The place is absolutely gorgeous... I would go winter or summer. It’s a must

I can't remember how long it took, but my advise is the take the subway. It's the best way to get around Beijing. Auto traffic is congested, so taxi is not the best way.

We bought ours when we got there. Even at the height of tourist season, it only took a few minutes.

Sorry for delay. No worry, you should take a hotel card with you and you will find taxis waiting when you leave palace. Always keep a hotel card in your wallet as people will always assist if you have written word. A lot gets lost in speech!

The easiest and cheapest way would be to take the Beijing Underground. You'll need to take Line 4 to Beigongmen Station, then exit via Exit D. There should be directions outside of the station that will point you towards the Summer Palace.

Out of all the places we have been to in Beijing my favorite was Summer Palace. You wouldn’t be able to see the beauty of it unless you go inside. I would also recommend to get an access to all of visiting places inside the palace as the total cost I believe was around 60 yuan which is very reasonable. We also took a boat tour inside the lake. Beijing is humongous and we ended up extending our trip as each places would take more time than I originally planned. Have fun.

Yes it is

Hi You can buy your tickets at the North gate April-October it is 30 (CNY), November to March 20 (CNY). Not sure how much the child ticket is but you may be able to get a family ticket. So very worthwhile to spend the day there. Good luck

I didn’t see lockers but the ticket office may keep it for a few Yuan. Chinese travel with their luggage rather than leaving it at a hotel or airport or station and going back for it. They even take their luggage to restaurants. So worst case scenario you can carry your bags while visiting if they aren’t too big.

Nope, no need for a tour guide. As stated there are audio guides you can rent but it is such a large place I would just use a map and do a little online research before arriving.