The ice city of China turns into a fairy ice wonderland during the annual Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival. See the marvelous ice and snow sculptures made by artists from around China and the world, and enjoy a short ski tour at Jihua Ski Resort, the best one near Harbin city area.
The opening ceremony of Harbin Ice Festival is scheduled to be on January 5th, 2025, but the ice and snow sculptures in the Harbin Ice and Snow World are open to public viewing from December 18th 2024 and lasts till mid-February 2025.
Highlights
- Explore the main sites of the Ice and Snow Festival in one day
- Have fun in the colorful lighted Ice and Snow World in the evening
- Have a full day skiing in one of the best ski resorts in China—the Jihua Ski Resort
- Enjoy worry-free private airport/hotel transfer service
Discover real reviews of Highlights Travel Family's best-rated service across trusted platforms.
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Beijing in a day
My partner found this company and booked with ease and no hassle. From start to finish we have been so looked after, upon arrival in Beijing after a train from Shanghai we were met by our guide Selinda. She has been amazing through out the day, flexible with times. She showed us the best place to get some food and then taking us to and from the Great Wall was filled with information and little facts. Plenty of time was given to explore the wall and then we were taken for some dumplings to revive us. Selinda made sure we were looked after and ensured we got back on the correct train. She made this trip so much less stressful and much more enjoyable. Would highly recommend this company for future use. more
Jan 2025, French-Biscuit14
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Great way to tour Beijing
My daughter and I toured Beijing with Selinda. She was prompt, professional, friendly, and helpful. We saw Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, and the Mutianyu Great Wall section. At each site she shared the history and offered suggestions of good places for pictures. She was attentive to us and made sure we had everything we needed. The driver was helpful and having him drop us off and pick us up was immensely helpful. We toured the Summer Palace with Jason and he also did a stellar job sharing interesting facts and information which gave us context and a greater appreciation of what we saw. Jason, like Selinda, did a splendid job suggesting good photo spots and always happily offered to take our picture for us. I highly recommend these two tour guides and the driver. This was a great way to see some of the tourist attractions in Beijing. more
Jan 2025, Chris
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Epic time in Beijing with Selinda Zhang
A huge shoutout to our most awesome tour guide Selinda Zhang!!! She is a walking talking encyclopaedia with a wealth of knowledge both historic and current. She made our visits to well preserved historical sites all the more interesting sharing architecture, literature, Chinese penmanship and poems to highlight the significance of each site we visited! She engages both adults and children and usually reticent kids were asking questions and learnt heaps about Beijing history this trip. We had an epic time in Beijing thanks to Selinda!! more
Jan 2025, Hwei ling C
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Suggested Itinerary
Your tour guide will be waiting for you with a name plate and warm smile as you walk out to the arrival hall of airport. Transfer by private car and driver to your hotel and check in.
Meet your tour guide at hotel lobby and start today's tour. Ride in a bus protected by security cage through the Siberian Tiger Park, where about 100 purebred Siberian tigers roam freely. Ligers (result of a lion and a tiger breeding), pumas, lions, leopards are housed in a cage area. You can purchase meat or live poultry at extra cost to feed the animals.
Stroll leisurely along Harbin's 'architectural art gallery' – Central Street, where western style buildings constructed back in 1900 line both sides. This is also a good place for shopping and dining.
Lunch will be arranged in the most popular brand dumpling restaurant—Dongfang Jiaozi Wang (King of Eastern Dumplings). You will have a dumpling feast in different tastes, pork, beef, shrimp, vegetable…
On the north bank of Songhua River are two major sites of Harbin International Ice and Snow Festival – Sun Island Scenic Area and Ice and Snow World. Thousands of ice and snow sculptures are made by artists from around China and the world, and at some spots you can still see artists working their dreams.
Enjoy one-day tour at Jihua Ski Resort, about one and a half hours' drive from Harbin city center. With 8 ski slopes and an equipment center with good facilities, it is suitable for primary and medium level skiers. Today's tour includes transfer and ski resort admission, and other expenses like skiing and rental fees are on your own. After skiing, transfer back to your hotel.
