China Travel Advice

Starting on October 10, the Olympic Green, the site for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, became open to general public for sightseeing and use. Previously, the access to the park was restricted to the Olympic Games participants.

Located in the northern Beijing, the Olympic Green is comprised of a sports center, an Olympic village, and a forest park, for a total area of 1,135 acres. At the National Sports Center, one finds a dozen or so sports facilities, including Beijing National Stadium (“Bird Nest”), the National Aquatics Center (“Aquatic Cube”), the National Indoor Stadium, the Olympic Green Convention Center, the Olympic Green Tennis Center, the Olympic Green Hockey Field, and the Olympic Archery Field. The Olympic Village is the site of residential buildings that house athletes and journalists, with a total construction area of 870,000 square meters. A forest park makes up the northernmost part of the Olympic complex. Connecting the different sections of the Olympic park is a long and narrow lake, which, viewed from above, shows itself in the shape of a dragon, with its head in the direction of north.

Visitors to the Olympic Green can reach the park by taking Line No. 8 of the Beijing subway. There are three stops in the Olympic complex on this subway line, which, at its southern end, is connected to subway Line No. 10. Tourists can also get to the park by take various city buses or taxis.

While the tour of the Olympic Green in general is free, there are charges for the entry of Bird Nest and Aquatic Cube, which are ¥50 and ¥30 respectively.