Beijing Olympic Park - Legacy of Beijing 2008 Olympic Games

Ticket: CNY 95 (day tour ticket); CNY 97 (night tour ticket)

Opening Hours: 9:00 – 19:00 (day tour); 18:30 – 21:30 (night tour)

Beijing National Stadium (国家体育场), the main stadium of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, is in the south of the central area of Beijing Olympic Park. It is more known to the public as Bird’s Nest because of its general outline. The project covers a total area of 21 hectares, with about 91,000 (80,000 are left after the Games) seats for spectators. In 2008, the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, track and field competitions, and football finals were held here. The external structure of the Bird's Nest is mainly composed of huge portal steel frames. They support each other and form a grid-like outline, which looks like a bird's nest made of branches. In Chinese culture, nest represents the cradle of life which holds the hope of human future. Designers did not do any superfluous treatment to the venue, so the structure of the building is directly exposed to visitors, which forms a massive visual shock. In 2022, the opening and closing ceremonies of the Winter Olympic Games will also be held here.

Water Cube - Beijing National Aquatics Center

Ticket: CNY 30

Opening Hours: 9:00 – 18:00 (May - October); 9:00 – 19:00 (November - April)

Beijing National Aquatics Center is just opposite to the Bird’s Nest across the street. It is the venue that hosted swimming, diving, synchronized swimming and other competitions in 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. It has a capacity of 17,000, including 6,000 permanent seats and 11,000 temporary seats which will be dismantled after the Games. When you see the building, you will get why it is nicknamed Water Cube. Looked from the outside, it seems to be enclosed by numerous watery bubbles. It all contributes to the most advanced environmental protection and energy saving ETFE membrane material used on the periphery of the building. Water Cube is the largest membrane structure project in the world. It contains 3065 air cushions in various sizes (the smallest is 1-2 square meters and the largest reaches 70 square meters). If you visit Water Cube at night, you will see the bubbles present different colors.

Note: Beijing National Aquatics Center (Water Cube) will suspend service temporarily from March 11 to July 31, 2019 for partial improvement to welcome 2022 Winter Olympic Games.

Beijing National Indoor Stadium (国家体育馆)

The National Indoor Stadium is one of the three main venues for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, which is now not open to the public. Viewing from a distance, the erect steel structure is like an open Chinese folding fan against a large area of crystal-clear glass curtain wall, and the wavy curves on the roof are like the ribbons dancing in rhythmic gymnastics. It is adjacent to the Bird's Nest and the Water Cube, forming a distinctive architectural community. Being the largest indoor comprehensive gymnasium in China, it covers an area of 6.87 hectares and has a capacity of about 20000. It hosted artistic gymnastics, trampoline, and handball events during the Olympics.

Olympic Forest Park (奥林匹克森林公园)

Ticket: Free

Opening Hours: 6:00 - 21:00 (15 March - 15 November); 6:00 – 20:00 (16 November - 14 March)

Olympic Forest Park is at the northern part of Olympic Green. The "back garden" of the 29th Olympic Games is rich in forest resources and the green coverage ratio has reached 95.61%. It is the largest urban park in Beijing and the closest Forest Park to Beijing residents. With an area of 680 hectares, it is larger than the sum of Summer Palace and old Summer Palace (Yuanmingyuan), and is the size of 10 Beihai parks. The main mountain Yangshan is on the central axis of Beijing city, echoing Jingshan in the south near the Forbidden City. It not only conforms to the tradition of Chinese garden construction, but also complements the surrounding environment.

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Generally speaking, 2 hours is sufficient to view the main sites at Beijing Olympic Park. As it is on the way back from Mutianyu Great Wall to downtown, you can arrange them on the same day. If you want to see the colorful Water Cube, going there at night is more recommended. To enrich your Beijing tour, you can add another 2 days to the Tian’anmen Square, Forbidden City, Summer Palace, Jingshan Park, the Temple of Heaven, Beijing Hutongs, and 798 Art District. If you have more days, you can go for an in-depth Great Wall hiking or photography tour, and explore more hidden attractions in Beijing city.

If you have any other questions or ideas, please feel free to contact us. We are specialized in customized tours according to your own interests, budgets, and traveling time. Our professional travel consultants are always ready to help!

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