Trip Moments Recommendations
Sidalin Park
#harbintrip
Was here at the start of autumn Sep23. Lots of people gather here in their own interest group, playing cards, singing in groups, some gather in musical instrument groups eg. Different types of drum ensemble, harmonica and some brought an entire band! Mostly middle aged to elders. There's lots of activities; fishing cycling, and even a book sale. There's a few Cafe along the park that you could grab something to eat and drink. Most signboard are bilingual in mandarin and Russian. There'd a cable car ride to Sun Island as well. Worth spending a day there with lots of activities.
Russian Style Town
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Cool place to visit especially if you enjoy to live the culture and heritage of the Soviets before they hand over Harbin to China. I gave it a 4-Star simply because while the place is hip to visit, the surroundings isn't. The walk from the main entrance of the Sun Island Scenic route is ridiculously far and that's gonna be painful if you visit harbin during winter...burrrrrrr!!!!
Huamei Restaurant
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The atmosphere is great, the food was good but the portion is way too small for its price. It's still a great place to go if you want to try some Russian food in Harbin but it may not fill you up. A must-visit restaurant that many guides recommend due to its historical background. BUT do not expect the quality. Both lamb and beef are chewy. The portion of every dish is small. Pricy dishes. Very average customer service. A restaurant has the fame but food and service quality are very limited and out-of-fashion.
Boteman Western Restaurant
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The manager surely has improved both its food and service. We went for a lunch and the soups were not too hot not too cold. The steak was awesome, it was so tender and juicy. I have never eaten anything like this in the States before. Also, highly recommend their fish fillet, a must-try unique dish in Russia, and their bread fermented soda water.
Server was very friendly, professional, and knowledgeable of each dish. I will for sure visit again.
The Ritz-Carlton, Harbin
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The sky lobby is on the 54th floor. To go back to your room or go to the first floor, you need to go to the lobby on the 54th floor to change the elevator.
If you have breakfast in the lobby restaurant, the view is unparalleled. The location is not an advantage, you need to take a taxi to get in and out. The advantage in winter is that you can overlook the world of ice and snow (?).
The room and bathroom are large, and there is also a cloakroom. But there is only a bedside table between the twin beds, and there are few sockets. The TV can be used to mirror play videos on the mobile phone. There is turndown service. It was windy in Harbin on the last night and the room was very noisy. There was a loud resonant ping-pong sound coming from the heater vent in the bay window, which kept me awake all night.
JW Marriott Hotel Harbin River North
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This is a 1st class hotel. The staff is incredibly eager to help you and makes sure to follow through to completion. The views are excellent and the amenities are really nice. There are at least 3 different restaurants in the hotel, the late night room service is tasty, and the executive lounge is on par with some of Marriott's best. I would recommend this hotel to anyone looking to adventure out in Harbin or even just to stay in. The hotel has shuttles to local tourist attractions and they're not too far. Have fun in Harbin, but the stay will be better if you pick this hotel.
Laochujia
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The restaurant is different from the normal restaurants, it has opened more 100 years and represented the food culture in the restaurant. Walking in the restaurant, People may feel this place, is not just a restaurant, and it also is a food history archive or museum. People can see different kinds of staffs from old China on the wall, such as photos, discs, maps, newspapers, and etc. The Chinese Food TV programs have been interviewed this restaurant couple times in the past. The Fried Pork in Scoop is the most famous dish in this restaurant. People who ate at here must order this dish. Besides that, their Tofu, Ribs, Cold Rich Noodles dishes, and etc. are also very popular. I highly recommend people to have a try at Lao Chu Jia Restaurant.
Sun Island Scenic Area
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The Sun Island was commonly known by people in 1980s by the beautiful song On the Sun Island, which described the taste of the island and sung by the famous singer Zheng Xulan. Afterwards, the attractive beauty of Sun Island is appeal to more and more visitors to the island. The island in winter is just a dreamlike fairy world all covered by ice and snow, and the Snow Sculpture Exposition adds more to the island’s beauty with marvelous and magnificent ice art and snow sculptures. The Snow Sculpture Exposition, the birthplace of China’s ice and snow sculptures, together with the Ice Lantern Garden held in Zhaolin Park, the Great Snow and Ice World by the Songhua River, and the Large-scale Ice Sculpture Exhibition in Stalin Park, belong to the world famed Harbin Ice Festival that held annually from Jan.5th to the end of February.
