HARBIN
The frozen city
Quick facts
China
Heilongjiang
5 Nights
6 days
Temperature
drops to -20°C
December
2024
Ice & Snow
World
Currency ¥
Chinese Yuan
Harbin is a city in northeastern China known for its freezing winters, Russian influence, historic architecture and spectacular ice and snow sculptures. We spent five nights here in December, exploring the city, walking across the frozen Songhua River and discovering local food markets. The highlight was Harbin Ice and Snow World, where we spent hours playing on the ice.
Our Days in Harbin
Arriving in Harbin
We arrived in Harbin and went straight to our hotel to sleep after travelling.
Ice and Snow World
We spent the day at Harbin Ice and Snow World. An unforgettable experience full of huge ice buildings and frozen surprises.
Discovering the city
We visited the Harbin Party History Memorial Hall, Saint Sophia Square, the food market and walked to the frozen river.
The frozen river
We took the gondola at sunset, explored the other side, and walked back across the frozen river.
Exploring differently
We took local buses visited the train station, walked along the main streets and got a little lost. We tried local food, Harbin ice cream and frozen strawberries.
PASSPORTS
During our stay in Harbin, the police came to our hotel to check our passports. This is something to be aware of when travelling in China, as identity checks can take place at hotels, particularly in areas that receive fewer international tourists. It is a normal procedure, so keep your passport or identification details available and follow the hotel’s instructions if a check takes place.
THE MAIN HIGHLIGHT
Harbin Ice and Snow World
Harbin Ice and Snow World is a massive park filled with incredible ice buildings, illuminated sculptures and frozen surprises. Recognised by Guinness World Records as the world’s largest temporary ice and snow theme park in December 2023, it covered an incredible 816,682.5 m². We spent hours exploring, sliding across the ice on plastic donuts and discovering unique creations, from an ice hotel and an igloo to frozen fish, roses and pineapples.
We timed our visit perfectly with sunset. As the daylight faded, we headed to the ice slide section and went down the enormous slides on sleds, watching the whole park light up around us. From the top, we could see both the real city and the colourful ice city below. It was one of the most magical experiences of our trip.
02
Harbin city
Beyond the ice. Harbin has a lot to offer. The city’s Russian influence is visible in its architecture, with beautiful historic buildings, wide streets and unique details. We enjoyed wandering around the main streets. visiting the Harbin Party History Memorial Hall, Saint Sophia Square and the local food markets.
The atmosphere is very different from the rest of China, and even just walking around the city is an experience, especially in winter when everything is covered in snow
03
Songhua River
The Songhua River was one of the things that surprised us most in Harbin. When we visited in December, it was completely frozen, creating an enormous stretch of ice that felt almost impossible to comprehend. We walked along it and watched people working on the ice, with machines moving around as preparations for the winter attractions continued.
On 25 December, we took the gondola across the river around sunset and explored the other side before walking back over the ice. Seeing the river from above was impressive, but crossing it on foot gave us a completely different perspective. Its sheer size, the activity happening on the ice and the winter sunset made it one of our most memorable experiences in Harbin.
A Taste of Harbin
Hot coffes
With temperatures this low, a hot coffee was always welcome. We grabbed ours before heading out to explore the city and face another day in the freezing cold.
Vegetable Soups
We stopped at the food market for a warm bowl of vegetable soup before heading straight to Ice and Snow World. It was exactly what we needed.
Harbin Ice-cream
We had to try Harbin’s famous ice cream. Eating something frozen while already freezing outside felt a little ridiculous, but we were glad we gave it a try.
Frozen strawberries
We bought these strawberries from a street vendor while exploring Harbin. They were delicious, and stopping for a little street food made our walk even better.
Explore the food market
The main food market in the square has several levels to explore. We recommend walking around, seeing what the stalls offer and trying something that catches your eye.
Our Cost
*5 nights · 6 days · 2 people
| Category | Total (2 People) | Per Day (2 People) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🛏 Accommodation | 124 AUD | 24.80 AUD* | Hotel accommodation |
| 🚌 Transport | 30 AUD | 5 AUD | Local buses and city transport |
| 🍽 Restaurants and cafes | 174 AUD | 29 AUD | Local markets |
| 🎟 Attractions | 197 | 33 | Harbin Ice and Snow World and gondola |
| 🧺 Extras | 5 | 1 | Miscellaneous |
| Total | 530 AUD | 89 AUD | – |
* Accommodation is calculated per night, while the other categories are calculated per day. All prices are approximate.
CONTINUE READING
Would we recommend Harbin?
Absolutely, if you want to experience a different side of China. The Russian influence, historic architecture, frozen river and incredible food made it special, but the highlight was definitely Ice and Snow World. Seeing the ice buildings light up at sunset and sliding down the ice on sleds was unforgettable.
Be prepared for the cold, though. Temperatures dropped to around −20°C during our stay, so proper winter clothing is essential. If you enjoy winter landscapes and unique experiences Harbin is well worth visiting.
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