Fragrant Hills Park (Xiangshan Gongyuan)
Fragrant Hills Park (Xiangshan Gongyuan)
4
About
This lovely wooded park is a favourite of Beijingers, especially in autumn to see the maple trees with their striking red leaves ( it’s traditional to collect them). Walk thru the lower areas spotted with pavilions & temples and winding paths to wander around, or take the cable car up to the top for some views of the surrounding hilly countryside.
Duration: 2-3 hours
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- Zhongguancun • 8 min walk
- Suzhoujie • 10 min walk
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KodoDrummer
Buenos Aires, Argentina70,581 contributions
Nov 2019 • Business
The park is amazingly beautiful at this time of year. This year wintry weather has come early to Beijing, and created many very beautiful and brilliantly coloured leaves.
Written November 25, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
KodoDrummer
Buenos Aires, Argentina70,581 contributions
Mar 2021
A little early to view the Imperial gardens, as the awesome beauty of spring is a few weeks away. Although we encountered chilly weather, we enjoyed the views and walk through the royal garden.
Written April 25, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
KodoDrummer
Buenos Aires, Argentina70,581 contributions
Nov 2018 • Business
I came here for fresh air and a break from my Beijing office, which is also located in the Haidian District. It is a nice park for relaxing walks and scenic views. I was last here in the spring when many of the tree and most flowers were blossoming and decked out in spectacular colours. The easiest way to get to the top is by getting a ride on the chair lift. This also gives enhanced views of the park and surrounding area. So far I’ve been lucky, and haven’t encountered any smog to hinder views from the hilltop of this former imperial garden.
Written December 8, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
lunalite
Singapore, Singapore27 contributions
Nov 2013
I went to see the red leaves there on a weekday and it was extremely crowded. Can't imagine the crowd on a weekend. Took bus 360 from the Beijing Zoo terminal and alighted at the last stop. Took about 45mins with no jam. (There is another bus 360 from Xizhimen but it takes a longer route.) The bus stop is quite a distance from the entrance of Fragrant Hill and I had to follow the crowd to find my way there. Ended up at the east gate while the cable car was at the north gate.
I decided to hike up to the peak but it was really a tough climb. While the path up was well-paved, there were many staircases which made the climb quite steep. I took about 1.5hrs with a few breaks in between. I believe it was about 2+km uphill. The place was so crowded that I could barely find a place to sit and rest at the rest points and at the peak.
On my way up, I was adament to take the cable car down. However, after seeing the loooong queue for the cable car, I figured walking down will be faster. It was a lot easier to walk down but due to the huge crowd, there will be human jams once in a while. I ended up at the north gate where the Azure temple was. From there, it was another long walk back to the bus terminal. I wasn't sure if I had taken the correct route back to the bus terminal as there were very little people walking the same route. But eventually I still ended up at the main street where the bus terminal was located.
Fragrant Hill was a bit of a disappointment as it was touted to be the place to see red leaves in autumn but i barely saw any. There were more yellow ginko(?) tree leaves than red maple leaves. The view was somewhat similar to Bai Wang Shan Forest park, which has lesser people and nearer Beijing city. Perhaps I went too early before the leaves could turn red.
Will recommend to go only if you have nothing else to do and have time to spare. Even then, Bai Wang Shan Forest park is probably a better choice for its proximity and smaller crowd.
I decided to hike up to the peak but it was really a tough climb. While the path up was well-paved, there were many staircases which made the climb quite steep. I took about 1.5hrs with a few breaks in between. I believe it was about 2+km uphill. The place was so crowded that I could barely find a place to sit and rest at the rest points and at the peak.
On my way up, I was adament to take the cable car down. However, after seeing the loooong queue for the cable car, I figured walking down will be faster. It was a lot easier to walk down but due to the huge crowd, there will be human jams once in a while. I ended up at the north gate where the Azure temple was. From there, it was another long walk back to the bus terminal. I wasn't sure if I had taken the correct route back to the bus terminal as there were very little people walking the same route. But eventually I still ended up at the main street where the bus terminal was located.
Fragrant Hill was a bit of a disappointment as it was touted to be the place to see red leaves in autumn but i barely saw any. There were more yellow ginko(?) tree leaves than red maple leaves. The view was somewhat similar to Bai Wang Shan Forest park, which has lesser people and nearer Beijing city. Perhaps I went too early before the leaves could turn red.
Will recommend to go only if you have nothing else to do and have time to spare. Even then, Bai Wang Shan Forest park is probably a better choice for its proximity and smaller crowd.
Written November 14, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Andrew_Roamer
Adelaide, Australia99 contributions
Dec 2016 • Couples
When you want to get a break from Beijing’s pollution, this is THE place to go.
