'China Harbin Ice and Snow World', Harbin, Heliongjiang Province, PRC

The Harbin ice sculptures and palaces are a world class attraction, the largest and most spectacular of its kind.

The admission fee is relatively high, however seniors (+65) discounts are available, including for international visitors (for senior discount bring passport to ticket purchase hall and show it again with the discount ticket at entrance gates).

The saved track includes a 15 RMB taxi ride (booked by mobile phone app) from a hotel in the south-east part of Harbin City to the Ice Palace grounds. The actual walking is only 3 or 4 kilometres, and rated moderate difficulty due to frequent ice stairs and surfaces, and normal arctic winter conditions.

Recorded on evening of January 3, 2019 at approx minus 26 deg. Celsius. Dress as if in Siberia, Nome, or Yellowknife, or at least prepare hot water thermos, instant heat pads, and ear protection. Many have impressive parkas (often fashion brand versions). Ocassional Mao style khalki-green army parkas and hats are also on display. There are hot soup (40 RMB) shacks where one can sit down and get warm. The track had to be cut short due to mobile phone battery drain and camera freeze up, due to cold. It gets even colder later in the evening.

There were dense departing crowds later in the evening, and a wait in cold for regular taxis. These may be fixed price (we were offered 50 RMB to downtown). The phone app taxis don't come under these conditions.

Alternatively, the adventurous and fit can pile onto crowded 2 RMB buses which only have one other stop, in the middle of downtown Harbin. After a hot drink near the downtown bus stop, a cell phone taxi was obtained relatively quickly.

It's easiest to view the route using the "Open Street" or "Open Cycle" Maps available in Wikiloc. The default Google Map doesn't work in China or is not properly geo-referenced (apparently an unresolved issue between Google and China). There is also a Heilongjiang Province free Wikiloc map download, which facilitates navigation and the recording of new Wikilocs in the Province.