Winter Tour in Harbin: A 6-Day, 5-Night In-Depth Guide to Encounter the Ice and Snow Fantasy of the Northern Land

Text and photos | Mu Chenzi

As soon as winter arrives, I can't help but want to play in the snow. As a true Northeasterner, no snow means no winter. At the start of the new year 2022, I returned to my hometown Harbin and spent 6 days and 5 nights personally visiting the most representative attractions of my hometown. Here is a detailed travel guide compiled for you. Come with me to experience the dreamlike ice and snow fairy tale kingdom in winter!

Direct flight to Harbin – Harbin Polarland – Sun Island Snow Sculpture Art Expo – Sophia Cathedral – Central Street – Ice and Snow World – Yabuli Scenic Area – Ice and Snow Gallery – Snow Town – Hengdaohezi – Harbin – Return trip

**D1. Direct flight to Harbin – Harbin Polarland – Sun Island Snow Expo**

Departing from Beijing, it takes just 2 hours to land in the ice city Harbin. For lunch, enjoy authentic Northeastern cuisine: iron pot stew, warming you from the inside out. After replenishing energy, head to Harbin Polarland.

It opened a new chapter in my understanding of the underwater world: cute and lively polar bears and fighting and biting arctic wolves, the world's first underwater beluga performance 'Heart of the Ocean'... There's even a chance to interact closely with the little animals, kicking off the magical 6-day, 5-night trip at the polar land!

Just a 3-minute walk from the Polarland is the Sun Island Snow Expo. The beautiful Sun Island is now covered with white snow, with snow sculptures—some grand and majestic, some cute and charming—presenting themselves one after another. With the Winter Olympics approaching, this year's snow sculptures feature many Winter Olympics elements.

As the hometown of many Winter Olympic athletes, Harbin is filled with ice and snow sculptures featuring Olympic themes everywhere. In this pure white world, feel the love and dedication of Harbin people to ice and snow.

**D2. Sophia Cathedral – Central Street – Flood Control Memorial Tower – Stalin Park – Middle East Railway Glass Bridge – Ice and Snow World**

Today, you can get a glimpse of Harbin's landmark buildings!

Saint Sophia Cathedral is located at the intersection of Toulong Street, Duan Street, Zhaolin Street, and Shitou Avenue in Daoli District, Harbin, Heilongjiang. This Byzantine-style cathedral, as a landmark of Harbin, exudes different charms throughout the year. Whether spring, summer, autumn, or winter, a visit to Saint Sophia Cathedral in Harbin is not to be missed, because it is not only a symbol of the city but also represents its profound history.

On Central Street, a street over 1,400 meters long, you can admire a variety of architectural styles, including 71 Western-style buildings and the over-100-year-old commercial building Huicui Tower. If you're not afraid of the cold, you can even enjoy the sweetness of Modern Ice Cream in the freezing snow. Central Street connects to Xinyang Square in the south and starts from the Flood Control Memorial Tower at the riverside in the north. Next to it is Stalin Park. Strolling along the riverbank, you reach the Middle East Railway Glass Bridge, affectionately called 'Old River Bridge' by locals, which has a history of 120 years and was the earliest railway bridge over the Songhua River. It is now a tourist sightseeing bridge.

As a symbol of Heilongjiang, Ice and Snow World is a must-visit. Dreamlike fairy tale castles, experience the thrill of speeding down the cool ice slides. Crystal clear during the day, dazzling with flowing light at night. Ice and Snow World is like a fairy tale kingdom in reality.

**D3. High-speed rail to Yabuli – Yabuli Scenic Area – Northeast folk horse-drawn sleigh – World's longest toboggan run – Yabuli Panda House – Yabuli Entrepreneurs' Permanent Conference Site – Yabuli Bingling Valley night view**

Departing from Harbin, it takes about 1.5 hours by bullet train to reach Yabuli West, where we start our two-day, one-night snow play trip.

