2027 Spring Festival Suburban Ice Lanterns and Old Town Trip

Festival Dates and the Ice Lantern Window

The calendar year starts on 1 January 2027, but the ice lantern season sits inside the lunar holiday. Spring Festival eve is 5 February 2027, the first day of the year is 6 February 2027, and the Lantern Festival falls on 20 February 2027. For the exact number of holiday days and any make-up workdays, check the official State Council notice before you book transport or accommodation.

Ice lantern exhibitions in the suburbs usually open in the second half of January and run to the end of February. The festival therefore lands in the middle of the run, when the ice blocks have set solid and the light installations are complete. Early and late dates in the season can be warmer or windier, which sometimes shortens opening hours, so confirm before travelling.

Ice lanterns only work after dark, so viewing concentrates between the moment the lights come on and closing time, usually a window of three or four hours. The second to fourth days of the holiday are the busiest for outings, with packed car parks and slow-moving footpaths. Arriving within the first hour after the switch-on, or shifting to a weekday, gives a much calmer experience.

Night temperatures in the outer districts commonly sit around minus ten, and the Yanqing mountains run colder. Ice lantern parks are outdoors, so two or three hours on site calls for a heavy down jacket, hat, gloves and insulated boots. Phone batteries drain quickly in the cold, so carry a power bank and keep the handset in an inside pocket.

Longqing Gorge: The Core Ice Lantern Site

Longqing Gorge in Yanqing district is the reference point for Beijing ice lanterns. Installations follow the shape of the gorge, with large carved sculptures, frozen waterfalls and corridors of coloured light. The walking route runs from the entrance through the waterfall section to the main display area, and a full loop takes one to two hours at a relaxed pace.

Tickets usually start just above one hundred yuan, with discounts for students and older visitors on production of identification. Prices and concession rules are set by the operator and can change between seasons, so read the current announcement rather than relying on an older blog post. Buy through the official channel, since window queues build sharply around the switch-on.

There are three ways out from the city. Driving on the Jingzang expressway takes about ninety minutes but the Badaling stretch jams on holidays. The S2 suburban rail line to Yanqing station is slower but predictable, and long-distance buses run to Yanqing town where you change for a local bus or taxi.

S2 services are limited in winter, often only a few departures a day, so check the timetable and leave generous margin for the connection at Yanqing station. The train ride itself is scenic, with mountain views through the windows, but missing a return service means a long wait or an expensive taxi. Photograph the timetable board on arrival.

Gubei Water Town: Old Streets and a Great Wall Backdrop

Gubei Water Town sits in Miyun district below Simatai Great Wall and leans into winter with ice lanterns, snow scenes and small ice activities. The night view is the main draw. Entry usually costs around one hundred and forty yuan, while evening tickets and accommodation packages are priced differently, and staying inside the resort removes the need to re-enter through the gate.

The rhythm here is slow rather than checklist-driven. Walk the water lanes in daylight, look into the dye workshop, the distillery and the craft studios, then settle in a teahouse for an hour before dusk. After dark, climb to a raised viewpoint for the lights and the outline of the wall, and check the day's performance schedule when you arrive, since winter shows are reduced.

Driving takes about two hours from the centre, and tourist coaches also run from the city. Distances inside the resort are longer than they look, and the stone paving turns slippery when ice forms, so wear boots with grip. With older companions, book accommodation close to the main street to cut the walking.

One night is usually enough to see the evening lights without rushing the return. Two nights allow a morning on the wall and a slower look at the workshops. Rooms inside the resort cost more than Miyun town hotels, but the saving in travel time and gate queues often justifies the difference during the holiday.

Hill Villages: Cuandixia and Liuliqiu

Cuandixia in Mentougou is a well-preserved Ming and Qing village built of stone terraces along a hillside. Winter brings very few visitors, which makes it one of the quietest places near Beijing for a slow walk. Family guesthouses serve simple meals and rent rooms at prices well below the big resorts, and the views from the upper lanes are worth the climb.