Below is a list of prices for skiing and rental fees (reference only):
4 hours skiing: 240 yuanFull day skiing: 320 yuan
Deposit for ski outfit: 500 yuan (will be returned when return the equipments)
Ski Clothing Rental: 60 yuan
Ski Motor Car: 100 yuan (10 minutes)
Chair lift: 50 yuan (per ride)
Note: The above prices are for reference only. Please check prices at the resort.
As you have come to the end of your vacation, your driver and guide will meet you at your hotel and take you to the airport. They will assist you with your luggage and check in to ensure that you will have a stress-free departure. We're confident you would have enjoyed your Harbin trip and look forward to serving you again.
Trip Notes
Why it is necessary to have a private tour?
1. It's not easy to find an empty taxi in Harbin especially in winter time. Taxies don't go meter, and drivers charge directly. Most taxies will pick up other people on the way (carpooling), and it's difficult to find a taxi at a remote attraction back to the downtown.
2. The average outdoor temperature in Harbin is -21℃/-5.8℉ during the winter time, and waiting for a bus in the open air can be very cold.
3. Public transportations can't reach some attractions. For example, there is no bus to the Sun Island, and people have to change 2 buses to get to the Siberian Tiger Park.
A private tour will provide a private vehicle, and personal English speaking tour guide. We will pick you up from your hotel and drive to the attractions directly, save your time and avoid unnecessary tubules. All you need to do is sit back and enjoy the trip!
Accommodation
the quotation is NOT include accommodations. We are happy to recommend some hotels for your reference. These hotels have central locations, near to the main sites of the Ice and Snow Festival, and it's convenient for you to walk around in the free time.
Economic class: Modern Hotel Harbin, around USD120 per room per night.
4-star: Holiday Inn City Centre Harbin, around USD150 per room per night.
5-star: Shangri-La Hotel Harbin, around USD320 per room per night.
Main attractions of the Ice and Snow Festival and opening time
Ice and Snow World: 24th December, 2015
Sun Island (snow sculptures): 23rd December, 2015
Zhaolin Park (Ice lanterns): 25th December, 2015
Central Street (small snow and ice sculptures): Open all the time, small snow and ice sculptures start to appear in the middle of December, if lucky enough, you will have a chance to see how people make the snow sculptures.
What I can do during the middle of December?
Before the official opening time of the Ice and Snow Festival, huge snow and ice sculptures are under building in the middle of December. As the parks are closed, people are unable to see the making process. However there are still other places to see. At the Central Street, you can see how people make snow sculptures if lucky enough. Take the warm shuttle bus in Siberian Tigers Park, you can see Siberian tigers in the outdoor. Enjoy the white whale and sea lion show at the Harbin Polarland, have a skiing day… although the Ice and Snow Festival didn't start yet, you can still have fun in Harbin!
Protect your digital products
Batteries are affected easily by low temperature, when playing outside, please put your cell phone and camera in the bag. If you plan to take a lot of pictures, do bring a spare battery as batteries run out quickly in low temperature.
Easy planning& special care
We are happy to help you booking your hotels, flights and trains. Our 1 to 1 private travel advisors will give you professional suggestions, you can alter the itinerary, extend or shorten it to suit your price, interest and schedule. If you have any special requirements (Muslim food, vegetarian diet, allergic to...) feel free to tell us, and we are happy to help you arrange with our professional knowledge and experience.
Service Guarantee
If our guides vary from our instructions regarding tipping or shopping we will refund the land service cost (excluding hotels, air and train fares, attraction entrance fees and meal costs) for that city immediately.
Payment Methods
We now offer 3 payment methods: PayPal, credit card authorization via fax and wire transfer. PayPal is recommended for its safety and efficiency. You can pay USA dollars, Australian dollars, European dollars and Great Britain Pound directly with your credit card or debit card, even if you don't have PayPal account.
Price includes: