What to see in Harbin, things to do in Harbin

Plan your Harbin tour? Located in the center of Northeast Asia, Harbin is called the bright pearl on the Bridge of Eurasia Land. The whole city covers an area of 53,100 km.

Harbin is originally a Manchu word meaning “a place for drying fishing nets”. It is known for its bitterly cold winters and is often called the “Ice City”. Harbin is well-known for its beautiful ice sculptures in winter and plays an important part in Sino-Russian trade.

Features & Attractions  

The Ice and Snow World

Started in 1999, the Ice and Snow World is a large-scale exhibition hall of ice and snow sculptures and art. The scene is majestic. It’s reputed as “the Ice and Snow Epic Picture”. The inspiration for the ice and snow sculptures there usually is derived from traditional Chinese fairy tales or world famous architectures such as the Great Wall, the Egyptian Pyramids, etc. It shows to people the spectacular charm of the snow art and snow tourism.
Ticket Price: 280Yuan (Monday-Tursday)
330 Yuan (Friday-Sunday and public holidays)
260Yuan (27th -30th Dec.)
300Yuan (25th, 26th , 31st Dec.)
Opening Time: 09:00-21:30 during the Harbin Ice Festival since Dec. 25th
Bus Route: Bus No. 211, 212, 213, 346 to Sun Island Road Crossing (Taiyangdao Daokou) Station.  

Harbin Ice and Snow Festival

Harbin Ice and Snow Festival provides the visitors each year a whole new world of ice and snow. The 27th Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival will begin from January 5, 2011 and last for over one month. It is held annually from January 5 every year and lasts for over one month.  

It is one of the world’s four grandest ice and snow festivals, together with Japan’s Sapporo Snow Festival, Canada’s Quebec City Winter Carnival, and Norway’s Ski Festival. The activities of the festival are rich and colorful, including Harbin International Snow Sculpture Art Expo in Sun Island, Ice and Snow World (also located in Sun Island) and Ice-lantern Exhibition in Zhaolin Garden.  

The Central Street

With 1,450-meter length and 21.34-meter width, the central street is a perfect remnant of the bustling international business activities at the turn of the 20th century. it has become the largest and longest business street in Asia. Perhaps the street is the most bustling street in Harbin as there are at least 200,000 people visit here each day.
The Central Street is also a veritable museum of different European architectural styles, such as Baroque, Renaissance, Eclecticism and Byzantine facades. long corridor of European architectural art is the pride of every Harbin people.
How to get there: Bus No. 53, 113, 114, 201  

Yabuli Skiing Center

Yabuli is located in the Shangzhi City, around 200 kilometers east of Harbin, Yabuli is a year-round tourist attraction specializing in Ski activities
Yabuli Ski Resort is currently the biggest and has the most complete facilities among ski resorts in China. Among its features is the 3800m long main skiing trail located at an altitude of 1300m. Cable car lifts are also available. Yabuli Ski Resort is surrounded by mountain ranges covered with pine forests.
Price List for Skiing: 2 Hours 240 on Weekday; 280 on Weekend; 360 on Holiday
Half Day 320 on Weekday; 380 on Weekend; 460 on Holiday Full Day 480 on Weekday; 580 on Weekend; 680 on Holiday  

St.Sofia Orthodox Church

As the the largest Eastern Orthodox Church in the Far East, St Sofia Orthodox Church is 53.3 meters (175 feet) high and occupies an area of 721 square meters (0.18 acres). style of the building is Neo-Byzantine. The main structure is laid out in the shape of a cross with the main hall topped with a huge green tipped dome. There are smaller steeples, and the domes and steeples are topped with gold colored crosses. It looks like the church building at the Red Square in Moscow.
Ticket Price: 20 Yuan
Opening Time: 08:00-18:00
How to get there: Bus No. 1, 2, 13, 15, 64, 66, 113  

Sun Island

Park located on the banks of the Songhua River in Harbin and can be reached by ferry boat (5 rmb). Pleasant to stroll during the warmer months and on the weekends newly married couples can be seen taking pictures. In the winter it becomes part of the ice city festivities.
Gondola ride over Songhua River, access point is the Sun Island Park. A nice way to work your way back from Sun Island in a gondola car that takes you over the banks of the Songhua.
Ticket Price: 150 Yuan (Harbin International Snow Sculpture Expo)
30 Yuan (at other time)
Opening Time: 08:00-17:00
08:30-19:00 (during the snow sculpture expo)
How to get there: Bus No. 29, 85, 88 to Sun Island Station.  

