Where to Go in Beijing in Spring - 10 Destinations

March to May in spring is one of the best time to travel to Beijing, with warm and pleasant weather, flowers in bloom and plants coming back to life. Where to go in Beijing during this time period? What are the best places to visit in Beijing for a spring outing? Here we recommend top 10 destinations.
Yuyuantan Park is composed of the Cherry Garden in the west, Yinshui Lake in the north, Zhongshan Island in the south and Liuchun Garden in the east. The Cherry Garden is the busiest in spring, especially from March to April when the cherry flowers are in bloom. Now there are thousands of cherry trees with about 20 species in the garden, making it one of the hottest scenic spots in spring in Beijing. Besides, there is a mid-lake island where inhabits various water fowls. Around the lake grows some willow trees, where you can appreciate new greens.

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Mutianyu Great Wall
Mutianyu Great Wall is definitely on the “where to go in Beijing in spring” list for it is one of the most well preserved sections of the Great Wall and its vegetation coverage is over 90 percent. So in the spring, tourists can see the various kinds of flowers, such as the peach blossom, wild apricot, azalea, pear flowers, lilac, etc. Tourist can take the cable car to appreciate the scenery from a bird’s eye view. When setting feet on the Great Wall, you can feel the grandness of this ancient defensive project while enjoying the soft beauty of the nature.

 Recommended Tour:  Great Wall Day Tour with Mutianyu from $129

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Summer Palace
Summer Palace is one of the four most famous gardens in China and regarded as the “Museum of Royal Gardens”. The well-preserved garden consists of Longevity Hill and Kunming Lake. From March to May, all the flowers including mangnolia, winter jasmine, peach, winter sweet, peony bloom one after another in different areas inside the palace. After appreciating these beautiful “fairies”, you can row a boat to float on the Kunming Lake, breathe some fragrant air and get refreshed. 

 Recommended Tour:   Beijing 4-Day Tour with Summer Palace from $549

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Every spring, Beijing Botanical Garden lying at the foot of Fragrant Hills Park (Xiangshan Park) turns into the sea of flowers. In the scenic area, there are 10 specialized gardens for rose, peach flower, peony, lilac, magnolia, perennial flower, plum and bamboo separately. The best time to come here is early May, when the flowers in blossom are the most. Besides, you can have a great time visiting the potted landscape garden, the biggest greenhouse in Asia gathering thousands of tropical or subtropical plants. In the garden also lies some historic sites like Wofo Temple initially built in Tang Dynasty (618 - 907), Liang Qichao’s Tomb, and Cao Xueqin Memorial Hall.
Beihai Park
Beihai Park, located in the central district in Beijing, is one of the most ancient, well-preserved and representative imperial gardens in China which can dates back to Liao Dynasty (916 - 1125). The spring scenery there is one of the “Eight Great Sights in Beijing” and the best travel time is April, so tourists can’t miss it. Beihai Park is mainly composed of Beihai Lake and Jade Flowery Island. Most tourists prefer to take a boat to appreciate the colorful flowers and green trees around the lake and then visit the White Dagoba on the top of the island. It also boasts several other Buddhist constructions in the north shore of the island.

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Covering an area of 41.8 hectares (103.2 acres), Garden of World’s Flowers is one of the biggest botanical gardens in Beijing. There are 7 greenhouses and 15 garden squares in it gathering exotic flowers and rare herbs and displaying the classic gardens all over the world. Although it is beautiful inside all year round, the best time for a visit is surely spring after early March. In middle to late March and April, tourists can appreciate cherry in Japan Garden. Tulip flowers bloom in mid-April, when is the best time to tour Dutch Garden with a big windmill. In May, it holds the cultural festivals and Rose Exhibition. At that time, Chinese Garden covered with roses is the best garden to go. If you wanna know where to go in Beijing, Garden of World’s Flowers is worth visiting.
In spring, Olympic Park is the first choice for most locals to watch the flowers and go spring outing. The longest and most recommended route for sightseeing is along the Aohai Scenic Area in the Olympic Forest Park. Along the way, tourists can see Begonia, apricot, cherry blossoms, peach flowers and so on. In Olympic Park, there is also Bird’s Nest, Water Cube, China Science and Technology Museum, China Ethic Culture Park for travelers to feel the spirit of the Olympic Games and the culture of the different ethnic groups in China.
Fragrant Hills Park (Xiangshan Park)
If you wanna go hiking in spring, Fragrant Hills Park can be one of the best choices. Located in the west suburb, it is an imperial garden with a history of 900 years featured by mountains, springs, and ancient trees. Along the hiking trail, tourists can not only watch the flowers, breathe the moist spring air, hear the birds singing, but also see the cultural relics like Qinzheng Palace, Zhisong Park, Biyun Temple, etc.

 Book a Fragrant Hills Park Ticket
Where to go in Beijing in spring in addition to these places for flower appreciation? The answer is Mount Miaofeng, where the largest and most influential temple fair in North China is held every spring from April 1st to 15th in Chinese lunar calendar. Many tourists will go with friends or families to burn incense to pray for a better life. Also, there are activities like acrobatic performance, opera performance and lantern show. On the mountain, scatter three temple groups for BuddhismTaoism and Confucianism and grow 600 kinds of woody plants and about 20 kinds of high-quality herbs, making it a great place for spring outing as well. Watching sun rise and sun set on the mountain is also an unforgettable experience. When talking about where to go in Beijing in spring, it is highly recommended for both its cultural landscape and natural beauty.
Apricot blossom festival in Fenghuangling Natural Park is held every year in spring. When the apricot flowers in full bloom, it is quite suitable for travel with families or friends. Tourists can spend a leisure time to watch the towering ancient trees and apricot flowers covered all over the mountain. There are also peach flowers, magnolias and forsythia flowers blooming on the mountain. The spring in the park is so clear and sweet that is drinkable and it has abundant elements good for our health. And natural strange rocks are shaped like rabbits, monkeys and couples. You will marvel at the magnificence of the nature when go hiking in the mountain.
- Last updated on Dec. 27, 2023 by Kate Liu -
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