Braving the snow country fairy tale with kids! A one-day tour guide to a lesser-known small town
When visiting the Ice and Snow City, be sure to spend a day taking your kids to this fairy tale town! This place is a movie filming location, featuring a railway crossing, old train station, oil painting village, hillside… the snowy scenery is stunning, and spending a day here with kids is super healing~
📍Hengdaohezi
🚄 Transportation: From Harbin Station ➡️ Hengdaohezi East Station, only 1.5 hours by high-speed train, comfortable and smooth, kids won’t feel tired
(Recommended to take the 8:05 AM high-speed train and return at 6:08 PM, a full day is enough, and if you have more time, staying overnight is also great—the town’s night view is beautiful)
🗺️ Kid-friendly direct route!
Hengdaohezi Siberian Tiger Park (watch tigers with kids, very impressive) ➡️ Railway Crossing (green trains pass by, great for dynamic family photos) ➡️ Russian-style Town (stroll among Russian architecture, let kids experience exotic vibes) ➡️ Hengdaohezi Station (Russian vintage-style train station, full of nostalgic charm) ➡️ Hillside (overlook the entire town) ➡️ Church of the Nativity Village ➡️ Oil Painting Village (rich artistic atmosphere, let kids feel the beauty of art)
(If you want to shoot blue hour photos, save the hillside for last; if not shooting night scenes, just follow the above route)
✔️ Hengdaohezi Siberian Tiger Park (🎫50 RMB/person, sightseeing bus 10 RMB/person, free for kids under 1.2 meters)
Very close to the East Station, take the sightseeing bus for a round trip, you can see tigers 🐅 on both sides of the bus. After getting off, you can feed them in the walking area 🥩 (feeding requires an extra fee, about 20 RMB/portion). Don’t buy too much, as the meat will freeze in the cold. Kids get very excited watching the tigers.
✔️ Railway Crossing
Green trains pass by here, great for taking dynamic photos with kids. Remember to stay safe and keep away from the tracks.
✔️ Hengdaohezi Station
Russian vintage-style train station with red walls and white roofs, stunning in the snow. Taking family photos here is very memorable.
✔️ Hillside (🎫30 RMB/person, free for kids under 1.2 meters)
Easy to find by following signs. From the hillside, you can overlook all of Hengdaohezi: mustard-yellow houses, smoking chimneys, the popular swing, and small wooden huts 🛖. Every shot is beautiful. (Come after noon; the swing is backlit in the morning, which doesn’t photograph well.)
The town is small, perfect for walking slowly with kids. Some paths are covered in fresh snow with no footprints, creating an amazing atmosphere!
⚠️ Family travel tips: Hengdaohezi is really cold, dress kids warmly with down jackets, fleece pants, snow boots, gloves, scarves, and hats—all essential; bring a thermos to keep kids drinking warm water anytime; dining options in town are limited, so prepare some snacks and fruit in advance.