Beijing Olympic Park is constructed for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. It covers an area of 11.59 square kilometers in the north of Beijing. During the 2008 Olympic Games, there are 10 Olympic venues such as Bird's Nest, Water Cube, National Indoor Stadium, National Convention Center, Yingdong Natatorium, Olympic Green Archery Field, Olympic Green Tennis Center, and Olympic Green Hockey Field. In addition, there is a largest forest park in Beijing in the north of Olympic Green which brings much convenience for people to take an outing. Beijing Olympic Park is now a comprehensive public activity center with multiple functions such as holding sports and cultural events, exhibitions, concerts. Many people will come here on a nice day to take a walk or fly a kite with their kids.
Beijing Olympic Park Tourist Map (Click to Enlarge)
Beijing Olympic Park is located in Chaoyang District, on the north of the central axis of Beijing City. It covers an area of 11.59 square kilometers, stretching northwards to the southern bank of Qinghe River, southwards to Beitucheng Road, eastwards to Anli Road and Beichen East Road, and westwards to Lincui Road and Beichen West Road.
From Tian'anmen Square (Beijing Center): about 14km, 55 minutes’ drive
From the Forbidden City: about 13km, 50 minutes’ drive
From the Temple of Heaven: about 18km, 1 hour's drive
From the Summer Palace: about 13km, 30 minutes’ drive
From Beijing South Railway Station: about 21km, 70 minutes’ drive
From Beijing Capital International Airport: about 32km, 1 hour’s drive
Beijing Olympic Park Location Map (Click to Enlarge)
Beijing Olympic Park is a place where you can see modern architectures like Bird’s Nest, Water Cube, and appreciate the nature beauty at Olympic Forest Park. Wandering in the spacious open ground and seeing the sports symbols like the Olympic rings, people will also be affected by the Olympic spirit.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Bird's Nest 
Inside Bird's Nest
Water Cube
Inside Water Cube
Beijing National Indoor Stadium
Yanshan Mountain at Olympic Forest Park
Though Beijing Olympic Park is a little far from downtown, the complete transportation network of Beijing City still can take you there on a subway or bus.
Subway: Take Subway Line 8 or Line 15 and get off at Olympic Green Station (奥林匹克公园站)
Bus: Take bus 82, 419, 538, or 645 and get off at Guojia Tiyuchang Dong Station (国家体育场东站). Take bus 81, 82, 86, 510, 607 or Special Line 13 or 15 and get off at Guojia Tiyuguan Station (国家体育馆站).
As the route for public transportation is not fixed, please remember to double check before going there. If you want to save some time and avoid the transfer troubles, you can consider the tour packages provided by China Discovery. They will cover all the tickets, meals, accommodation, and transportation in your tour so that you can have a worry-free trip with a comfortable vehicle, skilled driver, and professional guide.>>Contact us now
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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