First Trip to Harbin: Summary of a Family Trip with Kids
2023.12.7 ~ 2023.12.12 Harbin Travel Notes
1. Pitfalls and Dislikes
1. Central Street Pitfalls: Except for well-known brands, everything else—food, drinks, shopping—is overpriced.
(1) Street carts are especially expensive, targeting tourists (It's tough for vendors to push carts in -20°C, but prices are really high; a similar cold-weather hat sells for 80 yuan on the cart, but 39 yuan on Taobao);
(2) Visited some cold-weather gear shops; prices were similar to Taobao, styles basically the same, didn't seem like genuine local cold-weather gear, and we didn't like the styles, so we didn't buy anything;
(3) Frozen pears and frozen persimmons were also more expensive than other street vendors, and they didn't taste good anyway;
(4) The morning market on Hongzhuan Street was just average—it's basically vendors set up at the entrance of a vegetable market. We bought a potato wrap and bean cakes, both tasted mediocre, and the kids wouldn't eat them;
2. Snow Town Pitfalls: The direct bus is too tiring (6+ hours), and prices inside are high.
(1) Checked online guides, went back and forth, but eventually went to Snow Town anyway. This shows that online guidance mostly pushes people to go to Snow Town.
(2) Tickets: 120 yuan for adults, 85 yuan for children, which is acceptable, but not worth it just to see snow.
(3) The direct bus to Snow Town takes 6 hours (minibus, 100~120 yuan). I took a coach (60~85 yuan), which took an extra hour (6+1) because it drove slower.
(4) Went to a prominent restaurant at an intersection; the food was okay but expensive—about double the price of regular restaurants in downtown Harbin. Di San Xian (three fresh vegetables) 42 yuan, Guo Bao Rou (sweet and sour pork) 88 yuan, rice 8 yuan per bowl.
3. Gear Pitfalls: Not warm enough, insufficient snow protection.
(1) Didn't fully consider the northern 'physical attack.' I only brought my warmest gear from Guangdong. On the first night walking around, I was frozen through in 10 minutes. Note the term 'frozen through'—the cold directly penetrated the clothes, froze the flesh, and soon you can't stand the cold. My warm clothes in Guangdong are for 'magic attack'—mainly insulating, with thin fleece pants and thin windproof pants.
(2) Bought mid-calf snow boots, but when stepping into deep snow, snow leaked into the boots. The boots were warm inside, but the snow quickly melted into icy water, making you painfully cold in -20+°C weather.
4. Iron Pot Stew was not great (I ordered the chicken pot). The base and ingredients were pre-made, brought out, and then boiled for an hour. Loads of seasonings, couldn't taste the ingredients. This really didn't suit my Guangdong palate, and both kids barely ate. The only highlight was the huge portion—enough for about four adults.
2. Things I Liked or Found Interesting
1. Central Street Related
(1) Madier ice cream: 5 yuan per stick, delicious, and a fair price. Many people queue for it.
(2) Kvass tasted good. There's a fresh kvass stall on the street; it tastes slightly better than bottled kvass.
(3) Close to many attractions, convenient for walking.
2. Snow Town Related
(1) Snow Town has strong hospitality capacity (can accommodate many people). It's a small flat area surrounded by mountains on three sides, larger than other nearby villages.
(2) The snow in Snow Town is really thick. The next morning, we deliberately went to the foot of the mountain nearby to play in the snow. Easily stepped into knee-deep snow. With the kids and our non-waterproof gear, we didn't dare go further.
(3) Some corners have been artificially modified with added lighting effects, making for great photos. But for a family with kids like us, we had no mood for photos—too cold. The whole family didn't even have one group photo because no one wanted to take off hats and gloves.
3. Gear Shopping
(1) After visiting Sofia Cathedral, we accidentally discovered the underground mall next to it at Manhattan Plaza. Cold-weather gear was very complete. Many tourists found it and gathered there to buy, even queuing to check out. This mall made me feel that next time I go to Harbin, I don't need to buy gear in advance; I can just buy it on-site at this shop.
