Extensive gardens and palaces constructed by the Qing emperors that are a , regarded as one of China's Four Great Gardens. In 1860, British and French soldiers damaged much of what was then known as the "Garden of Clear Ripples", but the area would be rebuilt and renamed by the Empress Dowager Cixi, using funds intended for modernizing the Qing navy. To arrive, take the 4 subway to Beigongmen. This is adjacent to the north park entrance, north of a steep hill. It is highly recommended to walk around this hill (or over the top) on one of the many trails, to see the royal buildings which are scattered around the palace grounds. The ferry rides on the large lake (south of the hill) are very fun.

The Summer Palace or Yihe Garden (simplified Chinese: 颐和园; traditional Chinese: 頤和園; pinyin: Yíhéyuán) was a pavilion built by the Chinese Empress Dowager Cixi for quiet retreat. It consists of a vast ensemble of lakes, gardens and palaces located in Beijing. An imperial garden during the Qing dynasty, it includes Longevity Hill (万寿山; 萬壽山; Wànshòu Shān), Kunming Lake, and Seventeen-Arch Bridge. It covers an expanse of 2.9 square kilometres (1.1 sq mi), three-quarters of which is water.

Longevity Hill is about 60 metres (200 ft) high and has many buildings positioned in sequence. The front hill is the site of halls and pavilions, while the back hill, in sharp contrast, is quiet with natural beauty. The central Kunming Lake, covering 2.2 square kilometres (540 acres), was entirely man-made and the excavated soil was used to build Longevity Hill.

The Summer Palace, which is inspired by the gardens of South China, contains over 3,000 Chinese ancient buildings that house a collection of over 40,000 valuable historical relics from various dynasties.

In December 1998, UNESCO included the Summer Palace on its World Heritage List. It declared the Summer Palace "a masterpiece of Chinese landscape garden design. The natural landscape of hills and open water is combined with artificial features such as pavilions, halls, palaces, temples and bridges to form a harmonious ensemble of outstanding aesthetic value".