Summer Palace, Beijing

My first trip to Beijing was fulfilling and exhausting! I wanted to see as much as possible even though I will be living here for one year. One of my first stops was to visit the Summer Palace. The Summer Palace is gorgeous! It is easily my favorite tourist site in China thus far. I can see many more trips there in my future to watch the seasons change. There is so much to see and do that you can easily spend an entire day there. My guidebook said to spend 3-4 hours. I was there only 3 hours before I needed to catch my train home and it was not nearly enough! I was rushing from one place to the next to see as much as I could before I needed to leave that I could hardly take it all in. My solace is that I can return many more times in the future.

I loved the architecture and art work throughout the palace. There were so many different areas to explore. The palace offers gardens, rocks and hiking paths, a city built along the water and a lake to enjoy by boat. There are plenty of places to relax and take in the day.

Although there are a lot of tourists, the gardens offer a beautiful spot for peaceful contemplation.

Another beautiful area is the Suzhou Street Market. There are many souvenir shops set up along the water front and beautiful views as you walk along the street. You can also take a short ride by boat. 

I can't wait to return to take in more of the beauty this site has to offer!

Have you visited the Summer Palace in Beijing? What did you enjoy during your visit?