A City with Enchanting Night Scenery! Five Must-Visit Places to Experience Harbin's Vibrant Nightlife

"The beautiful scenery of the north lies in Heilongjiang." As the plane landed at Harbin Taiping Airport, I received a text message on my phone.

Harbin, the capital of Heilongjiang Province. This is an extremely romantic city. It has many nicknames: "Ice City," "Pearl under the Swan's Neck," "Lilac City," "Oriental Moscow," "Oriental Little Paris"...

"When you come to Harbin, you must eat a Madier popsicle on Central Street, and then lick the iron railing on Central Street. This is a must-do activity. In winter, the railing on Central Street is sweet. Seriously!" Seeing my friend's message, I smiled. Don't lick it—it will stick.

I remember that night in Harbin when I encountered a heavy snowfall. The snowflakes falling from the dark sky, though silent, brought immense comfort.

Sugar-coated hawthorn sticks everywhere, red sausages everywhere, specialty restaurants everywhere... For a food lover, Harbin is a place worth visiting just for its cuisine.

This is a city you will visit again and again, but you need to experience it slowly. Six days and seven nights were obviously not enough for me to get to know a city.

In my eyes, Harbin is a city with enchanting night scenery. In winter, the sun begins to set around 4 p.m., making the nights long. But every time night falls, the city reveals another charm.

Follow my lens; I will take you through five nights to experience the ultimate romance of this city.

This is a must-visit place for anyone traveling to Harbin. Here, you can experience why Harbin is called the "Ice City." It's like a dream castle made of ice sculptures, fully showcasing the ice and snow culture and tourism charm of the northern famous city Harbin.

On December 24, 2020, the 22nd Harbin Ice and Snow World officially opened. It was incredibly popular, crowded with people most of the time.

That day, I was lucky enough to be among the first to enter the Harbin Ice and Snow World and took some empty shots.

This year's Harbin Ice and Snow World is an amazing deal—tickets are at 35% off! The original price was 290 yuan per person; now you can enter this Frozen fantasy for just 100 yuan.

I suggest you arrive before sunset. The ice sculptures at dusk are crystal clear, offering a completely different feeling from at night.

Inside Harbin Ice and Snow World, there are various food options, so you can choose to have dinner there, including KFC, Pizza Hut, and more. Or, when you feel cold, you can duck indoors for a hot drink.

As the sun sets, the sky turns deep pink.

At that moment, standing on the ice sculpture castle, looking at the mirage-like grandeur of the city, I felt it was unreal, like a dream.

No need to travel far; you can meet the world right here.

This year's Harbin Ice and Snow World is divided into six core areas based on different functions. Through ice sculpture art, it perfectly showcases classic buildings from Central and Eastern European countries, such as Russia's Yekaterinburg, Moscow Station, Estonia Gate, Latvia's St. Peter's Church, and Greece's Athens Theater.

As the most popular highlight program over the years, the extreme speed slide is the ultimate goal for tourists every year. Remember to line up early!

This ice and snow park covers a total area of 600,000 square meters, built entirely with real ice and snow. Without visiting Harbin Ice and Snow World, it's hard to imagine how lively it can be on such a freezing snowy night.

Here is a detailed map:

Before coming to Harbin, many locals recommended "Laodaowai" to me, saying it's the most down-to-earth part of Harbin, full of rich everyday life.

When I went there, I knew I would also recommend it to you.

Laodaowai's full name is the Harbin Chinese Baroque Block, the oldest area in Harbin's modern development. Streets are lined with Baroque-style buildings with Chinese characteristics, blending European charm.

This is the birthplace of Harbin. Each building is silent history, witnessing the glory of the past.

Walking through the old neighborhood, passing by old buildings weathered by a century of wind and rain, full of a sense of vicissitude, it feels like walking in the Republican era a hundred years ago.

Imagining those days: large-scale construction, meticulous carving, Chinese-Western architecture springing up like mushrooms; a mix of people from all walks of life, bustling and noisy; merchants gathering, carriages and horses coming and going, prosperous trade; patriots and heroes in secret battles, blood and rain...

