Cherry Blossoms in Beijing You Have To See in 2024

Top 9 Must-See Cherry Blossoms Spots in Beijing for 2024 🌸

Coming to Beijing and looking for something to do free or cheap in Beijing? A great way to see the city looking it’s absolute best is to visit the cherry blossoms.

Beijing is quickly becoming one of the most popular tourist spots to enjoy the cherry blossoms in China, and with good reason!

After a long and largely lifeless winter in Beijing, entering springtime brings a new lease of life into the city.

Beginning at the end of March and lasting throughout April and into May, the city brightens up to showcase a beautiful array of flowering blossoms.

Let’s look at the best places for beautiful, blossom-filled views…

Best Cherry Blossoms in Beijing #1 – Yuyuantan Park

Best Cherry Blossoms in Beijing #2 – Jingshan Park

Best Cherry Blossoms in Beijing #3 – Pinggu Peach Groves

Best Cherry Blossoms in Beijing #4 – Beijing Botanical Garden

Best Cherry Blossoms in Beijing #5 – The Great Wall

Best Cherry Blossoms in Beijing #6 – The Summer Palace

Best Cherry Blossoms in Beijing #7 – Beihai Park

Best Cherry Blossoms in Beijing #8 – The Forbidden City

Best Cherry Blossoms in Beijing #9 – The Temple of Heaven

Before getting stuck into the list we just wanted to make you aware of a phenomenon that seems mainly reserved for China.

When coming to a tourist attraction, especially one with pretty colours such as this one, expect the elder Chinese generation to steal the limelight with their selfie sticks and poses.

They tend to outdo their younger compatriots, to our surprise and the husband/boyfriend’s job for the day generally revolves around taking 1000’s of pictures! Enjoy

Here’s our list of the 9 best places to enjoy the Chinese cherry blossom festival season in Beijing.

Best Cherry Blossoms in Beijing
#1 Yuyuantan Park

📍Name in Chinese:  玉渊潭公园 (yùyuāntán gōngyuán)
🌸Type of blossom: Cherry Blossoms
📅Best time to go: End of March/Mid- April

Yuyuantan Park (also referred to as Jade Lake Park) is probably one of the most famous places in Beijing for enjoying cherry blossoms in China.

It has the largest collection of cherry trees in Beijing (over 2,000) and the gardens themselves are stunning.

Here you will also find the Yuyuantan Park Cherry Blossom Festival – run by Yuyuantan Park.

This is the largest festival of its kind in northern China, and it attracts people from all over the world every year.

Aside from the Cherry Blossoms, the park has many attractions that make it fun for all the family. So whether you have kids or you are a big kid yourself, you won’t run out of things to do here!

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Best Cherry Blossoms in Beijing
#2 Jingshan Park

📍Name in Chinese: 景山公园 (jǐngshān gōngyuán)
🌸Type of blossom: Peony Blossoms
📅Best time to go: Late April – late May

Escape the hustle and bustle of China’s capital city, Beijing, and go to Jingshan Park for a piece of bliss and serenity amongst the otherwise crowded and noisy city centre.

Jingshan Park is located just North of the Forbidden City. It is a perfect place to relax.

Every year the city holds its annual Peonie flower exhibition in Jingshan Park – which showcases the biggest collection in the whole of Beijing.

This has been a tradition since the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368).

As well as the 30,000+ peonies and 200 varieties to enjoy, you will also be able to enjoy the site of the many locals that come here on a daily basis to practice tai-chi, dance, or just take a walk.

Best Cherry Blossoms in Beijing
#3 Pinggu’s Peach Groves

📍Name in Chinese: 平谷桃花海 pínggǔ táohuā hǎi
🌸Type of blossom: Peach Blossoms
📅Best time to go: April – May

Pinggu in Liujiadian County lies about 40 miles (70km) northeast of Beijing – but with over 6,000 hectares of peach groves, it’s definitely worth the trip on a sunny day.

Pinggu offers something for all the senses; take a stroll through the groves and enjoy the powerful fragrance surrounding the area or have a picnic and enjoy picking and sampling your own peaches.

All whilst surrounded by what is said to be the largest peach grove area in the world.

