The old summer palace, YuanMingYuan, in Beijing is great to visit in the spring and summer to escape the city a bit and enjoy some gorgeous scenery.  I went in the spring when all the lilies were bloomed on the lakes, and it was nice to walk around and breathe in the joy of walking among the trees. You can also hop on a boat to ride along some of the lakes.

If you don’t catch the park during the summer, stop by in the winter, where the park is transformed into a cold weather wonderland, complete with ice skating!