Heilongjiang Museum
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The location is convenient, at the roundabout intersection of Hongjun Street and Dongxi Dazhi Street. Close to the subway station. It's about a ten-minute walk from the South Square of Harbin Railway Station. The building itself is a historical building. It was built in 1904. The original site was Harbin Moscow Mall. It became a museum here in
1922. Although the name has changed since then, the purpose is roughly the same. The building has two floors and one underground floor. The main exhibitions are on the first and second floors. As a provincial museum, this place is a bit cramped and condescending, and at best it resembles the layout of a museum in a second-tier city. The collection is not extensive, but there are many rare and interesting ones. If you want to understand the history of Heilongjiang, this is a good choice.
Siberia Tiger Park in Harbin
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Tiger park is well maintained and tigers are well taken cared of. Never gotten so close to tigers before.
Paid RMB 110 for entrance fees which includes a bus ride around the park. Do note that mid way through the bus ride, the bus driver would ask if the visitors would like to see live chicken being fed to the tigers. If majority agrees, he will start collecting RMB 20 from each adult to see how many chickens can be purchased with the collected amount. Afterwhich, he will communcate with the vehicle carrying the live chickens to meet in front of the bus via walkie-talkie. Chicken feathers and blood can be seen in paches around the park.
Steel Lattice Tower in Harbin
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The tower itself is not only a local landmark but also a museum. Inside the tower there is a museum of dinosaurs, with a cinema hall in which films about them are shown. Aviation Museum, a large exhibition of the old airport, flight simulators where classes are held for children (Chinese). A large exhibition is dedicated to the life of a Chinese family, a house with buildings and old utensils.
At the very top is the temple part, where you can donate to the chosen Buddha and make a wish.
I recommend visiting.
Shangri-La Hotel Harbin
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A nice hotel to stay when visiting the Harbin Ice Festival with a good location right next to the river, nearby town, and across the bridge from the festival ground. Taxi to the festival ground is readily available with the help of the concierge.
Good size room, and nice welcome gift of warm hat and gloves.
Light breakfast is served the Horizon Club Lounge, or a bigger buffet is available at the hotel restaurant. The Shang Palace restaurant is excellent as usual for dinner - especially the peking duck course carved table side - roast duck skin, roast duck meat, and duck soup.
Russian Buildings in Harbin
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Something different in China. I had my doubts coming here but I can say I had a good time and the buildings plus the landscape are beautiful. I paid 120 rmb for the ticket With the slide from the palace (it's the cheapest one, just to walk around and take pictures). There are different buildings and some of them aren't open yet. The main ones are the palace (nice dance hall), the coffee shop, the hotel, the shop and the church. Then there is also a cafe and bar, then a restaurant.
Volga Manor
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Volga Manor is located on the bank of Ashi River in Xiangfang District of Harbin City. Covering an area of 600,000㎡, the manor is an amplification of the city's Russian influences. Now, the manor featuring 30 Russian-style buildings, has become a new tourist resort featuring wet lands, landscaped gardens, hotels, restaurants, and meeting venues, hosting events such as art exhibitions and performances.
PART 1.
Saint Sophia Cathedral
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Saint Sophia is as stunning as it looks in the photos, perhaps because it is in China! Inside is “distressed” with some paintings and decoration but somehow all the more stunning as a result. The church doubles up as an art gallery - displaying atmospheric paintings of old Harbin when we visited - and our visit, as for a previous reviewer, was considerably enhanced by a wonderful solo pianist. There is a small entry fee. The church is located in a big square with a couple of unusual structures but not as attractive as the church itself
Harbin Forest Botanical Garden
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The entrance fee for this garden is 15RMB. It's length is approx. 2kms so there is still lot of space to stay alone if you want so. I went there during a weekend and still it was not crowded. I could walk alone for long distances without seeing almost anyone. Peaceful place where you can just enjoy all the nature and forget the busy life of crowded city. Not maybe your destination for a short visit to Harbin but I stayed there for 3 months so it was like a meadow for a person seeking for silence and peace still not too far away from city and public transport.
