Hotels in Jiangbei University Town/Harbinbei Railway Station, Harbin

Harbin is China’s winter wonderland—where you crunch through snow-covered Russian boulevards at dawn, slurp steaming lamb stew by noon, and toast with ice-cold Harbin Beer inside a palace made of actual ice after dark. Summers? Green, cheap, and empty.

Getting In & Around Harbin

If you are coming from overseas you'll probably arrive by air. You’ll land at Harbin Taiping Airport (HRB), 33km west of downtown. Then, check how to get from HRB to downtown:

• Airport bus #3 (¥20 / ~$3, 40 mins) runs to Central Street until 10 PM.
• Taxis cost ¥80-120 (~$11-17). Insist on the meter—drivers love to overquote.

Late flight arrival? Stay at airport hotels with free pick-up below!

price from US$70

For those from other cities in China, you'll arrive by train, choose Harbin Station (downtown) or Harbin West Station (high-speed trains, metro Line 3 connects to city center).

Then let's see how to get around in the city:

• Metro (Lines 1, 2, 3) covers most spots (¥2-5 / ~$0.3-0.7 per ride).
• Taxis start at ¥9 (~$1.3)—just point to the map if your Mandarin fails.
• Walking works in Central District (but bundle up in winter).

Where to Stay in Harbin

• Central Street (Zhongyang Dajie) – Perfect for first-timers. Cobblestone streets, onion-domed buildings, and easy access to dumpling joints. Hotels range from Soviet-era relics (¥200 / ~$28 per night) to polished chains (¥600+ / ~$85+).
• Daoli District – Quieter, closer to St. Sophia Cathedral. Pick this if you hate crowds but still want photo ops.
• Songbei (near Sun Island) – Fancy riverside hotels with ice views. Dead in summer, magical in winter.

Things to Do in Harbin

• Harbin Ice & Snow World (Dec-Feb) – The main event. Giant ice castles lit up like a rave. ¥330 / ~$47 entry, but go after 4 PM to see it sparkle at night.
• St. Sophia Cathedral – A rusty-green Russian church turned photo backdrop. Free to admire outside; ¥15 / ~$2 to peek inside (skip it).
• Russian Food Street – Not actually Russian, but try the lieba (black bread, ¥10 / ~$1.4) and hongchang (smoked sausage, ¥15 / ~$2) anyway.