Travel | Summer Palace, Beijing

Another must see site in Beijing is the Summer Palace. Often overlooked in tourist brochures this beautiful palace and it's grounds are home to fantastic traditional Chinese architecture and breathtaking views. If you're looking for something typically Chinese this is the place to go! Full to the brim of temples, gardens, pavilions, lakes, bridges, gate-towers and corridors you could spend a whole day here marvelling at the landscape.

Over the centuries the palace and it's grounds have been hit by war, fire and looting but in recent decades it has been restored to it's former glory and it's hands down the most beautiful place we visited in China.

If you go in winter like us you may also be treated to the Kunming lake in the centre of the grounds being completely frozen over. Yhey'd set up all sorts of sledges (both hand powered and motorised) including tandem sleighs for you to skate across the ice in. It sounds dangerous but there were hundreds of adults and children alike having a wail of a time so we couldn't resist!