Outdoor pools are now (mostly) open! Here are our favourites

Time to splash about

Have you ever wanted to swim in a big swimming pool, full of water? Beijing summer is a hot potato, full of steamy potato insides. You’re inside the hot potato too, so be sure to take your starchy mass of an existence to a pool near you, get in it and stay there until mid-September.

Baolian Sports Park Swimming Pool 宝联体育公园游泳馆

Photo: Toby Skinner

Another pool in the Haidian district, Baolian Sports Park's got both indoor and outdoor pool options. It's equipped with everything from shallow pools for the young ones, to deep end pools for all our inner Michael Phelps.

Opening hours: Open now. Midday-8.30pm daily.

Prices: 70RMB, free for children under 1.2m

Address: 48 Beiwaxi Li (inside Baoyuan Park), Haidian district 海淀区北洼西里48号宝联公园内

Chaoyang Sun Park 朝阳公园沙滩主题乐园

Photo: Sun Park

What doesn’t Chaoyang Park have? Nothing – it’s got every single thing, and two of those things are a manmade beach and a water park. 

Opening hours: Opens June 30, 9am-9pm daily.

Prices: 140RMB (weekends), 90RMB (weekdays), excluding park entrance fee of 5RMB.

Address: 1 Nongzhan Nan Lu, Chaoyang district (6506 5409) 朝阳区农展南路1号

Crab Island 蟹岛水上乐园

Photo: Toby Skinner

You had us at ‘Crab Island’. Conveniently situated just off Beijing’s majestic Airport Expressway, Crab Island features one of Beijing’s best manmade sandy beaches – top 20 for sure – as well as a decent-sized wave pool, a kids area, and an amusement park.

Opening hours: Opens June 1, 9am-9pm daily

Prices: 60RMB, 40RMB (children)

Address: 1 Xiedao Lu, Chaoyang district (8431 1919) 朝阳区蟹岛路1号

Emperor Beijing Qianmen Hotel 皇家驿棧酒店

Photo: Emperor Beijing Qianmen Hotel

Expensive and supposedly prestigious, the boutique rooftop pool at Emperor Beijing Qianmen Hotel is a little past its prime, doubling as a neat vantage point from which to admire the Forbidden City and the low roofs of the surrounding hutong neighbourhood. 

Opening hours: Open now, 11am-10pm daily.

Prices: Free for hotel guests, or 258RMB per person.

Address: 87 Xianyukou Gang, Dongcheng district (6701 7790) 东城区前门商业街鲜鱼口巷87号

Liulang Natatorium 柳浪游泳场

Photo: Toby Skinner

Haidian, you didn’t think we’d miss you like we normally do, did you? Silly Haidian. Liulang is located near the south gate of the Summer Palace and boasts a swimming pool each for both kids and grown-ups too. It’s good. It’s not an island for crabs, but it’s good.

Opening hours: Open now. 9.30am-9pm daily.

Prices: 40RMB, free for children under 1.2m.

Address: Near Summer Palace south gate, Kunming Dong Lu, Haidian district (6263 5992) 海淀区昆明湖东路

Qingnianhu Park 青年湖公园水上乐园

Photo: Toby Skinner

Qingnianhu Pool – or the ‘lake of youth’ – has two waterslides, a concrete patch for bros to drink and play loud music and a kiddy pool with a magnificent self-filling and emptying water bucket installation. 

Opening hours: Open now. 10am-5pm daily.

Price: 40RMB; 30RMB (for children under 1.3m).

Address: Qingnianhu Gongyuan, Andingmenwai Dajie, Dongcheng district (8411 6321) 东城区安定门外青年湖公园内

Tuanjiehu Water Park 团结湖海滨乐园

Photo: Toby Skinner

If there’s one thing modern life-livers can’t life-live without, it’s an inner-city beach volleyball court adjacent to a 10,000sqm pool with waterslides. Tuanjiehu Water Park has all of this and more and is walking distance from Sanlitun.

Opening hours: Opens June 1, 10.30am-8.30pm daily。

Prices: 100RMB (weekends); 80RMB (weekdays); free for children below 1m。

Address: Dongsanhuan Lu (inside Tuanjiehu Park), Chaoyang district (8697 4677) 朝阳区东三环路团结湖公团结湖水上乐园园内

William Edgar Hotel 威廉埃德加酒店

Photo: William Edgar Hotel Beijing

For some sun out of the city, head to the hills of Miyun county and into William Edgar Hotel. The huge swimming pool is popular with sun-seekers who are taking a break from the heritage and cultural attractions of Beijing WTown which is where the hotel is located.

Opening hours: Open now, 10am-6pm daily.

Prices: 98RMB; 68RMB (children).

Address: Beijing WTown, Gubei, Miyun district (8100 9999) 密云区古北口镇司马台村古北水镇(司马台长城)国际旅游度假区

Pool Party at Beijing WTown!

Beijing WTown will be celebrating pool season with a party at the William Edgar Hotel on Saturday 22. Its outdoor pool will be converted into a summer playground with fun activities, performances and pool-side competitions. Tickets are priced at 128RMB (68RMB children). 

You might also want to consider its glamping packages which, together with its pool party, might be worth the trip up. For 1,198RMB for the weekend you get to camp out in a lux tent, feast on a barbecue dinner, go on a cycling tour of the Simatai Great Wall and find some zen at its 'Morning Yoga on The Wall.' Scan the QR below to book this package. 

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