Fragrant Hills Changes Ticket Policy, Plus Other Travel News

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Talking Travel: Your semi-regular roundup of Beijing's latest transportation-related news.

Xiangshan tickets must be purchased one week in advance

October marks the beginning of peak travel to Xiangshan, AKA the Fragrant Hills, Beijing’s most famous destination for gandering at colorful autumn leaves. However, travel to such hotspots in the capital is becoming so intense that officials are having to make changes in order to limit the number of daily visitors, as was the case in Badaling this summer.

To cap visitors at 100,000 per day, Xiangshan is increasing limitations on ticket purchases for the second year in a row. In 2018, the park moved to stop selling on-the-day tickets, requiring tourists to buy tickets at least one day in advance. Now, Beijing News reports that tickets have to be purchased a full seven days before the date of the visit.

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Moreover, admissions will be staggered throughout the day to prevent clustering of during peak hours. That could mean that even if you’ve got your tickets for the day, you might still have to wait a few hours to enter.

With all that in mind, it might be worth considering taking a pass on Xiangshan and getting your autumn views elsewhere.

2019 Horticultural Expo Reopens – with much cheaper tickets

One place is apparently not being overrun by sight-hungry tourists is the Horticultural Expo in Yanqing. Despite being a bit farther out than Xiangshan, there are still plenty of colors to take in, and hopefully fewer selfie-takers to contend with.

Nope, that's not Holland

After closing for a brief hiatus following the end of the 2019 Horticultural Expo, gates for the park have now officially reopened with one hell of a discount – RMB 20 down from RMB 120.

The Expo follows the Guishui River and, conforming to the natural landscapes of the river banks, shows off what can be done with the gardening expertise of both Chinese and international green thumbs. The catch? Not all of the exhibitions are currently open. The Russian and German Exhibition Parks are both closed for rehabilitation, while several indoor exhibits have also locked their doors for time being. But if you’re willing to make the trek, you can still check out the Amsterdam-like flowerbeds of Yongning Pavilion, the Garden Village, and the parks that represent Beijing, Shanghai, Yunnan, England, and the US.

Hyatt Regency Wangjing awarded Luxury Hotel of the Year award

Fancy a staycation? Why not go all out with a night at the Hotel of the Year?

The World Luxury Hotel Awards were held earlier this month in Finland, where awards were dished out based on online votes. The Hyatt Regency in Beijing’s flashy Wangjing neighborhood took the whole shebang. Voters were apparently more partial to the hotel than Google reviewers, who give the location a measly 4.2 out of 5 stars.

The Hyatt won according to online votes

Images: Wild Great Wall, Giphy, Qianlong, prodancecheer.com

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