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.