Harbin Ice and Snow World – world’s largest ice and snow festival – is truly experience out of this planet! In winter the city of Harbin transforms into a magical winter wonderland, drawing millions of visitors from around the globe with phenomenon display of 2,000 ice and snow sculptures, along with ice slides and other attractions.
When I first heard about it from another traveler I didn’t think twice before I flipped my itinerary and turned ‘Harbin mode on adventure’! It’s an experience you cannot miss if you are in China. Here’s everything you need to know about getting there, tickets, dressing up, indoor attractions and generally about how to visit Harbin Ice and Snow World in China – the most incredible winter wonderland on earth!
Harbin world's largest ice and snow festival!
Harbin Ice and Snow World is the main part of the Harbin Ice Festival, which is present across the whole town.
Initially Harbin wasn’t present on my itinerary because simply no information popped out while I was surfing online for best places to visit in China.
Luckily I was staying in Beijing Yue Xuan Courtyard Garden International Youth Hostel (in Dongsi Alley) – which is truly the only right place to begin your adventure in China. The staff and guests helped me so much with travel advice and making few trips very easy and enjoyable! No matter how well you are prepared for trip to China – trust me – you will need some advice and help. I though I’m a seasoned traveler and still needed help with many things! The hostel offers comfy dorms and private rooms, and has really great facilities. Just there one British guy (half Irish but not Welsh as he pointed out 😉) just got back from Harbin – the Ice and Snow World Winter Wonderland and said the place is going to blow my mind!
Some facts about Harbin Ice and Snow World.
TIME: Harbin Ice & Snow Festival usually last from: mid-Decembe till February (although the opening and closing dates can vary depending on weather conditions).
TEMPERATURE: Winter temperatures in Harbin estimate around: -15 up to -35. Such climate creates perfect conditions to create the Ice masterpiece, which attracts millions of tourists each year.
EDITION: 2023 was 25th Harbin Ice and Snow World edition!
POPULARITY: It is being visited by over 20 million people a year! That tells all!
THE ICE FESTIVAL: The main attraction of the Harbin Ice and Snow City Wonderland is the immense ice and snow sculptures that are breathtaking in their scale and intricacy (especially during night time display!).
These sculptures are crafted by skilled artists who use ice blocks transported from the nearby frozen Songhua River.
The entire exhibition area covers about 600,000 square meters and features various themed sections, each showcasing different architectural buildings from all over the world.
Harbin Ice & Snow fairytail by night!
If you want fill your life with amazing things and memories, you need to go to Harbin Ice Festival. Harbin Ice & Snow World looks splashing at day light but I would never miss the night image. The ice festival by night is a stunning display of lights and colors that transforms the Harbin Ice and Snow City into a magical wonderland after sunset.
The festival showcases the ice and snow sculptures illuminated with colorful lights, creating truly a mesmerizing and breathtaking experience.
Truly magic experience!
The entire exhibition area comes alive with vibrant lighting designs, enhancing the beauty and grandeur of the ice and snow sculptures. The intricate details of the sculptures are highlighted, making them even more impressive and captivating.
As you stroll through the festival, you’ll witness a dazzling array of colors dancing across the ice and snow structures. The lights are carefully positioned to highlight the sculptures’ contours, textures, and architectural intricacies, resulting in a truly stunning visual spectacle.
How to get to Harbin?
Harbin Ice and Snow City Wonderland is located in Harbin, the capital city of Heilongjiang Province in northeastern China.
Two easiest ways to get to Harbin city are – bullet train or plane – and the most funny thing is that the flight might be cheaper than train. Both tickets need to be purchased in advance! That’s really important, as getting train tickets to travel the mainland was my biggest nightmare, as most was sold out.
- BULLET TRAIN takes 5.50h to travel from Beijing 1300km. Best platform you can use in China for booking train tickets (speed, slow, sleep trains) is TRIP.com. Travel time: around 4-5h. Pirice: $60-$100.
- FLIGHT – there are many flights for main cities in China to Harbin. Flight from Beijing takes 2h. The best price I found was on Skyscanner.com (check for last minute flights and airline deals) – I compared the prices with Chinese platfroms and Alipay and all were the same. Alipay (the best Chinese app) sometimes blocks payments if you have made too many on the day, and skyscanner is hassle-free and quick on booking. Travel time: 2h, flight ticket below $100 if booked in advance.
- JUNEYAO AIR – I bought my flight one day before departure with Juneyao Air for $160 one way with 20kg check-in luggage included. The airline is very comfortable, extremely on-time, with hot meal is included. Online checkin wasn’t available (probably for foreighenrs only) – don’t worry can be quickly done at the airport checkin counter.
Visit North of China.
Harbin, located in north of China Heilongjiang province, bording with Russia, surprises with almost everything, size of the city, atmosphere, festivals, boulevards, street food, great subway and intensity – there are literally thousands of visitors!
I couldn’t get enough walking the streets, exploring local cafes, street food and night markets. It almost seems like the city never sleeps!
How to get to Harbin city centre?
Once you arrived in this icy city (I presume if you are there for the ice and snow festival, so it’s deep winter – with temperatures most likely way below minus 20, and you want to get out of there as quickly as possible 😉 ! A very good idea is pre-booking pick up transportation.
From Harbin Train Station – If you arrived by train the easiest way is getting a taxi – it’s cheap, fast and warm – I paid ¥50 (and there was one more girl traveling).