Fireworks fade easily, prosperity fades away. Today's Laodaowai has a different charm—red lanterns hanging high, full of New Year flavor.

In Laodaowai, whether you are rich or poor, you can find your own joy. A century-old food street with many historic restaurants, such as Ronghua Fried Chicken, Lao Ding Feng, Zhang Bao Pu, Bei San Kai...

In the evening, I went to Zhang Bao Pu, founded in 1902, and bought a rib bun for 6 yuan—very distinctive.

Almost every shop in front had a snowman built, some domineering, some cute, attracting tourists to take photos.

There are also some general stores and snack shops here. In Harbin, convenience stores are called "Cangmai." Many street-side eateries hide the old Harbin delicacies, and you may stumble upon surprises.

Spending just one evening in Laodaowai is really not enough.

Tourists who have been to Harbin must have visited Central Street. Some say it is the most beautiful scenic line in Harbin.

Central Street, stretching 1,450 meters, is a bustling commercial pedestrian street in Harbin. It is located in Daoli District, starting from the Flood Control Memorial Tower Square on the riverbank in the north and ending at Xinyang Square in the south.

This street was built in 1900, with 71 buildings featuring various styles, including Renaissance and Baroque.

Walking straight along Central Street, passing through the underpass, you reach the Harbin Flood Control Memorial Tower Square, and then the Songhua River.

The Songhua River is one of China's seven major rivers and the largest tributary of the Heilongjiang River within China. In winter, the Songhua River freezes three feet thick. I stood there quietly, watching a sunset.

Central Street is a microcosm of Harbin, known as "Asia's First Street." It is an old street, a pedestrian street, and also an architectural art exhibition street.

I prefer the night view of Central Street over the daytime. When the lights come on, the trees on both sides are decorated with twinkling lights, creating a very romantic atmosphere.

At just over a kilometer long, Central Street is incredibly lively at night. People coming towards you are all wearing hats, scarves, gloves, and masks.

You can buy a Madier popsicle or grilled red sausage on the street, eat at Laochang Spring Pancake, have an affordable Western meal at Madier Western Restaurant, order a bowl of borscht at Lucia Western Restaurant, or visit the three-story Coca-Cola themed store—whatever you like.

On December 25, 2020, the third Harbin Songhua River Ice and Snow Carnival officially opened, turning the frozen Songhua River into a sea of joy.

Walking all the way to the end of Central Street and passing the Flood Control Memorial Tower, you can see it. The Harbin Songhua River Ice and Snow Carnival does not require a ticket; you can enter for free by scanning a QR code.

Ice drifting, snowmobiling, ice slides, snow tubing, snow sleds, ice skating, ice tug-of-war, snow volleyball, snow rugby, curling, glowing swings, seesaws... There are over fifty recreational activities.

For girls, the favorite things at the Harbin Songhua River Ice and Snow Carnival are the romantic colored lights. Reindeer, castles, snowflakes... so beautiful.

Friends who haven't been to Harbin, you can't imagine how much fun the frozen Songhua River can be in winter!

Gogol Street was built in 1901 and has a history of over a hundred years. It runs from Wenchang Street in the south to Yiman Street in the north, with a total length of 2,642 meters.

This street, when night falls, looks beautiful with just a casual snap.

The most famous landmark on Gogol Street is St. Alexeyev Church.

This is one of Harbin's long-established landmarks, an indispensable sight for Harbin travel, and also a place that has witnessed many romantic love stories.

It is an Orthodox church built in 1931, a typical Russian-style building. After restoration in 1980, it was converted into a Catholic church.

This old street also has many other attractions, such as the Russian River Park, Heping Cinema, Qiulin Company, and Garden Primary School.

There is also a bookstore I want to recommend: Gogol Bookstore. It is one of the "Most Beautiful Bookstores in China," located at 164 Gogol Street, Harbin. I will share more details with you later.

Ice City Summer Capital—Harbin is a city very suitable for winter travel.

Whether day or night, the whole city is filled with a romantic atmosphere. The night view of Harbin is especially breathtaking. You must see the Ice City under the night sky!