If you’re planning a trip to Harbin to experience the famous Ice and Snow Festival, choosing the right place to stay can make your trip much easier. Harbin has plenty of attractions worth visiting, but they’re spread across different parts of the city, and getting around in the middle of winter isn’t always the most comfortable experience.
In this guide, I’ll walk you through the best areas to stay in Harbin, the advantages and disadvantages of each one, and my recommended hotels based on their location. Let’s get into it!
In this guide, I’ll walk you through the best areas to stay in Harbin, the advantages and disadvantages of each one, and my recommended hotels based on their location. Shall we?
- $Harbin Xingsu Youth Hostel– Para quienes buscan ahorrar en alojamiento durante su viaje a Harbin.
- $$Mudong Youth Hostel– Una alternativa para equilibrar presupuesto y comodidad.
- $$$Harbin No.23 Mansion Hotel– Para estadías más lujosas, muy muy bien ubicado.
Best Areas to Stay in Harbin:
(map)
Zhongyang Dajie / Central Street: The Best Area to Stay in Harbin
For me, this is easily the best area to stay in Harbin. Central Street, also known as Zhongyang Dajie, is a pedestrian street with a strong Russian influence. It’s one of Harbin’s most recognisable areas and a great base for exploring the city.
If you stay here, you’ll be able to visit most of the main attractions on foot, find plenty of places to eat throughout the day and stay close to public transport.
Recommended Hotels on Zhongyang Dajie (Central Street)
Budget accommodation in Harbin: Harbin Xingsu Youth Hostel
This is where we stayed. They have dorms and private rooms at very reasonable prices, with heating, blankets and everything you need for winter. The location is perfect and the staff are incredibly friendly. It’s nothing fancy, but the value for money is excellent.
Find rooms from €36 per night during peak season.
Mid-range hotel in Harbin: Ni Hao Hotel
A really stylish and pretty hotel, located between Central Street and Zhaolin Park, which is home to ice sculptures in winter. It has excellent reviews, with guests particularly praising the service and cleanliness.
You can book a room from €74 per night during peak season. Just keep in mind that some of the cheaper rooms don’t have windows.
A slightly more luxurious stay in central Harbin: Harbin No.23 Mansion Hotel
Hotels in China can be quite different from what we’re used to in the West, and that’s part of the fun! This one has genuinely beautiful rooms and a fantastic location. Your stay also includes an afternoon tea each night, plus the option to have photos taken wearing traditional outfits.
Check prices and what’s included here, with rooms from €100 per night.
Central Street and the Ice and Snow Festival
For me, Zhongyang Dajie and the surrounding area are the best places to stay in Harbin, even if your main reason for visiting is the Ice and Snow Festival.
The festival venue is further away, on the other side of the Songhua River. During an event of this size, traffic can get exceeedingly busy. And when temperatures are around -15°C, walking several blocks outside or spending hours stuck in traffic isn’t exactly the best way to enjoy your trip.
Staying in the city centre means you can take the metro to the festival station and get off practically at the entrance. This helps you avoid relying on road traffic and spending more time than necessary out in the cold, while still making it easy to explore the rest of Harbin.
Songbei: The Best Area to Stay Near Ice and Snow World
If you’re travelling to Harbin mainly to visit the Ice and Snow Festival, you could consider staying in Songbei, the district where Harbin Ice and Snow World is located. This makes particular sense if you’re planning to visit the festival more than once or at different times.
It can be especially useful in winter, when temperatures are extremely low and you’ll probably want to alternate outdoor sightseeing with breaks somewhere warm. Pay attention to the exact location of your hotel, though. Some properties are described as being “near” the festival but still require more than a kilometre of walking to reach one of the entrances.
Recommended Hotels in Songbei
For example, the well-known Harbin Sun Island Hotel is close to the attractions at Polarland, but it’s quite far from the Ice and Snow Festival entrance.
On the other hand, the Harbin Sun Island GARDEN Hotel is closer to the festival. Make sure you select the Garden property when searching.
The trade-off is that you’ll be further away from Zhongyang Dajie and several attractions in Harbin’s historic centre. Before booking, think about how you want to organise your days and which parts of the city you’ll be spending the most time in.
I’ve written a detailed guide to a 4-day Harbin itinerary to help you plan your visit.
Staying Near the Songhua River: Another Option to enjoy the Winter
Another option is to look for accommodation near the Songhua River. I think this is one of the most magical parts of Harbin in winter. It’s also relatively close to Central Street, with plenty of restaurants and entertainment options nearby.