Ridiculously fit power-walkers can get up the hill in 20 minutes – I usually do a leisurely hike for about an hour. And be prepared to be humiliated by the 60 year old guy sprinting up next to you going up and down the mountain for this 4th time collecting plastic bottles.
If you’ve got youngsters below 9, you can stay at the bottom of the hill, but climbing up will be a bit hard on them. Though I’ve certainly seen intrepid families taking their 2 year olds up!
There’s stores selling instant noodles, ice-cream, sausages and water at the top. After the hard slog up there, you’ll crave these. But bring your own snacks and fruits because you’ll want/need them.
Lots of recommendations here to go in November Autumn when it is beautiful. That’s true, but really any time is good to go. November is very crowded and it kind of detracts from the peaceful aura of the place when there are 80 other people pushing around you to get up the hill.
There’s a cable car which will charge you to go up and down the mountain – but really, if you’re here for the exercise, why catch the cable car? Resist the temptation to catch the car on the way back down. Burn those calories!
Great for locals and worth a day trip for visitors from out of town. Go. Just GOOOOO!
Ridiculously fit power-walkers can get up the hill in 20 minutes – I usually do a leisurely hike for about an hour. And be prepared to be humiliated by the 60 year old guy sprinting up next to you going up and down the mountain for this 4th time collecting plastic bottles.
If you’ve got youngsters below 9, you can stay at the bottom of the hill, but climbing up will be a bit hard on them. Though I’ve certainly seen intrepid families taking their 2 year olds up!
There’s stores selling instant noodles, ice-cream, sausages and water at the top. After the hard slog up there, you’ll crave these. But bring your own snacks and fruits because you’ll want/need them.
Lots of recommendations here to go in November Autumn when it is beautiful. That’s true, but really any time is good to go. November is very crowded and it kind of detracts from the peaceful aura of the place when there are 80 other people pushing around you to get up the hill.
There’s a cable car which will charge you to go up and down the mountain – but really, if you’re here for the exercise, why catch the cable car? Resist the temptation to catch the car on the way back down. Burn those calories!
Great for locals and worth a day trip for visitors from out of town. Go. Just GOOOOO!
Written January 13, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
EB808
Hawaii86 contributions
Nov 2014 • Couples
I was really looking forward to taking photos of the autumn leaves/foilage after reading about Xiangshan Park outside of Beijing. I was actually disappointed in this park, especially since it was so difficult to get to.
I asked my hotel (Westin Chaoyang) for directions and they told me to take the subway and then get a taxi to the park. Well this was nearly impossible. The subway was no issue, but no taxis will take you from the station to the park. I went during the first week of November and the taxis said it was too crowded and was not worth their while to go. I speak minimal Chinese, so had some trouble getting to the park. Thankfully, I met a kind English speaking, Chinese lady who helped me get on the right bus. That was quite an experience. I am used to traveling with comfortable conditions, so be to literally squashed in a bus, listening to people push and scream each time the door open, was quite an experience. It was about a 20 min bus ride and I was literally was sandwiched between the driver and a number of passengers.
So when I finally got to the park, I was excited. There are no directions and not any foreigners, so you have to follow the crowd to the entrance. Looking at the grand entrance, I was getting more excited about seeing the red leaves. Well, I was quite disappointed - if you are expecting red maple leaves or massive trees changing colors, you will be disappointed, too. There were only small shrubs, with tiny red leaves. It was really dusty and lacked grass. I hiked the entire perimeter, which took about 3 hours. The main route is primarily stairs and well marked/kept.
I would suggest if you have extra time and want to get out of the city, you may enjoy this hike. I was just disappointed because the webpages made it seem so grand. If you are limited on time, I would skip and spend time seeing other major sights.
Plus, getting a taxi back was hard. I had to walk around for quite awhile. Finally I found a hotel - so when you walk down the main road from the park, take a right (you either have to go left or right) and walk a few blocks until you see a gated hotel. The hotel staff there was kind enough to get me a taxi back to Beijing subway.
I asked my hotel (Westin Chaoyang) for directions and they told me to take the subway and then get a taxi to the park. Well this was nearly impossible. The subway was no issue, but no taxis will take you from the station to the park. I went during the first week of November and the taxis said it was too crowded and was not worth their while to go. I speak minimal Chinese, so had some trouble getting to the park. Thankfully, I met a kind English speaking, Chinese lady who helped me get on the right bus. That was quite an experience. I am used to traveling with comfortable conditions, so be to literally squashed in a bus, listening to people push and scream each time the door open, was quite an experience. It was about a 20 min bus ride and I was literally was sandwiched between the driver and a number of passengers.
