Lace Up: The Best Places to Ice Skate in Beijing
With the pandemic situation being what it is, options are somewhat more limited than in previous years, but there are a few spots around town to hit the ice. Whether you're a wobbly beginner, or able to zip around in artful figure eights, there are few things more exciting than lacing up your skates and gliding across the ice. Below, we've listed some of our favorite skating spots.
Shichahai (popularly known as Houhai)
It's probably safest to go skating outdoors these days, but ironically, most outdoor facilities remain closed as they are operated by the city. The exception would be the lakes at Shichahia. Gliding across the ice with the city's low-lying hutong rooftops as your backdrop – nothing quite beats the experience of skating on Beijing's most famous lake, which is separated into a skating area and an ice sled area.
Daily 9am-5pm. RMB 80 entry puls RMB 30 for skate rental or RMB 60 for an ice trolley. Qianhai Xijie, Xicheng District
西城区前海西街
All Star Skating Club was found by Chinese gymnastics titan Li Ning in 2005. The rink boasts internationally standard skating equipment and provides individual classes from professional team couches based on the standard Ice Skating Institute of Asia (ISIASIA) curriculum.
Open daily 10am-9.30pm. RMB 100 (an hour and a half, including rent-fee for skates), RMB 30 for every additional 45 minutes. 1/F, Solana Lifestyle Shopping Park, 6 Chaoyang Gongyuan Lu, Chaoyang District 朝阳公园路6号蓝色港湾国
商区1层VD-36全明星滑冰俱乐部
If you want to go for a leisurely skate, then this is not the place for you. Though serious skaters will enjoy the high-quality lessons on offer at this rink, the number of students and teachers mean that there's little room for more recreational visitors.
Open daily 1.30-7.45pm, but call ahead of time as opening hours may vary. RMB 120-300 (half-hour individual class), RMB 85-180 (half-hour group class). B1, Capital Gymnasium, 54 Zhongguancun Nandajie, Haidian District
海淀区首都体育馆世纪星冰上俱乐部
Beijing Joy City Champion Rink
From hockey tournaments to post-skating window shopping, this in-mall rink has a wide spectrum of options for visitors.
Open daily 1pm-4.45pm. RMB 60 (weekdays, no time limit), RMB 80 (weekends and school breaks, two-hour limit). 7/F, Chaoyang Joy City Shopping Center, 101 North Chaoyang Road, Chaoyang District
朝阳区朝阳北路101号朝阳大悦城7层冠军冰场
Le Cool Ice Rink
It may be a small rink, but the skaters at Le Cool give it plenty of personality. Thanks to its central location, it draws a crowd that is both vast in size and wide in variety, making it one of the liveliest and most downright fun rinks in town.
Open year-round, daily 10am-9.30pm. RMB 40 (weekdays and evenings), RMB 50 (weekends) for 90 minutes, plus RMB 10 for every additional hour. B2, China World Shopping Mall, 1 Jianguomenwai Dajie, Chaoyang District
朝阳区建国门外大街1号国贸商城中区B2国贸溜冰场
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Photos: tour-beijing.com, Toutiao, Sybabite
