Glittering Kunming Lake Though the Willow Trees
The Summer Palace was a wonderful introduction for what Beijing has to offer for me. It is the first UNESCO world heritage site that I visited in Beijing and I think it is very much worthy of the status. The place was larger than I expected, fortunately, as it was able to spread out the tourists into various areas of the park. The Summer Palace is a great place to relax provided you go beyond the touristy areas. You can choose not to go for the through tickets which you don’t need if you just want to hang around the park.
Pagoda in the Distance
I was glad that the Summer Palace was very accessible. Having a subway line go all the way to what is practically their doorstep is a great thing as it simplifies the task of getting here. Although it would help to have signs that point the way to the Summer Palace once you get to the subway stop. During my visit, most of the visitors to the Summer Palace were Chinese though there was a sprinkling of westerners too. My visit lasted around 5 hours, the much of it was walking around the lake, though I think it would be best visited in six hours. I had to hurry back since the sun sets early this time of the year. However, it seems that my decision to visit Beijing is entirely justified and I can’t wait to see what other places I would be able to visit.
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