Summer Palace & Temple of Heaven tips from travellers

Summer Palace and Temple of Heaven tips rarely mention the problems visitors actually run into. So we read the reviews. Between January 2024 and October 2026, travellers left 791 English reviews that mention one of these two sites, on 27 tours and ticket services sold on Viator and Tripadvisor: 617 mention the Summer Palace and 271 the Temple of Heaven (97 mention both). Here is what worked and what did not.

How we read the reviews

We collected the reviews through the Viator partner API, kept the English reviews from 14 January 2024 to 16 October 2026 that mention the Summer Palace or the Temple of Heaven, and read all 20 with 1 to 3 stars. Many come from multi-site day tours (often with the Lama Temple, the panda house or the Great Wall), so they say a lot about these days out. Ratings on these platforms lean positive. We did not copy any review or name any reviewer, guide or company.

How we counted: we read every 1–3 star review ourselves and assigned each problem to a theme. For the 4–5 star reviews, the theme counts come from keyword searches, so treat them as approximate. Reviews with identical text (posted twice) were counted once.

What went well

Scenery and space. More than 100 positive reviews mention the lake, the gardens or the views, and about 120 the amount of walking: these are big parks.

The boat on Kunming Lake. About 35 reviews mention a boat ride, almost always as a highlight.

Going early. About 70 reviews mention an early or morning visit. At the Temple of Heaven, early in the morning, locals come to the park to do tai chi, exercise and play games; you are welcome to watch, respectfully.

Combined days. About 50 reviews mention the Lama Temple and about 50 the pandas, often on the same day. Most were happy with the pace; the unhappy ones are below.

What went wrong

The 20 reviews with 1 to 3 stars (one review can mention several problems):

Problem	Reviews	What happened
Tickets bought from a reseller	6	Two to three times the gate price, a wrong date, a barcode the gate did not scan, or no change allowed after a missed train
Rushed multi-site day	4	Shorter visits than stated, a long lunch break, too many sites for one day
Guide	4	Limited English or knowledge, or a guide who left the group to visit alone
Crowds	3	Very crowded in summer and on holidays, even in cloudy weather
Shopping stop	2	A tea house or souvenir shop not wanted, and tea sold as top grade that was not
Walking and heat	2	Long walks from the bus, little seating, hot and humid days
Other	3	A pickup forgotten, a boat ride not included but needed to follow the group, halls not open inside

The lesson: for these two parks, a resold ticket is rarely worth it. A guide or a transfer can be, if the day is not overloaded.

The questions behind the reviews

“Do I need to book in advance?” For the Summer Palace, usually not: foreign visitors can usually buy tickets at the entrance with their passport; booking in advance is not required. For the Temple of Heaven, booking ahead is optional: tickets are real-name and can be booked 1 to 7 days ahead, and without a Chinese phone number, go to the ticket service window at the entrance with your original passport; tickets there depend on remaining capacity.

“If I book online, where?” On the official platform, not a reseller: online booking is on the official Visiting Beijing Parks platform (畅游公园, bjgyol.com.cn, also in WeChat): switch the language to English and choose "Passport" as the ID type.

“Why did my ticket not scan?” Reviewers who bought resold tickets in 2024 report barcodes rejected at gates that wanted a QR code. Keep your passport on you: keep the passport you booked with on you during the visit.

“Is the boat included?” No: boat rides on Kunming Lake are not included in the entrance ticket.

“Can we do both in one day?” Yes, but reviewers who were unhappy say the day felt like a race. Plan 2–3 hours for the Summer Palace and 2–3 hours for the Temple of Heaven.

Before you book: 5 checks

1. Ticket only? Compare the price with the gate price on our Summer Palace tickets and Temple of Heaven tickets pages.
2. How many sites in one day? Check the time at each one, not just the list.
3. Boat included? If the group takes it, you will want it.
4. Shopping stops? Look for “no shopping”.
5. Pickup confirmed? Ask for a confirmation the evening before.

For timing and gates, see Temple of Heaven: best time to go and Summer Palace: getting there.