(2) The mall seems to be called 'Yi Zhi Xuan'. It can't be found on maps, and might change its name later. Anyway, it's right next to Sofia Cathedral, in the Manhattan underground mall. You don't need to enter the Manhattan mall; there is a staircase entrance from the street.
4. Activities
(1) Activities along the Songhua River
We tried the motorcycle pulling people around and swinging (30 yuan/person)—very exciting and fun, top recommendation. Rented a rubber ring to slide on our own (30 yuan/piece, unlimited slides, you pull it back up yourself)—also good, second recommendation. Finally rented a motorcycle to drive ourselves (90 yuan per lap)—just average, not recommended. We also saw ice skating and skating, but didn't have time to try.
(2) Don't have snowball fights with snow within the city.
We made that silly mistake. First, coal burning in the city causes severe air pollution, and the snow has a layer of black ash and is dirty. Second, throwing snow onto the roadside makes the road slippery. Third, there might be dog poop and pee in the snow—after our snowball fight we saw a lot of dog poop.
(3) Bath Center
We went to Yi Shuijian. Overall cost is not high, and the place is quite clean. At the bath center, you need to take off all clothes to shower and soak in the bath. Remember to wash yourself first before entering the soaking pool.
Entrance fee: 65 yuan. Free items are limited: shower, bath, fruit, ice cream, children's play area. Most importantly, there is no drinking water, because the indoor air is dry and you get very thirsty. No water is provided for free anywhere; you have to buy drinks (canned cola 6 yuan, mineral water 19 yuan/1.5L), or buy a tea package (minimum 189 yuan) which gives you unlimited water refills.
The cubicles with TVs were always occupied, and on the rest beds you couldn't watch movies. Later we found out there is a cinema showing movies; the sofa beds in the cinema can also be used for overnight stays.
There are guest rooms: 1.8m big bed room 229 yuan/12 hours. Suitable for booking a room to rest after playing enough. We happened to bring an electric kettle and boiled water in the room.
Didn't try scrubbing or loose bone massage. Loose bone is whole body massage. Heard it's not great, not as good as Guangdong massage. Scrubbing is when someone vigorously rubs your body (you are naked), scrubbing every inch without missing a spot.
(4) Siberian Tiger Park (Songbei District)
There are many Siberian tigers inside. The park is large. The introduction says it's a base for breeding tigers.
Bought the adventure vehicle ticket (125 yuan/person). Basically, on a bus, you are allowed to feed the tigers; meat is purchased separately (20 yuan per strip). Initially you have to buy at least 10 strips, later after everyone has fed a bit, they change to minimum 5 strips.
After getting off, continue visiting. There is a corridor built above the tiger park for visitors to watch. At the corridor, food is also sold: meat 20 yuan/strip, featherless live chicken 80 yuan, feathered live chicken 100 yuan. Just feeding meat is enough; you can tease the tigers. The chicken is thrown in and immediately snatched by a tiger that hides away; the tiger waits until everyone disperses before eating, so people can't see it.
The tiger park is suitable for families with kids.
5. Food and Drink
(1) Harbin Beer 1900: Didn't taste anything special, just ordinary beer.
(2) Iron Pot Stew: Can be tried with a large group, but at least our Guangdong family wouldn't like it.
(3) Jingangshan BBQ: Highly recommended.
A two-story BBQ restaurant as big as a large Guangdong restaurant. I was amazed when I first went. BBQ is delicious, portions moderate, prices affordable. We ate there twice, each time about 30 yuan per person.
Sauerkraut dumplings, corn porridge-like soup, raw cabbage, shrimp crackers, drinks, ice cream are all free (minimum consumption of 20 yuan per person).
I liked the ice cream. The sauerkraut dumplings and corn porridge are bland, can be used as staples.
