Things to do in Harbin

Harbin sits on the Songhua River in Heilongjiang province, close to the Russian border, and its history shows in the onion domes of Saint Sophia Cathedral and the old facades of Central Street. In winter the temperature regularly falls far below freezing, and the city turns that into its great attraction.

Each winter, blocks of ice cut from the frozen river are carved into castles, towers and slides at the Harbin Ice and Snow World, while snow sculptors fill the parks on Sun Island. Lit in colour after dark, the ice parks are one of the most striking winter sights in Asia.