So when I finally got to the park, I was excited. There are no directions and not any foreigners, so you have to follow the crowd to the entrance. Looking at the grand entrance, I was getting more excited about seeing the red leaves. Well, I was quite disappointed - if you are expecting red maple leaves or massive trees changing colors, you will be disappointed, too. There were only small shrubs, with tiny red leaves. It was really dusty and lacked grass. I hiked the entire perimeter, which took about 3 hours. The main route is primarily stairs and well marked/kept.
I would suggest if you have extra time and want to get out of the city, you may enjoy this hike. I was just disappointed because the webpages made it seem so grand. If you are limited on time, I would skip and spend time seeing other major sights.
Plus, getting a taxi back was hard. I had to walk around for quite awhile. Finally I found a hotel - so when you walk down the main road from the park, take a right (you either have to go left or right) and walk a few blocks until you see a gated hotel. The hotel staff there was kind enough to get me a taxi back to Beijing subway.
Written November 14, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Fenny W
1 contribution
Nov 2013 • Family
We visited on 6 Nov 2013 morning. It was late Autumn by then. The leaves turned red and there were many other visitors as well. Having visited all the others tourist attractions in Beijing (FC, Great wall, Tiananmen, Summer Palace, Beihai, Ming tombs, Jingshan park, etc), I do find that Fragrant hills is my favourite. There is this one whole street selling street snacks and ornaments before the entrance and the atmosphere was just superb. The street candy tasted so good, but the cleanliness is doubtful, as it caused me diarrhea the following day.
The park entrance ticket was RMB 10 (we purchased the tickets from the other vendors - tickets sold at ticketing office were RMB 15/ea).
Inside the park, you will see several buildings, tons of flowers and you need to walk and hike alot (the cable car didn't operate at the time we went there), but it was a fun experience. The weather was just perfect (cool but not cold), and the surroundings were beautiful. Despite the crowds of people, we didn't find the place crampy. To enter the Zhao Miao (Zhao Temple), you need to pay extra RMB 10 ticket each.
To go there, we simply took mtr line 4 until it ended. From there, we told the taxi driver in Chinese where we wanted to go. The taxi was around RMB 45 and took about 30 mins (due to jam). We left at about 6pm, and took bus 360 express to Beijing zoo station. It costed RMB 4 if I am not mistaken.
The park entrance ticket was RMB 10 (we purchased the tickets from the other vendors - tickets sold at ticketing office were RMB 15/ea).
Inside the park, you will see several buildings, tons of flowers and you need to walk and hike alot (the cable car didn't operate at the time we went there), but it was a fun experience. The weather was just perfect (cool but not cold), and the surroundings were beautiful. Despite the crowds of people, we didn't find the place crampy. To enter the Zhao Miao (Zhao Temple), you need to pay extra RMB 10 ticket each.
To go there, we simply took mtr line 4 until it ended. From there, we told the taxi driver in Chinese where we wanted to go. The taxi was around RMB 45 and took about 30 mins (due to jam). We left at about 6pm, and took bus 360 express to Beijing zoo station. It costed RMB 4 if I am not mistaken.
Written December 4, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
McGaga
Mandaluyong, Philippines62 contributions
Nov 2012 • Friends
I hope you find this article helpful. :) I found out about Xianshang Lu/ Fragrant Hill park thru the internet article "Best places for Autumn foliage in Beijing" ,Tripadvisor reviews and Lonely Planet Beijing. We decided to go there on a clear, beautiful Saturday afternoon in early November. Guide-less, clueless, without a single English speaking person anywhere, we bravely made our way there by taxi. Before getting down, the taxi driver told me there would be taxis there to take us back to the city. The drop-off was about 1.5 km walk uphill to the entrance. On the way up, I took in some local color - crafts, candied sour apples on a stick, BBQ, a noodle place, exotic street food, street musicians - quite charming. When we finally entered the park, there were trees but not too many autumn leaves. We took a few pictures of a young maple tree with orange leaves, then headed over to the cable car queue. The wait took around an hour. Getting on the cable car itself involved vigorous pushing - quite a scare, specially for seniors. It's a chair lift, so you've got to hold on to all your things while clutching the horizontal bar. My camera lens cap must have fallen down there. The 17 minute ride was a dreamscape, the view amazing! In my opinion, it's worth the queue. This ride was the best part of the experience. Shades of orange, green and gold carpeted the steep hill. My senior companion was quite daring and lost no time taking pics. When we got to the peak, I was disappointed - too crowded, too commercial, too dirty, with litter strewn everywhere. We ate our snacks, then took pictures at the incense burner peak. It's a far cry from what it once was - a quiet place of reflection fit for emperors. After that, it was very hard to find the queue for the cable car going back. 1 1/2 hour waiting time was too much to bear. The only thing good thing about it was finding more beautiful fall foliage & a tranquil park bench area along the way. By that time temperatures had dropped. For those unprepared for the cold, they had huge pillow overcoats for rent. Anyway, the ride attendants gave us another big scary push, and off we went. Even if it was freezing, the descent was quite exhilarating. I relished the pure clean air that filled my lungs. After we exited, we walked downhill to the same drop off point. By this time it had gotten dark and cabs were nowhere in sight. At this point I realized the problem - made worse with the language barrier. It took more walking and more than an hour of attempts to get a cab. With our persistence, we finally got lucky and found one driver willing to take us to Beijing. Looking back now, I would advise foreign travelers to go there with a Beijing guide. Speaking English here will get you nowhere. Though the place is popular among the locals, for foreigners, it's off the beaten track,and probably only for the brave. However, our adventurous spirit took over, and at least we survived the experience unscathed. We were also lucky to have experienced fall weather. That night, while we were sleeping - Beijing had its first snowstorm. Imagine that!
