Harbin is the capital of Heilongjiang Province. It is the largest city in the Northeast Region of the People's Republic of China. Harbin holds sub-provincial administrative status. Harbin has direct jurisdiction in more than nine metropolitan areas, two cities and seven districts. According to the 2010 census, Harbin is the eighth populous city of China. It has a population of 5,282,093 people. Harbin serves as an important political, economic, scientific, cultural and communication centre in Northeast China. It also important industry base for China. Harbin has been called the city of ice for having an extreme winter. Harbin is famous for its beautiful ice sculpture celebrations in winter. In addition to its famous historical heritage, the city serves as an important gateway for Sino-Russian trade. Harbin has been recognized by the United Nations as "City of Music" on June 22, 2010.

Airports in Harbin

1. Harbin Taiping International Airport

Harbin Taiping International Airport was formerly known as Yanji Airport. It is located about 37 km Southwest of Harbin city. It was built in 1979. In 1984, the airport was upgraded to an international airport. Today, Harbin Taiping International Airport is an important transportation hub for China's Northeast area. It is also the largest airport serving Heilongjiang province. The terminal building at Harbin Taiping International Airport is also the largest in Northeast China. Formerly, Harbin Taiping International Airport is capable of handling 6 million passengers annually. It has more than 50 airways whether domestic or international. Spring Airlines flights in June 2015 are the first international flights of LCC to Nagoya, Japan.

In 2013, Harbin Taiping International Airport managed to handle 10 million passengers. It is the 23rd China airport that reaches 10 million passengers each year. In 2017, the Harbin Taiping International Airport had operated 18 million passengers and became the 21st busiest airport in China. To accommodate the passenger demand at the airport, Terminal 2 was opened on April 30, 2018. However, the terminal is only used for domestic flights only. All international flights have been moved to an old terminal located about 1 mile North of Terminal 2. Terminal 2 upgrading works are progressing to operate international flights. From Manila, Philippines, there is no direct flight available to get to Harbin. You need to transit to at least once at other airports before making a flight to Harbin. China Eastern offers the cheapest air ticket with only PHP 9,653.

How to Get Cheap Flights to Harbin

Traveloka is a travel search engine that makes it easy for travellers to find the cheapest flights to Harbin. All you need to do is key in the information in the search box, and the application will recommend the best trip according to your budget. It compares flight prices across some trusted airlines to help you to get the best possible deal. Use Traveloka’s price alert feature to be notified of flights in your desired price range to get the best flight price to Harbin.

When is the Best Time to Fly to Harbin?

The best time to visit Harbin is from December to February when Harbin is experiencing winter because there are various activities at this time. Flight prices and hotels can be a little high at this point.

According to climate classification by Koppen, Harbin has a continental climate influenced by monsoon. The city is famous for having the longest winter among the cities in China. It has temperatures as low as -17.6 °C in winter. The summer of Harbin is about 23.1 °C.

You can visit Harbin in December to February to celebrate the snow and ice festival that takes place in winter.

What are the Top 3 Things to Do in Harbin?

1. Yabuli Ski Resort - is China's largest ski resort. It also has the largest ski jump facility in the Heilongjiang Northeast Region. The Yabuli Ski Resort is located 177 km Southeast of Harbin approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes by train. Yabuli hosted the Winter Asian Games 1996, Winter 2008 Winter and Winter Universiade 2009. Yabuli Ski Resort underwent major renovations in the winter 2008/2009. A six-seat gondola is installed in Harbin. Three hotels are also open in mid-January 2009. The price range at this resort is from PHP 4,658.20 to PHP 18,634.32.

2. Saint Sophia Cathedral, Harbin - this church is located at the end of Toulong Road and Zhaolin Street. It is located at 53.5 meters high. It also occupies an area of ​​721 square meters. This church is an example of Neo-Byzantine architecture. The main structure of the church is placed with a cross and its main hall decorated with a large green dome. Under the sun, this church will look like Red Square in Moscow.

3. Bingxue Large World - this ice festival is held on the banks of the Songhua River in every winter. Sculptors from various countries flooded Harbin at this time. They will carve the ice into something interesting. This theme park covers more than 400,000 square meters. A total of 120,000 cubic meters of ice and 100,000 cubic meters of snow are used in this theme park.