Oh Summer Palace! This is one place that I felt we could have explored more, said to be the largest and best preserved Imperial garden in China and was designated a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1990. It was meant to be, as the name implies -- the Summer vacation home of the emperor or empress during ancient times.
The dominant structure here is the Yu Feng Pagoda that is set on top of a hilly ground facing Kunming lake, the lake itself was actually extended in 1750 by the Emperor QianLong to imitate the famous West Lake in HangZhou.
As an extensive traveler, the Emperor took notes of every beautiful places he's been in China and incorporated it in the construction of Summer Palace.
How to get there:
Take Subway Line 4, get off at Beigongmen Station (which literally means the North Palace Gate of the Summer Palace); or you may also get off at Xiyuan Station, exit C2 and walk west.
What I loved about this place is the long walk that you have to go through just to reach the Pagoda, we opted to go through the courtyard (if you're coming from the West gate) through the Longevity Hall which stretches along the bank while enjoying the view of the lake and then afterwards climbed the hilly path where you can also get a bird's eye view of the lake and bridge. Although, I must say, you really have to be careful when climbing up that hill, it's really tough because of the ice coated stone-steps that makes the road very slippery so it's best to climb it when there's still light.
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