Written January 27, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
redblue150
New York3 contributions
This was a great experience. Make sure you go early in the morning because there are a lot of beautiful sites to see. Although each of the pavilions looks about the same, the scenery surrounding them are all different. I'm an amateur photographer who found lots of interesting shots here.
It's quite a shame that some of the great sites that existed during the Qing dynasty do not exist anymore as a result of the Anglo-French forces destroying them in 1860. However, what's left is still a beautiful site to see. I would recommend anyone not familiar with climbing mountains to consider taking the cable car; it is quite a hike.
The people there that I met were wonderfully friendly. Make sure you shout out at the mountaintops like everybody else! Or you can sing in the pavilions as well; you will hear lots of that too :)
It's quite a shame that some of the great sites that existed during the Qing dynasty do not exist anymore as a result of the Anglo-French forces destroying them in 1860. However, what's left is still a beautiful site to see. I would recommend anyone not familiar with climbing mountains to consider taking the cable car; it is quite a hike.
The people there that I met were wonderfully friendly. Make sure you shout out at the mountaintops like everybody else! Or you can sing in the pavilions as well; you will hear lots of that too :)
Written October 13, 2010
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Qupnicely
Beijing, China5,173 contributions
Fragrant Hills is a popular day out for locals and is often busy, however getting there and back without pre-arranged transport is a little difficult for foreign tourists. Taxis don't wait around queueing up outside to help you get back to Beijing. There are good bus services but they will be crowded in holiday seasons.
The park has a chairlift that will run you up and down the hill or you can walk, of course. There are some old pavillions and pagodas set amongst the trees and it's a great place for a picnic, especially for those who like the outdoors. plenty of tourist tat for sale both inside and out, and all the usual facilities you'd expect in a tourist spot.
If you are touristing in Beijing and the weather is fine, this makes a good day out. You can also visit the Azure Cloud Temple (Biyunsi) just inside the top gate, or go down the road to the Botannical Gardens which also house the Sleeping Bhudda Temple (Wofosi). All these have separate charges. Entry to the Fragrant Hills was 10RMB per adult.
The park has a chairlift that will run you up and down the hill or you can walk, of course. There are some old pavillions and pagodas set amongst the trees and it's a great place for a picnic, especially for those who like the outdoors. plenty of tourist tat for sale both inside and out, and all the usual facilities you'd expect in a tourist spot.
If you are touristing in Beijing and the weather is fine, this makes a good day out. You can also visit the Azure Cloud Temple (Biyunsi) just inside the top gate, or go down the road to the Botannical Gardens which also house the Sleeping Bhudda Temple (Wofosi). All these have separate charges. Entry to the Fragrant Hills was 10RMB per adult.
Written April 10, 2009
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Are there anything to see at the foot of the mountains? Pls advise. And how long it takes to trek up to the top? Thx
Written November 3, 2016
There is not much to see or do at the foot of the mountain.
How long it will take depends on how fast you can walk and how often you will stop to see buildings or the view, but I would give 1 to 1.5 hours for sure.
Written November 3, 2016
1945billy
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
HI Judith,
Could please let me have the name and contact details of where you stayed at Cuandixia? How was the accommodation? Thanks.
Written October 18, 2015
How do I get there by public transport?
Written August 31, 2015
The easiest way is to take subway line 1 to Bajiao Amusement Park and bus No. 60 to the foot of the hill of the park.
Written September 1, 2015
Hi,
Would like to know if you can see the red maple leaves in Aug. Could you pls send me some photos of this park in August?
Written June 1, 2015
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