Harbin is an ice city with Russian style, where the century-old stone pavement of Central Street and the domes of Saint Sophia Cathedral weave together a romantic European snowy scene; Changbai Mountain is a snowy secret realm, where the frozen Heavenly Lake (Tianchi) is inlaid among the mountains like a gem, and snowfield hot springs are both warming and healing; Yanji is a small city of Korean ethnic everyday life, where traditional costumes in the Korean Ethnic Folk Village and rice sausage and rice cakes at the Water Market present authentic Korean ethnic flavor everywhere.
This is a 7-day in-depth ice-and-snow trip across Harbin, Changbai Mountain and Yanji, linking Harbin’s Russian-style romance, Changbai’s snowy fairyland and Yanji’s Korean ethnic everyday life. You will step on the century-old stone pavement of Central Street in Harbin and see the snowy domes of Saint Sophia Cathedral; climb the main peak of Changbai Mountain to admire the frozen Heavenly Lake and soak in snowfield hot springs; and go deeper into Yanji, wearing Korean ethnic costumes for photos in the Korean Ethnic Folk Village and checking in with specialties such as rice sausage and rice cakes at the Water Market. From ice-and-snow wonders to folk customs, from Russian Western food to Korean ethnic barbecue, 7 days will let you take in the essence of Northeast winter and start an ice-and-snow fairy-tale journey that blends romance, awe and everyday warmth.
In the morning, arrive in Harbin, check into a hotel near Central Street, and after putting down your luggage, stroll along Central Street, step on the century-old stone pavement, see Baroque and Renaissance-style buildings, and check in at the Modern (Madie’er) ice cream shop to experience the Northeast ritual of eating an ice pop at –20°C. In the afternoon, go to Saint Sophia Cathedral to see the green onion-shaped domes and red-brick Byzantine-style architecture, visit the architecture art gallery inside, and photograph the full view of the church; then take the Songhua River sightseeing cableway, crossing from Jiangnan Tongjiang Square to Jiangbei Sun Island, overlooking the frozen Songhua River and the snow-covered scenery on both banks. In the evening, visit Harbin Ice and Snow World, check in at the giant ice slides and crystal-clear ice-castle complexes, watch the 19:00 ice-and-snow live performance, and at 21:00 stand under the main tower to enjoy the light show; afterwards go to the Normal University Night Market, eat grilled cold noodles, sweet-and-sour pork (guōbāoròu) and candied hawthorn, and feel the everyday bustle of the ice city at night.
In the morning, go to Harbin Polar Park, giving priority to the 10:30 “Heart of the Ocean” beluga show to see belugas and trainers dancing together in a romantic heart shape; visit the Taoxue Penguin Pavilion to see cute penguins parading in line, interact from a distance with Arctic wolves and polar bears, and at 11:00 experience the immersive glacier aurora show. In the afternoon, go to the Northeast Tiger Park, take a thrilling feeding vehicle to feed Siberian tigers and see the shocking scene of tigers pouncing for food in the snow; visit the Siberian Tiger Science Exhibition Hall to learn about endangered-species protection; then go to Sun Island Scenic Area, check in with the winter-only snow sculpture groups, and take photos of winter scenery on the white snowfields. In the evening, return to Central Street, go into Huamei Western Restaurant, order a Russian-style borscht, stewed beef in a pot, paired with Lieba bread, and feel the atmosphere of Russian Western food; after dinner, stroll to the end of Central Street to see the Flood Control Monument and the Songhua River night view, ending a full day.
In the morning, charter a car from Harbin to Snow Town, passing the Yaxue Highway “Ice and Snow Gallery”, where continuous forest snowfields spread outside the car window; stop at Datudingzi Mountain, and if the weather is clear you can photograph the beautiful sight of rime hanging on the branches. In the afternoon, arrive in Snow Town, check into a kang-bed guesthouse on Xueyun Street, and after putting down your luggage, stroll Xueyun Street, see the “snow mushroom” houses with thick snow covering the roofs and wooden houses hung with red lanterns, and check in at the Snow Town Culture Exhibition Hall to learn about the history of forest-area development and folk stories. In the evening, go to the Bangchui Mountain viewing platform, stand on the summit to photograph a panoramic view of Snow Town, and see the warm picture of thousands of lights blending with the snowfields; after returning, join the Northeast yangko dance gathering at 19:00 on Xueyun Street, moving to the beat of the drums; then at the guesthouse eat iron pot stewed goose, stick a circle of corn cakes around the pot, and dip them in the broth for a very warming meal.
