go (the Southern entrance to Tiananmen Square is only used for entering but not for exiting due to visitor restrictions for the square). But I am very glad that I visited anyway.

As I was already exhausted, I did not explore this park as I usually would but I did see enough to be able to say that it is a true hidden gem. Not only do you have a great view of the palace walls but there are plenty of other attractions, including a temple square and a marriage market.

Biggest Plus: Another great park with various attractions.

Biggest Minus: Entrances and exits are a bit confusing and there is a small fee.

Worried about finding your way around Beijing? No need – using public transit is easy and affordable. However, I strongly recommend purchasing an esim prior to your trip so you can easily access maps and other apps.

Haidian Park

This is a lesser known park and probably only worth a visit if you are staying in the area. It is a beautiful park with all the typical Beijing park features, like a large lake and a playground. But it can’t compete with giants like the Old Summer Palace.

However, not only is entrance free, but Haidian Park also had one feature I did not see in any other park and really enjoyed: a recreated rice field with old-time farm equipment. Nearby, there is also a small water-playground for kids. This feature is enough to make me put it on the list.

Biggest Plus: The rice field.

Biggest Minus: A bit further from most tourist sights and mostly just an average (but nice) park.

Outdoor/Leisure Areas with parks

Olympic Park Area

The Olympic Park Area basically consists of two parts: the Olympic Forest Park with trees, lake, and gardens at the northern end and a wide pedestrian street lined by some greenery and the spectacular stadiums for the Olympics at the Southern end.

Due to some unplanned delays I never made it to the northern end (but I have seen photos and it is very nice). But the Southern end is absolutely worth a visit, especially in the evening. It is very lively with locals and tourists, live music, loads of food stalls, and shops. An excellent place for people watching and soaking up the atmosphere.

Biggest Plus: Cool architecture, vibrant atmosphere, great fun.

Biggest Minus: The southern part is more pavement than green so if you are looking for a relaxing outdoor experience take the metro to a stop further north as it is a bit of a walk (well, I never got there but I had already walked quite a bit).

Shichahai Recreation Area

Shichahai is another outdoor area that is partly park (there is a large lake) but mostly a leisure area. You can walk along the lake path, crossing several bridges. This area is very popular and busy in the evenings/on weekends so be prepared for some crowds.

There are loads of food stalls, restaurants, shops, souvenir stalls, bars, and clubs. Great for people watching but quite busy with rikshas, bikes, and tourists.

Biggest Plus: Great people watching, easy to get to, close to hutongs. Free.

Biggest Minus: It does get crowded. Not the best place if you are looking to spend a serene time surrounded by nature.

Beihai Park

Located just south of Shichahai and northwest of the Forbidden City, Beihai Park has a very central location. However, it took me several attempts to get there. So here my warning: Beihai is a big park but it is surrounded by a wall and there are only a couple of places to enter. Don’t just vaguely look at the map and head towards it or you also will spend an excessive amount of time walking along the outside edge!

Once inside you will find another large lake surrounded by a pretty park. There are various buildings and structures to explore, including the famous White Dagoba. I have to admit that my energy ran out (it was quite hot that day) so I did not climb up the hill but only enjoyed the view from the lake area.

Also: Do not get misled if you read online that you have to prebook your tickets, call ahead, use a passport etc. While this may have been true in the past in June 2026 you could just walk up to the ticket counter and buy a ticket (RMB 10-20) without any issue.

Biggest Plus: Big lake, plenty of teahouses, some quite unique buildings/sights.

Biggest Minus: The surrounding walls make getting inside (or leaving) a bit more inconvenient than some other parks on this list.

Shougang Park Area

Qunming Lake with the surrounding lake path makes up a good part of Shougang Park. But there is also an open space at the end of the High Line Walk at the river banks as well as plenty of outdoor attractions related to the old factories that make up this heritage park.

Overall not a traditional park but definitely worth a visit. Check out my Shougang Park post if you want to learn more. One of my favorite sights in Beijing!

Biggest Plus: Lots of family fun activities, feels very rural, and great photography.

Biggest Minus: It is fairly far from the city center and will take a good chunk of time.

Which park is best for who?

All the parks and outdoor spaces on this list are well worth a visit. But with limited time you will have to choose. So here my recommendations for which parks are especially well-suited for specific interests/tastes:

Best if have little time: New Summer Palace, Temple of Heaven, Old Summer Palace, Shichahai Park
Best if you want to enjoy nature: Old Summer Palace, Haidian Park, Shougang Park
Best if you want to take cool photos: Shougang Park, Olympic Park
Best if you can’t get enough of history: New Summer Palace, Temple of Heaven, Jingshan Park, Zhongshan Park, Beihai Park
Best if you want to experience vibrant park life: Temple of Heaven, Ritan Park, Zhongshan Park
Best for general people-watching: Shichahai, Beihai Park, Olympic Park

Beautiful pavillions at Temple of Heaven

Some additional recommendations

There are of course many, many more parks in Beijing and surroundings.

I didn’t include the Beijing Zoo here – while it does have a beautiful park it is a bit further away and costs a little more so is probably only worth it if you want to see the pandas. Nor did I mention the 798 Art Zone – while it is great for people-watching and taking pictures it isn’t really a park with nature per se.

You are in for a treat

While I loved many things about my time in Beijing, the parks and outdoor spaces are probably my favorite (and unexpected) side of this city! Visiting at least one but ideally several parks on this list should be part of any Beijing itinerary.

Luckily, this is easy to do. Several of the parks are part of major sights (like Temple of Heaven) or famous attractions on their own (New Summer Palace). Many of the others are quite centrally located so very easy to add as a relaxing end of a busy sightseeing day. And all the parks are either free or quite inexpensive so they won’t hurt your budget.

My personal favorites were the Old Summer Palace, Jingshan Park, Temple of Heaven, Shichahai, and Shougang Park. But I had a great time at all of them – you can’t really go wrong!

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