Hotel Indigo is considerably more expensive than the other options, but it’s beautiful, has lovely views over the liveliest part of the river and receives very good reviews. You can also use it as a reference point when looking for other hotels in the area.
Did you know China operates under the Great Firewall? This means none of the standard apps or social platforms you use every day (like WhatsApp, Instagram, or Google) will work once you arrive. You must prepare your digital setup in advance.
📲 Get a China eSIM with a built-in VPN: Activate it before boarding your flight. Having travelled to China twice now, I can tell you that trying to improvise with local solutions on my first trip ended badly. My saver and ultimate backup was an Airalo eSIM, and I didn’t hesitate to use it again on my second trip.
🗺️ Forget about Google Maps: It simply does not work in China and lacks updated data. Apple Maps performs slightly better, but missing local business listings makes it unreliable. The definitive navigation app for getting around Beijing is Amap (Gaode Maps). Download it before your flight and play around with the interface and metro lines so you feel confident when you land.
Staying Near Harbin Railway Station: Convenient for Public Transport
If you’re arriving in Harbin by train, booking a hotel near the station might seem like the easiest option, especially if you want to avoid travelling around with your luggage. It’s a practical choice if you arrive late, leave early or have a connection that makes spending a night nearby worthwhile.
However, it wouldn’t be my first choice for a stay focused on exploring Harbin. Realistically, you’ll probably only use the train once or twice during your time in the city.
If you’re planning to take several day trips from Harbin, I’d recommend HanRei Hotel. It’s stylish, affordable, and highly rated.
It’s also important to distinguish between Harbin’s railway stations. Check whether your ticket is for Harbin Railway Station, Harbin West Railway Station or another station, as they’re not interchangeable.
How Many Nights Should You Stay in Harbin?
I know Harbin has to compete with some incredible cities and attractions when you’re planning how to spend your limited time in China. But trust me, it’s worth allowing at least three days for the city. Four nights would be ideal if you want to explore beyond the city centre and the Ice and Snow Festival.
If you’re planning your trip, you can read my 4-day Harbin itinerary here.
Have an Extra Day? Visit China Snow Town
If you have more time to explore this part of China, you could consider a trip to China Snow Town, also known as Xuexiang.
It’s a popular tourist destination known for its snowy landscapes and wooden buildings covered in snow. It’s a very different experience from exploring Harbin itself and could be a great addition if you want to spend more time surrounded by winter scenery.
I didn’t have time to visit China Snow Town myself. It’s quite a long way from Harbin, with around four hours of road travel, so although there are day tours available, I’d recommend staying overnight if you can.
Accommodation in China Snow Town: Jingya Villa and Floral Hotel are my preferred options based on my research.
Tips for Booking Accommodation in Harbin in Winter
These are my recommended hotels, but before you book, here are a few things I’ve learnt from the accommodation options mentioned above that can help you find the right place for your trip.
1. Check the exact location. Don’t rely solely on the district name or the distance mentioned in a hotel’s listing. Check where it actually sits on the map.
2. Check the heating. In winter, the conditions inside your room are particularly important.
3. Confirm that the hotel accepts international guests. Don’t worry, all the hotels you’ll find on Trip.com accept international tourists. If you’re booking through another website, check first that the property is licensed to register foreign guests. Not every accommodation provider in China can do this.
4. Read the cancellation policy. If your itinerary depends on the weather or transport connections, having some flexibility can be useful.
Excited About Harbin? Watch My YouTube Video
A little bit of self-promotion for our new YouTube channel and the amazing video we made in Harbin!
Continuing Your Trip Around China?
When we first started planning our month in China, Harbin almost didn’t make it onto our itinerary… and I’m so glad we made room for it!
We flew directly from Australia and continued through Shanghai, the small villages of Hunan, Chongqing, Chengdu and Guilin, before finishing our month in the futuristic, tech-driven city of Shenzhen.
If you’re also thinking about visiting Beijing, which is around five hours from Harbin by train, here are a couple of guides that will help you plan your visit to the Great Wall of China:
- Where to Stay in Beijing | Best Areas & Neighbourhoods for Every Travel Style
- How to Visit the Great Wall of China | Best Sections & Tips
- How to Visit the Great Wall of China at Night and Gubei Water Town from Beijing
Thanks for reading! Wrap up warm and enjoy your time in Harbin!
Guadi.