At 6:30 in the morning, wait on the eastern slope of Xueyun Street for the Snow Town sunrise, photographing the healing scene of the snowfield sunrise framed with “snow mushrooms”; afterwards, charter a car from Snow Town to Erdaobaihe Town at Changbai Mountain, passing Jingpo Lake, getting off to photograph the winter-frozen alpine barrier lake, whose snow-covered surface looks like a white wilderness. In the afternoon, arrive in Erdaobaihe Town, check into a Blueberry Valley guesthouse, rest for 1 hour and then go to the hot springs (recommend Lanjing Hot Spring), choose an outdoor pool to experience the comfort of “your head on white snow, your body in warm water”; the mineral-rich hot-spring water relieves travel fatigue. In the evening, find a Korean-style restaurant in Erdaobaihe Town, order bibimbap in a stone pot, spicy rice cakes, army hotpot, paired with chilled rice wine; after dinner, stroll along the town’s main street, see the reflection of snow under the streetlights, and feel the tranquil night at the foot of Changbai Mountain.
At 6:30 in the morning, depart from the guesthouse for the Changbai Mountain North Slope Scenic Area, take an off-road vehicle to the main peak of Heavenly Lake (Tianchi) to see the frozen Heavenly Lake; if the weather is clear, you can photograph reflections of the Heavenly Lake and the snow mountains. In the afternoon, first visit Changbai Waterfall, walk along the boardwalk to the viewing platform, and see the 68-meter drop of the ice waterfall, with ice formations hanging all around; then go to the Julong hot-spring group, buy an 83°C hot-spring boiled egg—the egg white is jelly-like and the yolk half-set, with a very tender texture; finally, visit Luyuantan, where the emerald-green pool contrasts sharply with the surrounding snow, and take photos with a “Little Jiuzhaigou” feeling. In the evening, return to Erdaobaihe Town and eat Northeastern home-style dishes, recommended chicken stewed with mushrooms, “three treasures of the earth” (potato, eggplant, green pepper) and candied sweet potatoes; go to bed early after dinner to store up energy for the early-morning rafting the next day.
At 5:30 in the early morning, depart from the guesthouse for Changbai Mountain “Magic Realm” rafting, put on the waterproof clothes provided by the scenic area, and take a rubber raft along the river at –20°C, seeing trees on both banks covered in rime and sunlight streaming through the mist like an “ice-and-snow fairyland”; after the rafting, have hot soy milk and fried dough sticks for breakfast nearby. At noon, share a car from Erdaobaihe Town to Yanji, and upon arrival, check into a guesthouse near Yanbian University, then go to Dongdamen Gimbap to order low-calorie seaweed rolls, spicy stir-fried squid and stone-plate tofu, and feel authentic Korean ethnic flavors. In the afternoon, go to the China Korean Ethnic Folk Village, rent a set of Korean ethnic costumes, and take photos beside traditional Korean houses, haystacks, swings and waterwheels; experience rice-cake making, personally pounding the glutinous rice, coating it with soybean flour and tasting it for free. In the evening, stroll the internet-famous wall of Yanbian University, see bilingual neon signs such as “Yanbian University” and “Arirang,” and take photos with a “Little Seoul” feeling; then go to Fengmao Barbecue, order tendon skin, beef skewers and chicken cartilage, grill them yourself on a smokeless grill and pair them with chilled Yanji rice wine, experiencing Korean ethnic nightlife.
At 5:30 in the morning, get up and go to the Yanji Water Market to eat Korean ethnic breakfast: freshly pounded rice cakes, rice sausage, kimchi pancakes and tofu pudding; in the market, buy kimchi, dried pollock and balloon-flower-root kimchi as souvenirs. Afterwards, go to Mao’er Mountain National Forest Park, take the sightseeing bus to the top and stand on the viewing platform to overlook the full view of Yanji, with the mountain ranges of the China–North Korea border visible in the distance; if you have enough energy, you can walk down the mountain and enjoy the snow-covered pine forests along the way. At noon, go to Xingdou Restaurant, order the signature sweet-and-sour pork, zhajiang noodles and deep-fried squid; after eating your fill, go to Yanji West High-Speed Railway Station. In the afternoon, according to your flight / high-speed rail time, take a high-speed train from Yanji West High-Speed Railway Station to Changchun / Harbin, ending this Harbin + Changbai Mountain + Yanji 7-Day Ice & Snow Fairy-Tale Journey.