Best Cherry Blossoms in Beijing
#4 Beijing Botanical Garden

📍Name in Chinese: 北京植物园 (běijīng zhíwùyuán)
🌸Type of blossom: Peach Blossoms
📅Best time to go: Early April – May

As soon as Beijing begins to warm up, the peach blossoms at the Beijing Botanical Gardens start to blossom.

Thousands of peach trees line up to create an endless sea of colour, and with over 70 varieties of peach trees each with their own unique character, you definitely won’t get bored of the sight of them.

The botanical gardens boast the largest peach blossom garden in the whole of Northern China, located just outside of the centre of Beijing.

The Beijing Peach Blossom Festival is also held in these gardens – although the exact date of this festival varies annually.

So, if you haven’t taken a trip to the botanical gardens yet – now is your perfect chance!

WANT TO DISCOVER SOME NEW VOCAB? – Learn the plants in Chinese with us.

Best Cherry Blossoms in Beijing
#5 The Great Wall

📍Name in Chinese: 长城 chángchéng
🌸Type of blossom: Apricot Blossoms and Peach Blossoms
📅Best time to go: Beginning of April

Alongside the Badaling Great Wall stretch, you’ll find large fields of Apricot trees that brighten up the landscape.

Another great section to see blossoms along the Great Wall is at Huanghuacheng. Here you’ll be met with peach blossoms which look beautiful set beside the only section of the Great Wall by an actual lake.

Combine a trip to the Great Wall with a bit of blossom viewing and you’ll have the perfect combination of tourist attraction and nature enjoyment – plus, it makes those pictures more Instagram-friendly.

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Best Cherry Blossoms in Beijing
#6 Summer Palace

📍Name in Chinese:  颐和园 (yíhéyuán)
🌸Type of blossom: Cherry Blossoms, Magnolia Blossoms
📅Best time to go: End of March or beginning of April

Head to the popular Summer Palace in Beijing towards the end of March or the beginning of April.

This is definitely the best time to visit, as you’ll be hit by the beautiful fragrance produced by the Magnolia trees.

As well as Magnolia blossoms you will also see plenty of cherry blossoms throughout the Summer Palace, in temple courtyards, on some of the many hills or on the lakeside.

Best Cherry Blossoms in Beijing
#7 Beihai Park

📍Name in Chinese: 北海公园 (běihǎi gōngyuán)
🌸Type of blossom: Cherry Blossoms
📅Best time to go: End of March or beginning of April

Beihai Park is one of the best parks in Beijing to visit whatever the time of year with boating in summer, ice skating in winter and blossoms in the spring.

A view you should definitely watch out for is the cherry trees surrounding the White Dagoba which stands on the Jade Flowery Islet in the middle of the lake.

This park is also a popular spot for local Beijingers so it’s also a great place to do a bit of people watching as well as viewing the spring blossoms.

Best Cherry Blossoms in Beijing
#8 The Forbidden City

📍Name in Chinese: 故宫 gùgōng
🌸Type of blossom: Cherry Blossoms
📅Best time to go: End of March or beginning of April

You might not immediately think of The Forbidden City as a place to visit for cherry blossoms in Beijing.

However, the cherry trees dotted around the former palace are a beautiful sight contrasted against the red walls of the buildings.

If you’re planning on going here to see the cherry blossoms we’d recommend booking a ticket in advance online as they often sell out very quickly on the day. You’ll also need to make sure to bring your passport with you, as you won’t be allowed in without it!

Best Cherry Blossoms in Beijing
#9 The Temple of Heaven

📍Name in Chinese: 天坛公园 (tiāntán gōngyuán)
🌸Type of blossom: Clove Blossoms
📅Best time to go: End of March – End of May

In the Temple of Heaven, there are 240 clove trees that line up to create a sea of colour.

You can find them near the Hall of Prayer. They really make a very striking site!

If you’ve been to the Temple of Heaven before but want to see the blossoms you can save yourself some money by only paying the entrance fee to the park grounds and not for the temple as well.

If you’re a big fan of blossoms, check out our blog with recommendations for the best places to catch the blossoms in Taiwan.

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Cherry Blossoms in Beijing – FAQ’s

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