On the first floor, there was a host organizing activities, with employees dancing and shooting confetti. The first time we went, they even sang a Cantonese song by Aaron Kwok. At first glance, it felt low-end, like some KTV lobby in Dongguan ten years ago. After watching a bit more, it felt like a local characteristic, with that Northeastern brotherhood style, quite interesting.
(4) Zhang Bao Pu: Highly recommended.
Found this shop on the way back from the Siberian Tiger Park. It mainly sells baozi (steamed buns), and also serves Northeastern dishes.
The pork rib steamed bun is their signature, but I didn't like it much—mediocre taste. The three-fresh-meat bun and tofu bun were quite good. The dry-fried meat strips were excellent—crispy outside, tender inside. The sesame sauce liangpi (cold noodles) was delicious, even though it's a cold dish.
Portions are huge, so order carefully. For four people, I only ordered 6 buns and the fried meat strips, and we almost couldn't finish. The sesame sauce liangpi was given to us by the next table because they ordered too much, haha.
Overall taste is great, per person under 30 yuan.
3. Suggested Itinerary
Harbin is a nice tourist city overall. After avoiding pitfalls, the cost is not high, and it's worth visiting again. After a few days of exploring, I've summarized some travel routes for future use.
1. Classic Route: Harbin - Yabuli - Snow Town Scenic Area
Day 1: Take a bullet train from Harbin to Yabuli West Station (1.5h), then hire a car to Yabuli Ski Resort (45min, taxis likely available at the station). Ski (3 hours). Stay at Yabuli or Erlanghe Scenic Area.
Day 2: Visit Snow Town. About 2h from Yabuli, 1h from Erlanghe. During the day, view the snow—especially thick near the forest edge. At night, see the illuminated scenery; there are also local activities like group disco and dancing. Suitable visiting time: 14:00–20:00. Note that it gets dark around 4 PM in winter. After the visit, take a car back to Erlanghe for accommodation, mainly because accommodation is cheaper there.
Day 3: Visit Erlanghe (I haven't been, adjust based on personal preference). Then take a car to Yabuli West Station (2h), and take the bullet train back to Harbin (1.5h).
Note: No public transportation found between Yabuli West Station, Yabuli Ski Resort, Erlanghe, and Snow Town. Haven't explored specific routes, but you can ask hotel staff to help arrange a car. This time we asked hotel staff and travel agencies: for a 5-seat SUV between Yabuli West Station, Erlanghe, and Snow Town, the price is around 200~260 yuan. For families with kids, consider adding a visit to Hengdaohezi Siberian Tiger Park on Day 3; it's said to be larger than the city one and is the largest tiger breeding base in the Northeast, with more tigers.
2. Personal Suggested Route: Harbin - Yuquan Scenic Area - Harbin
For those who have already been to Snow Town and Yabuli, or don't have a specific attachment to those scenic spots, ordinary southerners don't need to go to those two places. Actually, just finding a clean place with snow where a few southerners can stomp in the snow, have a snowball fight, and try a beginner ski slope is enough.
Day 1: Take a bus from Harbin to Yuquan Scenic Area (2h). There are only a few K-series trains (1h). Book a hotel near the ski resort and check in. Find a place with thick snow nearby and play in it heartily.
Day 2: It is said there are dozens of ski resorts of various sizes around Yuquan. Choose one and ski. These ski resorts are more affordable than those in Harbin city or Yabuli. After skiing, you can return to Harbin the same day. If you want to continue playing in the snow, you can stay one more night and play an extra day before returning. If with kids, you can make a detour to Hengdaohezi Siberian Tiger Park.
Day 3: Visit some attractions in Harbin city. Play on ice activities along the Songhua River. Eat at Jingangshan BBQ and Zhang Bao Pu. Finally, stay at a bath center.
Day 4: If with kids, you can visit the city's Siberian Tiger Park.