The drive takes about two hours, and the mountain road has many bends that demand attention in snow or rain. Check the road condition before setting out and avoid the route after heavy snowfall unless the car has proper winter tyres. Village guesthouses usually answer the phone, so confirm they are open before making the trip.

Liuliqiu village near Mentougou is known for its glazed tile kiln tradition, with old kiln sites and small displays for anyone interested in craft. It works well as a half-day stop combined with other points in the district. Several villages in Fangshan and Yanqing open intermittently in winter, so call ahead rather than assuming a welcome.

Rural winter travel rewards preparation. Cash helps where card readers fail, mobile signal is patchy in the valleys, and heating in older guesthouses varies. Bring slippers, a warm layer for indoors and a torch for the lanes after dinner. In return you get stone courtyards, empty paths and a pace that the resorts cannot offer.

One-Day and Two-Day Routes

The one-day Yanqing route leaves the city in the morning, eats lunch in Yanqing town, spends the early afternoon on a short stretch of the Baihe River scenic drive, and enters Longqing Gorge for the evening lights. It suits drivers, since public transport requires tight timetable work and leaves little margin for the light show.

The two-day Miyun route starts with an afternoon arrival at Gubei, a walk through the water lanes, the night lights and a hot spring, then a night inside the resort. The next morning is for a section of Simatai Great Wall or the surrounding lanes, with departure after lunch. The pace is relaxed and works well for families and couples.

Families with children should keep the evening block short, since ice surfaces at the lantern site can be slick and hands get cold fast. Hold hands on the ramps and avoid the busiest hour at the exit. Anyone uncomfortable in deep cold can replace the outdoor evening with an indoor hot spring and a daytime village walk.

Allow half an hour for the exit at night. Car parks and shuttle buses queue when the show ends, and the road back to the city is slow in the dark. Booking a room near the site, even for one night, turns a stressful drive into a pleasant morning.

• One day: Yanqing town lunch, scenic drive, Longqing Gorge lights at dusk
• Two days: Gubei afternoon, night lights and hot spring, wall next morning
• Quiet option: Cuandixia guesthouse, walk the upper lanes at sunrise

Gear, Budget and Documents

Warmth is the first item on the list. Choose a down jacket with a high fill weight, add a fleece mid-layer, and wear lined trousers over thermal leggings. Boots should be insulated and have deep tread, and a hat, scarf and gloves are not optional at these temperatures. Keep a blanket and a flask in the car in case of a long stop.

Budget for a single day out: around one hundred yuan for the ice lantern ticket, eighty to one hundred and twenty for meals, plus fuel and tolls if driving. For two days at Gubei, entry plus one night in a resort guesthouse typically runs five hundred to nine hundred yuan, with meals and the hot spring charged separately.

Carry identification at all times. Tickets, hotel registration and concession prices all require it, and a digital copy on the phone is not always accepted. Save the booking confirmations offline as well, since mountain signal drops in and out along the route.

If you want the ice lanterns, the old town and the hotel arranged in one booking, Beijing Wanyou Tianxia International Travel Agency can combine them according to group size and whether you need accommodation. The general principle is simple: see the scenery by day, the lights at dusk and get warm early, keeping the coldest hours indoors wherever possible.

• Clothing: high-fill down, fleece mid-layer, thermal trousers, insulated boots
• Car kit: blanket, flask, torch, phone charger, cash for rural stops
• Budget: about 100 yuan entry, 80 to 120 for meals, plus fuel and tolls

Tickets and the Walking Order at Longqing

Buy ice lantern tickets through the official channel in advance. Window sales slow down sharply in the hour before the lights come on, and weekend evenings can sell out. Some seasons split the day into an afternoon session and an evening session, and only the evening session includes the lit displays, so read the entry time carefully before paying.

Once inside, follow the sequence from the entrance to the frozen waterfall section and then the main display area. The waterfall is the photographic highlight, so go there first while the path is still clear, because a crowd forms within twenty minutes. The main area is spread out and rewards a slow circuit of an hour or more.

