# Beijing Garden Expo Park: Gardens from Across China, One Metro Ride Away > A vast site of themed gardens from China's provinces and abroad, reachable from KOULING Ruiyue with a single interchange — and the home of Beijing's biggest lantern festival. _Category: attraction · Reading time: 5 min read_ Beijing Garden Expo Park is a large park in Fengtai built around a simple idea: give every Chinese province and a handful of foreign countries a plot, and let each build a garden. The result is a place where a Suzhou-style courtyard sits a short walk from a north-western desert garden. It is spacious, rarely crowded outside festival periods, and reachable from Line 9 with one change. ## Why go If you have already done the Forbidden City and the Summer Palace, this is the next step: Chinese garden design, in one place, without the crowds. It is also one of the few large Beijing parks where a whole day can pass quietly — wide avenues, water, and shade. Around Chinese New Year the park transforms into one of the city's biggest lantern festivals, which is a different and much busier experience. ## Beijing Garden Expo Park The site is big — plan on walking or using the internal shuttle buses. The provincial gardens are the core of it, with the Jiangnan-style gardens (white walls, rockery, still water) the most photographed. There are also exhibition halls, a museum of gardening, and open lawns. Because the park is large and partly wooded, it stays cooler than the city centre in summer. - Metro: Yuanboyuan Station (Line 14), Exit B2 — from Guogongzhuang take Line 9 to Qilizhuang and change to Line 14 - Opening hours: Varies by season and by event — verify on the official channel before travelling - Tickets: General admission has been free or low-cost at different times; the lantern festival and other special events are ticketed separately - How long: 3–5 hours ## Getting in and getting around - **Use Exit B2** — From Yuanboyuan Station take Exit B2 and walk north-west along Yuanbo Avenue, roughly 800 m to Gate 2. - **Or take the shuttle bus** — Special bus routes (including the 115 branch line) run from the station to Gates 3, 4 and 5 — useful in the heat or with children. - **Do the gardens first** — Start with the provincial gardens while you are fresh, then use the open areas for a slow afternoon. - **Bring water and snacks** — The park is large and services are spread out; there are also restaurants just outside the gates. - **Check the event calendar** — Lantern festivals and seasonal shows change both the hours and the ticketing. ## The lantern festival season - **What it is** — Around Chinese New Year the park hosts a large lantern festival with illuminated installations, food streets and performances. - **It is a separate ticket** — Festival entry is priced and timed separately from normal park admission. - **Go early or late** — Lanterns look best after dark, but the crowds peak right at dusk — arrive before opening or well into the evening. - **Dress warmly** — Beijing in January and February is cold after sunset; the park is open and exposed. ## Related Beijing guides If you found this useful, these cover the next question most visitors ask: - **Attractions** — /guides/summer-palace-beijing/ - **Transport** — /guides/getting-around-tianjin-day-trip/ ## Tickets, booking and what your ticket covers Standard daytime entry has historically been modest — roughly 20 RMB for adults, with concessions for students and seniors — but the park switches to a tiered pricing system during the lantern festival, when evening tickets can cost several times more and often sell out for peak dates. Buy online in advance through the park's official WeChat account or a platform like Trip.com; foreigners can usually book with a passport number and scan the QR code or show the passport at the gate. Your base ticket covers the gardens and grounds but not everything: the internal sightseeing shuttle, some indoor pavilions, and the Yongding Tower viewing platform have historically charged separately, typically 20–40 RMB each. Check the official site or WeChat notice on the day, because what is included changes seasonally, and festival-era rules about re-entry and last admission times are enforced strictly. ## Common mistakes and what to skip - **Underestimating the size** — The park is several kilometres end to end. First-timers try to walk everything and burn out by mid-afternoon. Pick two or three regions (the Jiangnan-style gardens and the international section are the best value) and shuttle between the rest. - **Arriving at the wrong gate** — The main south gate is not the same station exit as Gate 3 or the north side. Confirm which gate matches your metro exit before you set off, or you will add 20-plus minutes of walking. - **Expecting blooms in winter** — Between roughly December and March the gardens are stark and many features are dormant; the lantern festival is the reason to go then, not the planting. - **Paying for every shuttle** — The shuttle is worth it once to orient yourself, but the central lakeside loop is pleasant on foot — skip repeated rides unless you are short on time or mobility. - **Skipping water and sun cover** — Shade and drink stalls are sparse away from the main axis. Bring water in summer; the exposed lakeside areas get hot and there is little cover. ## Practical tips - **Verify hours before you go** — Opening times change with the season and with events more than at most Beijing parks. - **Combine with World Park** — Both are within easy reach of Line 9 — a garden morning and a mini-landmarks afternoon makes a full, varied day. - **It is a walking park** — Wear comfortable shoes; distances between the garden plots add up quickly. - **Weekdays are quiet** — Outside festival weeks you may have whole sections of the park to yourself. ## Where to stay **KOULING Ruiyue Hotel** — 5m from Guogongzhuang Metro Station · 9.6/10 · US$26 View hotel: https://12001.net/hotels/ruiyue/ From KOULING Ruiyue, it is one line and one change: Line 9 from Guogongzhuang to Qilizhuang, then Line 14 to Yuanboyuan. And because Guogongzhuang is the terminus, you start the journey with a seat. Rooms from US$26. --- Source: https://12001.net/guides/beijing-garden-expo/ © KOULING Hotels