While it is understandably one of the city's most visited sites, the vast Summer Palace is a great place to escape Beijing's hustle and bustle for a day.

Another of the city's truly atmospheric spots, the visitor soon gets a feeling for this royal garden's turbulent history while ambling around prime examples of Qing architecture and the pretty Kunming Lake.

This is where the residents of the Forbidden City would decamp in summer to escape the summer heat of the city and enjoy some quality leisure time. It's easy to understand the appeal: stroll around and you'll take in cooling water features, hills and beautiful gardens.

Kunming Lake (Kunming Hu) is the obvious centerpiece, taking up about three-quarters of the total area. This was once a popular skating area in winter and was also a source of ice for domestic purposes. In the poetically named Hall of Benevolence and Longevity (Ren Shou Dian), emperors would handle affairs of state. Look out for the hardwood throne and for the bronze animals in the courtyard here.

Many visitors enjoy getting out on the lake in one of the many rental boats available around its circumference. Amongst scores of photo opportunities you'll find a particularly eye-catching boat, this one made of marble under the command of the Empress Dowager Cixi.

Popular with photographers too is the 700-metre Long Corridor (Chang Lang). Look closely and you'll see that all of the mythical scenes depicted thereon are different from one another.

The best overview of the park is gained from the artificially made Longevity Hill (Wanshou Shan) on which sits the remarkable Precious Clouds Pavilion (Baoyun Ge) and the Temple of the Sea of Wisdom (Zhihui Hai). It's a great place to stop, catch your breath and look out over the city.

Just the mere names of some of the attractions here － Cloud Dispelling Hall; Buddhist Virtue Temple; Harmonious Interest Garden (Xiequ Yuan) － are enough to fire the imagination and spirit you back in time.

A 17-arch bridge takes you to South Lake Island and competes with Jade Belt Bridge (Yudai Qiao) for the attention of photographers looking for the perfect backdrop for a souvenir snap. The memorably named Harmonious Interest Garden is in fact a copy of another in Wuxi.

Popular though it may be, the Summer Palace occupies such a vast area that it's perfectly possible to get off the beaten track and find a solitary refuge. Many locals will happily spend a day here reading a book in serene surroundings or simply enjoying the company of friends against a beautiful backdrop.

While the Summer Palace lies some 12 kimometres northwest of the city centre, there's no shortage of ways to get there. Take a taxi, combine the subway and minibus or, if you誶e feeling particularly energetic, cycle there. You can even enjoy a pleasant trip via canal to get there.

Be warned: once you get there, you'll want to spend lots of time wandering at will along pathways and avenues once paced by emperors.

Beijing - The Magnificent City 2004-2005.

Hardback, 271 glorious pictures on 157 full-colour glossy pages, 235x315mm.

RMB260 / US$34.95