The ice and snow are Harbin's greatest attraction. Multicolored ice lanterns, vivid ice and snow carvings and exciting ice sports will be sure to bring you lots of fun. If you wish to enjoy the great fruits of nature and wisdom, please come to the Ice Lantern Festival held between the 5th of January and the end of February every year. Electrically powered buses operating on routes 101, 103 and 114 will take you to the festival's destination for which the entry fee is CNY10 before 15:30 and CNY 30 after that time. Ice and Snow World is the other appealing destination in Harbin that is equally wonderful as the Ice Lantern Festival despite their different characteristics. From the third festival in 2001, the site of Ice and Snow World has been relocated to the western zone of Sun Island. No.88 and No.118 buses can take you there and a tourist special route operates between 9:00 and 22:00 daily.

In terms of fun, the Sun Island Scenic Resort is considered to be Harbin's best natural summer venue. It consists of Sun Island together with some smaller islands. Alongside the Songhua River and influenced by the monsoon climate, there is a clear distinction between the sceneries of the four seasons on the islands. However, it is in winter, when the whole island is covered with snow, that it is the time to attend the famous Snow Carving Festival here.

Admission fee to Sun Island: CNY30

Admission fee to Snow Carving Festival: CNY 50

Bus routes: The tourist buses starting from Youyi Lu can take you directly to the destination. Buses of 29, 88 and 118 also go there. Or, you can take the buses numbered 101,102,103, 13 and 79. These will take you to the Flood Control Monument, and from there you can take a cruise liner or a cable way (CNY20 for round-trip ticket) to get to the island.

Opening hours: 6:00-18:00 in summer; shorter in winter.

Siberian Tiger Park which is adjacent to the Sun Island should be your next destination. The park rears more than five hundred beautiful but endangered purebred Siberian tigers. Vivacious little tigers and fierce fully grown tigers will introduce you to their fascinating world. It will take you about one hour to complete the trip; you will have to take a car to visit most of the viewing spots.
Admission fee: CNY45 for group ticket; CNY50 for regular ticket and half for children.
Bus routes: No.85 pool car reaches the park.

As well as these bewitching scenic spots, the city also has a number of other sights waiting for you. St. Sofia Orthodox Church, also called Harbin Construction Arts Gallery, is the largest Orthodox Church in the Far East. You can visit here from 8:30 to 17:30 every day by purchasing the entrance ticket of CNY20. Another pearl of Harbin is the Dragon Tower; actually, it is the Heilongjiang broadcast and TV tower, ranked as the first highest in Asia and second highest in the world. The No.7 buses go there and the entrance fee to the tower is CNY50 per person.

Since Harbin is also known as the Eastern Moscow, some Russian architecture can be found here. The best sights that vividly reflect the foreign styles is the Zhongyang Dajie which includes a great number of buildings in the European architectural styles ranging from Renaissance and the baroque to eclecticism. Meanwhile, it is also the most prosperous pedestrian street in Harbin, housing multitudinous department stores and restaurants. If you want to try more exciting sports during your trip, don't worry, the Yabuli International Ski Resort which is located in the Yabuli Winding Village is recommended. This resort is considered to be China's monument to its skiing industry.
Bus routes: The mini-buses at the Harbin Railway Station can take you to the ski resort. The fare is CNY8 to CNY10 per person.