Harbin is as far North as most people would ever travel in China. Like many parts of Manchuria it has heavy Russian and Japanese influence and many parts of the centre are far more reminiscent of cities in Eastern Russia than elsewhere in China.
Like the rest of the North East Harbin is bitterly cold in winter with only a few hours of daylight. Even in the middle of the day the temperature won’t get above -10 until winter is completely over. Why would any sane person put themselves through this? Well there is a simple answer… The Harbin Ice Festival.
Basic Travel Information
- Province – Heilongjiang
- Season to Visit – Winter
- Route there – Train from Changchun, Beijing or elsewhere in the North East. Flight from Beijing or major aiports
My Story
I first heard about Harbin when googling “What is there to do in Heilongjiang?” I had just decided to try to visit every province and had never heard of the region before. Most people have probably never heard about anywhere in the Dongbei region of China and will never go North from Beijing. Anyway the first result that came up was the Harbin Ice Festival so I decided to brace myself, pack warm clothes and visit in January.
It was cold!! Seriously cold! Constant draining cold! The highest temperature I saw there was -10°C in the middle of a warm day and I didn’t even want to know at night (thankfully the hostel had excellent heating)!
It was worth it without question. The frozen river and the theme parks the build on it each year were awesome and the Ice Festival itself was phenomenal! They carve blocks from the river, run lights through them and make over the top structures and copies of famous landmarks.
It’s so incredibly Chinese and really busy but it’s a wonderful evening! There is also a warm bar serving cheap beer that is completely full of sheltering westerners!
The city itself is a lovely departure from the normal Chinese model and shows the Russian heritage of Manchuria clearly! There are nice cafes with excellent food to shelter from the cold, I strongly recommend Riot stew for the non-vegetarians.
There was also the Siberian Tiger Park to check out which I have written about separately here.
If you are going to go, go in winter, it makes the city incredibly special.
Places Nearby & Trip Planning
Include in any trip to Dongbei as well as the following:
- Changchun
- Shenyang
- Dalian
- Dandong
- North Korea from Dandong
- Harbin Tiger Park
- Heavenly Lake
When to Visit
Definitely in winter for the ice festival. It will be cold so bring every bit of thermal gear you posess.
Further Information
These websites were my favourite sources of general information for this location:
Last Updated: November 2019
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