Zhaolin Park
#harbintrip
Lovely gardens and park land set in the middle of Harbin.
The gardens are free to enter and you can spend anywhere between 10 minutes and half the day in there. It is a good place to sit and enjoy yourself.
There are also boats that can be rented and a children's amusement park- both of which require money.
The park also contains some small animals in cages for children to feed.
Harbin Music Park
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This park is a sprawling recreational area located in the city of Harbin, China. This park is a haven for music lovers, as it features a wide range of musical activities and attractions that cater to all ages and interests.
One of the main attractions of Harbin Music Park is its large outdoor amphitheater, which can accommodate thousands of people. This amphitheater hosts regular concerts and performances by local and international artists, making it a popular destination for music enthusiasts.
A park in Harbin in winter
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A nice park that stretches along the Songhua River. In general, this is not one park, but officially there are already three of them, but if you walk along the river, it is difficult to understand where one ends and the second begins. It’s better to go before sunset, then you can admire how the sun disappears behind the river and night falls. At night, colorful luminous boats begin to float along the river, and a laser show begins on the other side of the river.
Jiuzhan Park in Harbin
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Jiuzhan Park is located on the South Bank of the Songhua River, with a total length of 2383 meters and an area of 251.44 hectares. Facing the famous Taiyang Island Scenic Spot across the river, it is another open riverside park close to Stalin Park. The grass beds and flower beds in the garden have unique shapes, and the green grass and flowers are blooming. This is a paradise for the elderly and children to rest and play, the best place for urban people to do morning exercises, and the ideal place for winter ice and snow tourism. The old man's Bay in the park is a famous beach and the summer lounge is a place for the elderly to rest and bask in the sun after swimming. The scissors type Songhua River Highway bridge crosses both sides of the Songhua River. The neat and beautiful flower beds under the bridge are integrated with the Jiuzhan Park, adding a moving landscape.
Harbin Stalin Park
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Stalin Park is one of the most famous scenic spots in Harbin City. Built in 1953, it now stands as an evidence of the friendship between China and Soviet Union at that time. It is characterized by Russian style flower beds and sixteen groups of art sculptures and is abundantly vegetated with trees and colorful flowers, making Stalin Park a famous summer resort at home and abroad. The place is very popular with local people on weekends.
The Harbin Ice and Snow World
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The Harbin International Ice and Snow festival is an annual winter festival that takes place with a theme in Harbin, Heilongjiang, China, and now is the largest ice and snow festival in the world. The festival includes the popular attraction Ice and Snow World. At first participants in the festival were mainly Chinese, however it has since become an international festival and competition, with the festival attracting 18 million visitors and generating 28.7 billion yuan ($4.4 billion) of revenue.The festival includes the world's biggest ice sculptures.
The Harbin Grand Theater
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Harbin Grand Theater, or Harbin Opera House, designed by Mad Architects, is situated on Harbin's Cultural Island -- a new arts hub by the Songhua River's north bank, which includes the Harbin Labor Recreation Center and Harbin Great Square, at the heart of the Sun Island Scenic Area, and in close proximity to Harbin's famous Siberian Tiger Park. Appearing as if sculpted by wind and water, the building seamlessly blends in with nature and the topography of the surrounding wetlands. Resembling a silver ribbon in the sky in summer, the construction melts into its snowy environment during winter.
Affordable&spacious hotel near Central Harbin
#harbintrip #vianasjourney
Harbin is certainly gain a lot of attention this year for one of the recommened place to visit for winter holiday. If you are looking for a cheaper place that still close to attractions in Harbin, I would recommend this Xueli Hotel or also known as SYDCN hotel (that’s what it’s written on the lift board& restaurant sign). It’s about 20-30minutes from Ice and snow world, Songhua river, St Sophia Cathedral and 50 minutes to Volga Manor by taxi. Metro was available nearby but I find it convenient and fast by taxi. Restaurant are available next road and take note that lobby is located at 32nd floor. The building itself connected to mall called Red square which mostly sell beauty products and clothes.
🇨🇳🚆 China railway 12306
Chinese name: 中国铁路12306
This is a very good tutorial on how to buy China train tickets if you cannot buy it on Trip app. I had delegated the train ticket purchasing to Trip app but my train ticket category was sold out and I also did not get assigned my preferred seat for other category. So I had to initiate a refund and then buy it myself using China railway 12306.
It is easy to register for an account by using your email address and you can add in your companion passport details as well. You can make the payment with your Singapore version Alipay which you have already linked it to a credit/debit card of your choice.
The train tickets purchasing period will open 14/15 days in advance and if you are heading to Harbin, I will suggest taking the train from other cities or direct flight from Singapore.
#harbintrip #thingstodo #mytripvlog #china #liveyourdreams #takethattrip
Wyndham Acmar Klang
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The hotel boasts a convenient location in close proximity to i-City Shah Alam, Jakel, and Sogo, providing easy access to popular destinations for guests.
The drive to the hotel is a breeze, with no traffic jams or busy streets, and the added convenience of complimentary parking for guests.
The lobby of the hotel is grandiose, exuding an air of opulence and sophistication. The chandeliers are a dazzling centerpiece, casting a cascade of radiant light and adding a touch of glamour to the lobby. Upon arrival, the receptionist was welcoming, greeting guests with a warm smile and providing attentive service to ensure a positive and comfortable check-in experience.
The hotel room that we stayed in is beautifully appointed and impeccably maintained, ensuring a comfortable and delightful stay for us. I did not find any dust, attesting to the meticulous cleanliness and upkeep of the staff.
Harbin snow ❄️ & ice 🧊 world 🌍
#harbintrip #Winter #China
Every year during winter Harbin will hold the snow and ice festival. 2024 is the 25th anniversary. And is the biggest of all time . There will be ice sculpture, games , faint ice slide 🛝. And a gaint ferry wheel .And Harbin show .. they also have a dance stage where everyone will dance and party in -20 deg temperatures. Noting to fault , all nicely done just that it is so pack that one need to que for hours to get to an event or game .
Sun island Harbin
#harbintrip
Harbin have many attractions. One of the 5A. Attraction is the ☀️ sun island 🏝. Is located just beside the snow city . Here basically show case snow ⛄️ sculpture. It really amazing that one can build such a big snow ❄️ sculpture. In such a cold weather. Thump up . As how u come here . 🚖 taxi 🚕 is the best option . Oh there are many thing to play inside as well and a mini zoo for animals feeding
Siberia Tiger Safari
#harbintrip #vianasjourney #awesomepic
Siberia tiger park is a location in the northwest area of Harbin where you can experience the Siberian tiger up close. At the ticket counter you have a couple of choices in tickets. We bought the regular park entrance ticket plus bus ticket. This allows you to take a bus that drives through the tiger enclosures. If you are lucky the tigers will come close to the bus, but if you guaranteed want a close encouter you should consider buying one of the more expensive tickets that allow you to feed the tigers from inside the bus.
Visit St Sophia Church, Ice & Snow Carnival
#harbintrip #vianasjourney #couplestrip
Saint Sophia’s Church is one of the iconic building in central Harbin. I saw plenty of visitors rent angel’s costume from nearby shop to create more exciting experience and pictures. I would recommend to visit this church both during day and night because during the day, you’ll see how sophisticated the architecture is but during the night, it’s look alive and more fun. Apart from this place, you can spend the rest of your day at Songhua river and participated with the ice and snow carnival. Plenty of activities are available such as snow slide (cost me 30rmb), cable car across the river, horse and boat riding, or you can also get into this banana boat and a car will drive you around the area. Stalls of food is available at the carnival, medical staff are available around as well incase needed for emergency. Note that toilets are a bit of walk from the area.