From Harbin City Centre to Harbin Airport – pre-booked transportation or taxi is the only option, maximum amount you should pay for taxi is ¥120 including highway fare of ¥30. You can always ask the driver to turn on a taximeter to avoid confusion. Taxis are relatively cheap in China and given enormous distances sometimes it is a blessing to have them operating on low fares.
Where to stay in Harbin?
Trust me you want to stay near the main boulevard! I stayed in a super organized and friendly Fuyihao International Youth Hostel (Central Street, Saint Sophia Cathedral). Private rooms are super comfy, the place is clean with great location and atmosphere! It’s located just at the main boulevard. it’s an ideal choice for travelers who want to take in the sights and sounds of Harbin. Crowds are overwhelming at any time of the day. The hostel is located a short walking distance from Sophia’s Cathedral, which you can’t miss to visit.
Few top budget-friendly and super comfy picks:
- Extremely popular and high rated James Joyce Coffetel Harbin Central Street.
- Exceptional Vienna Hotel Harbin Haxi High-Speed Railway Station Wanda Plaza.
- 4 star Zmax Hotel·Harbin Bingxue Big World.
- Browse all Harbin accomodations.
What is the best time to visit Harbin?
Well, that’s a very good question, as long as you wish to visit the ice festival- you have to dress up wisely to be able to cope with the freezing temperatures in Harbin.
Winter climate in north China is brutal – from November to March prepare yourself for temperatures ranging from -15 up to – 35. I was hanging around the Harbin Ice & Snow World in -20 and the night I was leaving the city temperature dropped to -31. You will definitely spend few hours in the Ice World and you want to enjoy yourself and that can be only accommodated with proper clothing.
How to visit Harbin Ice and Snow World?
This is my best recommendation I can give you ahead visiting this magic attraction!
- Get Entry Tickets in advance.
- Get Subway to get there – is the best and quickest option.
- Get there around 3pm to witness the Ice World during day time. It gets dark around 4pm. Grab some food in one of the stalls (it’s delicious and cheap) before you continue exploring the place.
- Once you have an extra energy explore the Ice and Snow World at night time.
- Slides are not that great – long wait and slow sliding down.
- If you decide to go with a tour – a good thing is that you won’t miss anything, they are making sure you get the best out of the adventure!
- Dress properly – otherwise you will not be able to enjoy the attraction with temperature below minus 20 – see my advice at the bottom.
How to get to Harbin Ice & Snow World?
The easiest and most convenient way is to take subway. The station is located 50 metres from the main Ice & Snow World East entrance. We tried to order a taxi, but almost nodoby speaks English and unless you have your translator in Alipay or a clear name of your destination in Chinese, nobody will understand where you’re going.
Download Harbin Subway map and get to the nearest station.
Check on iPhone maps directions on how to get there – it also shows subway as quickest option.
- From Harbin Taiping International Airport, 45 min’s driving (40 kilometres)
- From Harbin Xiangfang Railway Station, 40 min’s driving (15 kilometres)
- From Harbin Railway Station, 30 min’s driving (10 kilometres away)
- From St.Sophia Church, 30 min’s driving (9 kilometres away).
Secure tickets in advance for Harbin Ice & Snow World!
You should definitely purchase tickets in advance for the Harbin Ice & Snow World (like for most attractions in China). Here you can easily get them online on Klook. You will not believe the queue for the Ice World at the end of January – my first though was – it won’t be possible to get in!! I’m not exaggerating, there was about 2-3 thousand people queuing up at the entrance. We waited good 45 minute outside only to get in. I was so rushing to get to Harbin that I didn’t purchase my ticket in advance! It was such a spontaneous decision to go to Harbin, that there was no time to think about securing tickets. I also didn’t realize this attraction is sooo extremely popular! Luckily – you can buy tickets at the entrance!
Harbin tickets prices.
Tickets: Adults ¥330
Best time to get there is 3pm, it gets dark around 4pm.
All types of payment are accepted: Cash, Alipay and card payments.
You’ll get a map of all facilities in the ice land along with your ticket.
Gatting an organized tour is hussle-free and very convenient option from Tripadvisor:
The Ice Wonderland by night!
It’s beautiful during day time but it’s magic at nighttime! There ice sculptures, famous castles, impressive towers and even slides made of ice cubes, all sparkling in magic colours!
It absolutely one of the most magnificent places I’ve been around the world! Traveling from Beijing to Harbin was fully worth it, given it wasn’t the cheapest 2-day gateaway, it is an adventure of a life-time!
What to wear to survive in the icy city? 😉
PROPER WINTER CLOTHES. OK – once you traveled long way to Harbin, you want to enjoy Ice & Snow World. But this can be done with wise clothing preparation. You need to wear proper winter clothes – some of the thick clothes you already have may not be cold-proof enough for Harbin.
Warm socks, winter boots, 2x pairs of gloves is a must! Warm hat, 2-3 layers of warm clothing (not hiking, it has to keep you warm in a low activity), proper winter jacket, scarf covering your mouth/face. There is no such thing as overdressed in Harbin!
WINTER SHOES – put some Feet warmers (sole heaters) – you can buy them in advance, it will keep your feet warm up to 8 hours.
PHONE BATTERY – Phone battery won’t perform long in such low temperatures, make sure you have a power bank with you.