Just 10 minutes by car from the high-speed rail station, you can experience a long-awaited horse-drawn sleigh ride across the vast snowy plains. The cold wind blowing feels absolutely exhilarating.

From November to the end of March each year, Yabuli is a prime skiing destination for ski enthusiasts from around the world. Here you can fully enjoy the excitement and fun of thrilling entertainment. Take the high-speed cable car to the mountain top, admire the beautiful forest sea and snow plains below, then take the sled down the hill for a thrilling and exciting experience on the world's longest toboggan run.

At the Yabuli Panda House, I met the two northernmost giant pandas in China: Youyou and Sijia. They are very lively, huge in size, chubby, and super adorable, showing no signs of discomfort despite the heavy snow outside.

'China's Davos, the world's Yabuli' – when in Yabuli, how can you miss the Yabuli Entrepreneurs' Permanent Conference Site! Visit the Chinese Entrepreneurs Museum and feel the spiritual home that Chinese entrepreneurs long for.

When night falls, head to the colorful Bingling Valley, where bizarre tree icicles make you feel like you're in a fairyland.

**D4. Ice and Snow Gallery – Snowmobile – Snow Town – Dreamland**

Along the way to Snow Town, there are many fun places.

In the rime corridor, experience the beauty of ice and snow crystal. Drive to Dadingshan Mountain to feel the thrill of riding a snowmobile. Climb to the top to see the pristine white snow, take beautiful photos while enjoying the natural snow scenery.

Next, we head to Snow Town. White snow flows down the eaves, and the light from the hanging lanterns looks like red flames clinging to soft cotton candy, making you feel as if you're in an ice and snow fairy tale world. Here you can try splashing water into ice, have snowball fights, build snowmen, sleep on a Northeastern heated kang, and taste frozen pears and frozen persimmons!

As night falls, neon lights echo the white snow. Accompanied by the crunching footsteps, head to Dreamland, a castle built with snow. Soft snow blankets, round snow mushrooms, and plump snow houses make you want to stay a little longer.

**D5. Snow Town – Hengdaohezi – Middle East Railway Locomotive Depot – Hengdaohezi Siberian Tiger Park – Yabuli High-speed Rail Station (back to Harbin)**

Hengdaohezi was founded in 1897 at the beginning of the construction of the Suifen-Manchuria Railway, a year earlier than the founding of Harbin city. It has an exotic garden town and an accordion-shaped Middle East Railway locomotive depot. There are over 200 remaining Russian-style buildings in the town, most of which date from that period. The most precious thing is that over a hundred years of wind and frost have not changed this small town much.

After lunch, visit the world's largest Siberian tiger breeding center: Hengdaohezi Siberian Tiger Park. Take a caged vehicle into the free-range area to experience the king of the forest up close and observe their behavior. Following the principle of 'releasing tigers back to the mountains,' the tigers maintain a wild lifestyle. Besides tigers, there are many other animals: white tigers, lions, sika deer, etc., making it a great place for family outings.

Wake up naturally, and with a heart full of snow memories, head back home.

Harbin's food is generous in portion, just like the people here—straightforward, enthusiastic, and warm. Recommended local delicacies: iron pot stew, dumpling feast, whole fish feast...

Harbin: Recommended to stay near Central Street for convenient transportation. Central Street is relatively close to various attractions.

Yabuli: There is a wide variety of hotel choices, including hot spring resorts and guesthouses, suiting all budgets.

Snow Town: You can experience the characteristic Northeastern heated kang. If not used to it, there are also hotels available within the scenic area.

Snow falls on mountain forests, everything is bleak. At the end of the snow-covered world lies the hometown of snow. Flurries fly, scattering all over the sky. The whole world becomes incredibly brilliant the moment snowflakes fall. The annual winter has arrived. With a 6-day, 5-night in-depth tour, Heilongjiang fulfills all your romantic fantasies of a winter fairy tale. When the world's colors are reduced to only white and blue, no one can resist such an ice and snow painting.