Harbin Travel Guide and Tips

Harbin is served as the capital city as well as the largest city of Heilongjiang Province. Located in the central area of Northeast China, Harbin is regarded as a shining pearl linking with Eurasia Bridge. Complimented as “Ice City” with gorgeous winter scenery contributed to the severe winter, Harbin creates one of the four biggest World Ice and Snow Festival with colorful and interesting activities and performances. It has never stopped to attract travelers home and abroad to attend this gala to get the fully festive fun and laughter. Harbin even surprisingly is reputed as the “Oriental Paris” and “Oriental Moscow”. That is not only results from its dense European and Russian architectural relics to make one wonder walking in a Western City, but because, beyond your imagination, that new designs from Paris and Moscow first reached here before Shanghai in the 1920s, which made people treat Harbin as China’s Fashion Capital.

Why Visit Harbin in Heilongjiang Province?

Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival: This grand festival is the first international festival themed with ice and snow which starts from January 5th every year and lasts for one whole month. To enjoy the festival to the fullest, travelers can see various, creative and grand ice and snow sculptures in Harbin Ice and Snow World, Stalin Park, Sun Island Scenic Resort and Zhongyang Street and enjoy Ice Lantern Art Fair in Zhaolin Park…Exciting Skiing Activities: Only seeing ice and snow is not enough and you’d better put your feet on the snow, stretch your body, dance on the ground and fly in the sky. There are many exciting activities you can try - skiing (2 hrs, half day, one day or more days), snow tubing, snowmobiling, snow archery…Dreamlike China Snow Town: the No.1 Snow Town in China enjoys rich snow for about 7 months, which forms the lovely mushroom houses, stumps, fences, etc. with red lanterns to make the peaceful place for mind purifying and photographing.Russian Flavor: Harbin’s old quarter is still today mostly made up of buildings that were constructed by the Russians at the turn of the 19th century. Most of the buildings are built in baroque or byzantine style with spires and cupolas and interesting shades of yellow, white, green or red. Among them, St. Sophia Cathedral is known as the symbolic architecture of Harbin, and St. Alexiev’s Church is another top precious one.City of Music: On June 22nd 2010, Harbin was appointed as a “City of Music” by the UN. Actually, Harbin has been holding Harbin Summer Music Festival (held every two years in July.) for over 50 years since 1961. When you visit in summer, travelers can immerse in the sea of music but also taste the famous Harbin Beer.

Top Attractions in Harbin

Harbin has many amazing sites concentrated on both banks of Songhua River. On the north bank, travelers can immerse yourselves into Ice and Snow World, Sun Island Scenic Resort, Harbin Pole Aquarium and see Siberian tigers at Siberian Tiger Park; on the south bank, travelers can pay a visit to Stalin Park or Zhaolin Park, enjoy leisurely walk to St. Sophia Church and Zhongyang Street to feel exotic Russian flavor. To travel out of Harbin downtown area, Yabuli Ski Resort is the best choice for skiing fun. You can also go to the China Snow Town, the no.1 snow town of China for terrific snow and village landscape.