Heilongjiang Provincial Museum

With a total area of 12,000 square meters, the Heilongjiang Provincial Museum holds more than 107,000 exhibits, including fossils unearthed in Wuchang Xuetian Village which prove the presence of ancient human beings in the Heilongjiang Region more than 20,000 years ago. And there are some other exhibitions such as Heilongjiang Historical Relics Exhibition, Heilongjiang Ancient Animals Exhibition, Early Engravings of the Great Northern Wilderness and so on.
Ticket Price: Free
Opening Time: 09:00-16:00 (Busy Season)
09:00-16:30 (Off Season)
How to get there: Bus No. 7, 10, 21, 58, 64, and 101  

Siberian Tiger Park

Covering an area of 1.2 million square meters, The garden for grown tigers covers 360,000 square meters with 30 feral adult tigers. Travelers can wander through it in a special sightseeing car. There are more than 40 cubs in the cub garden, all of them less than three years old. They are very lovely. In addition, there is a free Popular Science Exhibition Hall in the Siberian Tiger Park. In the exhibition hall, people can see information on tigers in pictures and samples as well as in words.
Ticket Price: 90 Yuan for adult
50 Yuan for Children between 110cm-140cm
Opening Time: 09:00-16:00
How to get there: Bus No.85 

Tip:  Hassle-free Northeast China Escorted Tours

Don’t want to go the do-it-yourself route? No worries, We at Tour Beijing have some options for Northeast China guided tours with English-speaking tour guides:

Harbin Tour
Harbin 3 Day Tour Package
Changchun Tour
Shenyang Tour
Dalian Tour
Dandong Tour
North Korea Tour
Northeast China Tour

Further Readings


Top Attractions in Northeast China
Top 10 Attractions in Harbin
Top 6 Things to Do in Heilongjiang
Top 10 Attractions in Shenyang
Top 10 Attractions in Dandong
Top 10 Attractions in Ji’an
Top 10 Attractions in Panjin
Top 10 Attractions in Dalian (Tips, Photos and Maps)

Best Time to Visit Harbin
Where to Stay in Harbin
Harbin West Railway Station
Top Things to Do in Winter in Harbin
Harbin Ice and Snow Happy Valley
Harbin Ice and Snow World
Harbin Sun Island International Snow Sculpture Art Expo
Harbin Winter Swimming
Madie’er Popsicles in Harbin
Harbin Jihua Ski Resort
Suan Cai Jiaozi – New Year’s Soul in Dongbei
What to see in Harbin, things to do in Harbin

Yabuli Ski Resort

China Snow Town
Scenic Drive from Harbin to China Snow Town

Shuttle Bus from Harbin to China Snow Town
Harbin – Yabuli – China Snow Town Shuttle Bus
Sunrise Glow over China Snow Village
Night View of China Snow Village

Qiqihar Taxi: Qiqihar Taxi Fares, Tips and Phones
Mudanjiang Taxi: Mudanjiang Taxi Fares, Tips and phones
Harbin Taxi: Harbin Taxi Fares, Tips and Phone
Yanji Taxi: Yanji Taxi Fares, Tips and Phones
Jilin Taxi: Jilin Taxi Fares, Tips and Phones
Changchun Taxi: Changchun Taxi Fares, Tips and Phones
Dandong Taxi: Dandong Taxi Fares, Tips and Phones
Shenyang Taxi: Shenyang Taxi Fares, Tips and Phones

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