Harbin

Bank of China Heilongjiang Branch

This is the only bank in the city where you can exchange Travelers Checks.

Big Harvest

大丰收

Traditional Donbgei cuisine in a unique environment. The only tea in the house is made from wheat.

Blue's

布鲁斯酒吧

Dirty, crowded, and dangerous. Everything that is Harbin, Russians, Mongolians, Turks, Canadians, Brazilians, Koreans. Frequent staging ground for fights between Koreans and Mongolians or Russians fighting with Russians. The staff has also been known to get involved in fights or start them. Friday nights 22:30 and afterward get really crazy when about 80% of Harbin's foreign newcomers head out to Blue's to party. Also, at 23:00 you can buy a bottle of Vodka for ¥10, but it is devil water from Anhui has made many people go nuts and dance on the pole for hours. During the week it is full of Chinese.

Churin

秋林公司

Founded in 1900 as part of a Russian department store chain, Churin is an icon of Harbin. The company’s main branch on Dongdazhi Street is now a cross between a traditional department store and a modern shopping center, that is to say there is a mixture of shops owned by Churin and shops owned by other companies. The underground floor sells the most famous red sausage and lieba (列吧, the big Russian bread). Also do remember to try the non-alcoholic drink brewed from lieba, Da Lieba Gewasi (大列巴格瓦斯). If you’re interested in Churin’s history, you should head to the staircase in the middle of the building where some old photos are displayed on the walls. If you climb to the top floor, you can also view a small collection of antiques acquired by the company over the years.

Costa Coffee

Coffee House, unlike Starbucks it's not quite as packed with people and you can still meet a lot of foreigners here

a bit cheaper than Starbucks in some things, but mainly the same applies here too, Chinese western snacks and no real coffee

Daquan BBQ

大全烧烤

The locals call this the best BBQ joint in town. Always packed, really good. When you go there, ask for the (Honey Plum Meat) Mizhimeirou

Dragon TV Tower

龙塔 Lóngtǎ

Tallest steel structure in northeastern Asia. Only built for the Chinese need of having something as the biggest and the best. Somewhere along the way they forgot to add any pleasant looking qualities to it. There is a revolving restaurant on top and views of the city. You can walk outside at the top and even strap on a harness for a thrill.

Fitness Ark Health Club

美丽方舟健身俱乐部 Měilì Fāngzhōu Jiànshēn Jùlèbù

This is a great and cheap health club. Foreign students and teachers hang out here.

Flood Control Monument

防洪胜利纪念塔 Fánghóng Shènglì Jìniàn Tǎ

Built in 1958 to commemorate the successful defense against the 1957 Songhua River flood. The 22.5-meter-tall tower features a circular platform with relief sculptures. It marks the northern end of Central Avenue and is a popular spot for riverside views.

24 hours·Free

Fucheng Hotpot

福成肥牛

Great Hotpot restaurant always bustling with Dongbei atmosphere.

Gondola ride over Songhua River

A nice way to work your way back from Sun Island in a gondola car that takes you over the banks of the Songhua.

¥35-50

Grape Kingdom

葡萄王国 Pútaowángguó

A live operating "organic farm" that has expansive grape and corn fields. In the fall you can enter the fields and pick as many fresh grapes as you want and watch how the Chinese process corn.

Haerbin Grecism International Health Club

哈尔滨恒详国际健身俱乐部 Hāěrbīn Héngxiáng Guójì Jiànshēn Jùlèbù

One of Harbin's nicest health clubs that includes a full pool, American workout equipment, sauna and hot tub, indoor track and cafe.

Membership is expensive

Hamama's Kofi House

A little Cafe near Harbin Institute of Technology run by a Papua New Guinean and his Taiwanese wife. Western food like burgers, milkshakes and an omelet breakfast. Good strawberry and banana smoothies and carrot cake but some of the other items on the menu a bit variable. Coffee is fairly good too.

Hans Beer BBQ

金汉斯啤酒烤肉

Great draft beer that is all you can drink during lunchtime. The food is Chinese BBQ with assorted and spiced meat kabobs. A chain restaurant that is available in any large city in China.

Harbin Confucius Temple

哈尔滨文庙

This Confucius temple is one of the largest of its kind in northeast China. The Heilongjiang Museum of Nationalities can be found inside the temple.

08ː30-16ː30, closed on Wednesdays·Free

Harbin Ice and Snow World

冰雪大世界

A magical kingdom built with 400,000 cubic meters of ice and snow. Highlights include the 500-meter super ice slide, the Snowflake Ferris Wheel, and the Asian同心 Main Tower. Lights turn on around 16:00-16:30, creating a dreamlike atmosphere.