Ground ice is the main hazard. Wear boots with grip or pull on a pair of ice cleats, and use the handrail on every staircase. Exits concentrate in the final hour, so either linger an extra half hour among the lights or leave early and wait in the car with the heater on.

Yanqing Hotels and the S2 Connection

Yanqing town has more accommodation than the area around the gorge, with chain hotels and guesthouses priced around two to three hundred yuan on weekdays and higher at weekends and during the holiday. Restaurants in town are easier to find, and the next morning can include a short drive along the scenic river road.

Accommodation close to the site is limited and more expensive, and suits people who want to see the lights and go straight to bed. If you rely on the S2 line, staying in town is the practical choice, since the station is a short taxi ride from most hotels and the first train back leaves early.

Driving on the Jingzang expressway during the holiday means leaving before seven to clear the Badaling section. Snow can bring restrictions or a requirement for chains on mountain roads, so check the forecast and the traffic app before departure, and pack chains, a shovel and a warm blanket as a matter of course.

Extreme Cold and Wind Backup Plans

A cold wave or strong wind warning can shorten opening hours or close an outdoor site at short notice. Check the operator's announcement the day before, and be ready to change plans rather than drive two hours on a rumour. Children and older visitors should stay outdoors in blocks of under two hours, warming up in a shop or a heated hall between them.

The simplest substitute is an indoor hot spring combined with a daytime walk through an old town. Gubei's workshops, exhibition rooms and teahouses fill a cold afternoon comfortably, and Cuandixia's guesthouses offer a quiet night with a short morning walk on the terraces. Both remove the risk of standing in the wind waiting for lights.

Dress in three layers whatever the forecast says: a moisture-wicking base, a fleece or wool middle and a windproof outer shell. Add a hat, scarf, gloves and thick socks, and choose insulated boots rather than fashion footwear. With those basics covered, low temperatures become a detail rather than a problem.

Driving on Winter Mountain Roads

Mountain roads in Mentougou and Yanqing climb steadily and turn often, and shaded sections hold ice long after the sun has cleared the main highway. Reduce speed before the bends, avoid overtaking on blind corners, and keep a larger gap than usual. Engine braking on long descents saves the pads and keeps the car stable.

If snow is falling, postpone the hill village plan and stay on the main routes. Chains may be required on some sections, and a two-wheel-drive car without winter tyres should not attempt steep village lanes. Fill the tank before leaving town and carry a shovel, a torch and a blanket in the boot.

Park facing outwards where possible, avoid pulling onto soft shoulders, and do not leave the car in a spot that blocks a narrow lane. In remote villages, ask the guesthouse where to leave the car rather than guessing. Getting stuck on a mountain road at night in February is a serious problem, not an inconvenience.

Food and Rest Stops

Yanqing town is a practical place for a proper meal before the ice lanterns, with country-style restaurants serving stews, braised meats and hot noodles at fifty to eighty yuan per person. Eating before entering the site saves both money and time, since food inside the park is limited and the queues build quickly after dark.

Gubei has a wide spread of restaurants inside the resort, from noodle shops to sit-down dining rooms, with prices above the city average. Book a table for the dinner hour during the holiday, or eat early at five and go straight to the lights. Hot spring hotels often include a simple breakfast, which simplifies the morning.

Village guesthouses cook what is available, usually stewed chicken, mountain vegetables, preserved pork and steamed bread. Tell them in advance if you have dietary restrictions, since supplies come from a small local market. A flask of hot water and a bag of nuts covers the gap between meals on long drives.

Final Notes

Book the transport first and the tickets second, because the S2 timetable constrains everything else. Then build the day around the light switch-on, not around the drive. If the weather turns, keep the indoor options ready and accept that a shortened trip in comfort is better than a full itinerary in a gale.

Check the official State Council notice for the holiday structure, confirm site opening hours a day ahead, and keep the car stocked for winter. With dates fixed around 1 January 2027 for the calendar year and 5 and 6 February 2027 for the festival itself, a suburban ice lantern trip becomes a straightforward plan rather than a gamble on the weather.