Summer Palace (Yiheyuan), Beijing

This is not only a summer palace for the empress during her rule but it is a gigantic city of its own. You'll spend at least 2-3 hours here with all the walking and different exhibits. I'd recommend buying the Through Pass which is $50yuan that will give you access to all 5 locations throughout the palace. My favorite is in the beginning where you can walk down to the water and look around at the old store fronts. Next you'll make your way up to the temple above the palace. It is magnificent. Pay attention to all the masonry that it took to build this amazing temple all the way up in the mountains. You can't go in, however many will pray and throw money facing the thousand arm goddess. The museum portion of the summer palace is not huge but definitely worth the visit. They have very interesting artifacts that were gifts from different parts of the world when the empress used to host for other rulers. Taking the metro is very convenient to the summer palace since it drops you off right in front of the entrance. If you like audio guides they also offer paid headsets that give you a deeper history of the palace as you walk around the humongous exhibit.

A great historical palace of China. It's a beautiful place with very well maintained and well preserved history. The architecture is a delight. The gardens and place are well kept. There are beautiful flowers during spring and summer. It's quite big so spend time once there. I recommend to have a local guide to better understand the history and significance of this place.