Closed · opens 11 am·¥328

Harbin Jewish New Synagogue

哈尔滨犹太新会堂 Hā'ěrbīn Yóutài Xīnhuìtáng

Has been restored and contains an impressive collection detailing the history of Jews in Harbin. There were 20,000 at one point and the synagogue is well worth a visit. Further up Tong Jiang Jie is the old synagogue that is now a youth hostel and cafe, with the old Jewish school next door -both worth a detour to look at from the outside.

¥25

Heilongjiang Art Museum

黑龙江省美术馆

A provincial art museum founded in 1962, housed in a three-story European-style building from the 19th century. Its collection focuses on modern and contemporary Chinese art, especially woodblock prints from the Beidahuang and Heilongjiang schools. The museum also holds a significant collection of Russian oil paintings.

09ː00-16ː00·Free

Heilongjiang Provincial Museum

黑龙江省博物馆 Hēilóngjiāngshěng Bówùguǎn

A comprehensive museum housing Heilongjiang's history, nature, and art collections. Permanent exhibitions include "Heilongjiang Historical Relics," "Natural History," and the "Harbin Past — Early 20th Century Social Life" exhibition, which recreates scenes of the city a century ago. Built in 1922, the museum is a landmark of Harbin.

October 8th to March 31st: 9AM-4PM; April 1st to October 7th: 9AM-4:30PM·Free (but remember to bring your ID)

Homestyle Hotpot

Great hotpot, especially their beef and potato. Heat source is piped in from the ceiling straight to the pot, none of the wimpy table-cooker stuff. They have a great spicy broth, and there is tableside sauce mixing available.

Hongbo Century Square

红博世纪广场

Not to be confused with the underground market, this is a huge mall in the basement of the Harbin exhibition center. There is also a fried chicken chain from Texas. There are daily fashion model shows.

Ice and Snow World

冰雪大世界 Bīngxuě Dàshìjiè

Large buildings and sculptures made of ice. Best viewed after sunset. This festival is one of the main reasons people come to Harbin in winter.

Closed · opens 9 am·¥330 (students ¥160, admission is ¥100 before 13:30)

Japanese Teppanyaki

京桥铁板烧 jingqiao tiebanshao

Japanese BBQ where you are seated in private rooms and real Japanese cook your food right in front of you!

Meals start at ¥200

Luyu Cafe

鹿鱼咖啡

This is a good place to relax and escape the crowds or to warm up on a cold winter day. Situated in a historic Russian building right next to Zhongyang street, the warm atmosphere and nicely decorated surroundings, combined with a creative coffee blend from the friendly owner, will let you forget that you're in a city with a population of 10 million.

¥30

Marhaba Arabian

马尔哈巴

This is a great mom and pop sized restaurant which has some low and medium priced dishes. If you don't know Arabian food, the dishes are similar to many Indian and Lebanese dishes. They also have hookahs/shisha with flavored tobacco if desired.

Metro German Supermarket

麦德龙

German owned walmart type supermarket with the city's biggest selection of western food, a huge selection of imported wine, alcohol and beer, cheese, pastas and ice cream. It's all there, including the steep prices!

Modern Ice Lolly

马迭尔冰棍

One of the icon of the city. Visit Harbin without Modern Ice Lolly is like going to Beijing without seeing the Great Wall. While everywhere in Harbin sale Modern Ice Lolly, only the hundred-year shop in Zhongyang St is the real one. Hardly can one find a place with everyone in all age group on the street hold an ice lolly, and it is worth to go and have a look even if you are not a sweet tooth. The shop has no advertisement and the ice lolly has no packing, and it can be sold 10,000 per day, all year around. Only two flavours and ¥5 for one. Do remember to try it in winter when it is -30 °C! Everyone's favourite!

¥5

Northeast China Revolutionary Martyrs’ Memorial Hall

东北烈士纪念馆

During the Japanese occupation, this building was used as the Harbin police headquarters of the Japanese puppet state of Manchukuo. It played a pivotal role in the suppression of all those opposed to Japanese rule. A number of prominent Chinese patriots were imprisoned and tortured here. In 1946, about one year after the Japanese surrender, Harbin came under the control of the Communist Party of China, and the Party decided to turn this place into a martyrs’ memorial. The memorial opened in 1948. Today it has exhibitions on 162 individuals who died fighting the Japanese and 118 individuals who died during the Chinese Civil War.

Free

Old Changs Spring Cakes

老昌春饼

Pancake like food stuffed with vegetables and meat, a staple of the northeast and tasty as hell! You'll order plates with the fillings, such as meat, potato stripes, soy sprouts,... and stuff the pancakes with them. Due to high popularity, Old Changs opened a few other branches in the vicinity. If this one is too crowded (expect more than 50 people to be waiting for a table during lunch time), try the branch at Xi 13 Daojie (西十三道街68号) a few hundred meters south.