Beijing Botanical Garden

Beijing Botanical Gardens, lying at foot of the West Hill (Xi Shan) in the suburbs of Beijing, are a relaxing, inexpensive place to spend a day away from the hustle and bustle of big city life. The Gardens are particularly spectacular in spring, with their blossom-laden fruit trees, and in autumn, when the vivid reds, greens, browns and golds of the vegetation heralds the approach of winter. Try to avoid weekend visits in spring as the park can get quite crowded with Beijing residents checking out the blossom.

Opened in 1956, 200 hectares of the Botanical Gardens are currently open to the public, including living plant collections, a lake, various historic sites, and a nature reserve. Beautiful displays are made monthly in the main conservatory, bonsai garden, the arboretum and 11 outdoor gardens, and the Gardens receive more than 1.4 million visitors every year from China and overseas.

The Garden grounds are well-signposted - head for the newly-opened visitor centre if you want to buy a cheap English brochure and map (as well as postcards and souvenirs). A map can also be downloaded at the Beijing Botanical Garden website (address below). For specific information you can call the Garden information service (number below), although the English of the staff can be extremely patchy at times.

bus no. 360, 318, 505, 630, 698, 714, Yuntong 112 stops at Zhiwuyuan Station;

bus no. 331, 505, 563 and Yuntong 112 stops at Zhiwuyuan South Gate.