Things to do in Harbin

12 activities, venues and outings in Harbin, from theatres and live music to parks and tours.

Ranked with the travel guide's picks and well-known places first.

Do
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.
Do
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
Do
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)
Do
Sun Island International Snow Sculpture Art Fair
太阳岛国际雪雕艺术博览会; Tàiyángdǎo guójì xuědiāoyìshù bólǎnhuì
Beautifully carved snow sculptures, massive dimensions. However, if you plan to visit the Ice and Snow World then this is not a must see. Pretty expensive for what you get to see and all other activities in the park are extra.
Closed · opens 8 am¥240 (students ¥120)
Do Not mapped
Bowling
Very popular among the Chinese in Harbin. Most of the larger hotels have a bowling alley. There is also a bowling club behind the Sino Way hotel with 2 floors and pool tables.
Do Not mapped
Harbin International Beer Festival
哈尔滨国际啤酒节 Hāěrbīn Guójì Píjiǔjié
The city takes a break and honors the local "Harbin Beer" for a week. A whole public square is cordoned off and there are stages that host music concerts and dance contests. Most of the beer drunk is the local Harbin brew, but there is a tent for international beers. In the summer of 2005 a number of the foreigners in the city assembled a "drinking team" and ended up getting into a drunken brawl with some locals and got hauled away by the police.
Held in late August of every year
Do Not mapped
Harbin Summer Music Festival
哈尔滨之夏音乐节 Hāěrbīn Zhīxià Yīnyuèjié
Held every two years in July (next will be in 2018), this festival is organized by the city and brings in famous Chinese bands for free concerts held in the city square.
Do Not mapped
Ice Festival, Zhaolin Park
冰雪游园会, 兆麟公园 Bīngxuě yóuyuánhuì, Zhàolíngōngyuán
Rather small exhibits compared to the other two main festivals. Best viewed after dusk.
Closed · opens 1:30 pm¥200 (Students: ¥80, admission is cheaper before 13:30)
Do Not mapped
Sauna/bath houses
洗浴中心 Xǐyù Zhōngxīn
Literally all over the city. Many local people do not shower in their own apartments but use these public shower houses instead. There are upscale, midrange, and low end places. Check with a 5-star hotel to get the most up to date facility for the type you prefer. Upscale spas will cost about ¥120 plus additional ¥200 and up for a massage. Low end ones cost ¥30 plus an additional ¥100 for massages. Shanghai Tan (上海摊 Shànghǎitān) and Jiannianhua (嘉年华 Jiāniánhuá) are two of Harbin's longest established sauna/bath houses, but nowadays their facilities are entirely neglected as new entrants divert customers.
Do Not mapped
Swimming
Believe it or not, people swim in the Songhua during the winter, but after all the pollution spills, it's probably not even safe to swim during the summer. If you are looking for a clean pool to swim in, try the pool at the Shangri-La Hotel or Heilongjiang University.
Do Not mapped
Yangge Traditional Chinese Dance
You will notice that during the warmer months (and even sometimes in the winter) there will be legions of senior citizens out on the street doing a group dance complete with drumming and costumes. This is called niu yang ge and if you are adventurous just jump in and dance along!
Do
WB International Movie Theatre
万达国际电影城 Wàndá Guójì Diànyǐng Chéng
Zhongyang Dajie Wal-mart
¥50 plus for tickets

Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Harbin (CC BY-SA 4.0).