Longting Park: tickets, hours and how to visit
Song palace gardens on the lake; the dragon pavilion is the postcard shot.
Longting Park at a glance
Song palace gardens on the lake; the dragon pavilion is the postcard shot. Plan on 1.5 hours. here, plus half an hour either side for entry, security and parking.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tickets | CNY 45 (park and dragon pavilion). |
| Opening hours | 07:00–19:00 (summer), 08:00–18:00 (winter). |
| Time needed | 1.5 hours. |
| City | Kaifeng, China |
What to see
Three things carry this sight. If you are short on time, do them in this order.
- The Dragon Pavilionon a 13 m stone terrace, reached by 72 steps
- The laketwo halves, one clear and one muddy, with a legend explaining why
- The chrysanthemum display in Octoberthe reason Chinese tourists come
Tickets and booking
How the ticket works, and what foreigners usually get wrong.
Before you buy
- Price. CNY 45 (park and dragon pavilion).
- Booking. The pavilion on top is a 1990s rebuild of a Qing rebuild of a Song original — the terrace and the lake are old, the building is not. Go for the lake at dusk and the chrysanthemums in late October, when the whole park is planted out.
- Payment. Most Chinese sights take WeChat Pay or Alipay only. Cash works at staffed windows but not at self-service machines; a licensed guide can pay on your behalf and settle with you at the end of the day.
Getting there and when to go
North end of the old city, 15 minutes walk from the Drum Tower along the lake. Cars can reach the south gate.
07:00–19:00 (summer), 08:00–18:00 (winter).. The first hour after opening is the quietest — tour groups arrive around 09:30. Late afternoon gives better light but the main viewpoints start clearing people out, so shoot early if that is your priority.
Public transport reaches Longting Park, but connections and waiting times add up. With luggage, older travellers, or two sights in one day, a car and driver removes the guesswork.
The one thing that goes wrong
Kaifeng local note
- The pavilion on top is a 1990s rebuild of a Qing rebuild of a Song original — the terrace and the lake are old, the building is not. Go for the lake at dusk and the chrysanthemums in late October, when the whole park is planted out.
Pairing Longting Park with
These are usually on the same day or the same trip.
Longting Park: questions travellers ask
Is it worth CNY 45?
How does it connect to Qingming park?
How booking works — three steps, itinerary before price
No deposit to get a plan, and nothing is locked in before you agree.
Send the brief
Dates, party size, how you arrive and what you want to see around Longting Park.
Get a route and a price
We order the stops by location and traffic, then quote per car per day with fuel, tolls and the driver included.
Confirm and travel
Only after you accept the route and the price do we assign the car and guide.
