Plan at a glance
Two stations and one aerial river crossing
The Songhua River Cableway connects the Jiangnan Station “Riverside Castle” and the Jiangbei Station “Chocolate Castle.” Jiangnan Station is at 218 Tongjiang Street in Daoli District, near the Flood Control Monument and Stalin Park. Jiangbei Station is at 18 Fengjing Street in Sun Island Scenic Area. Both stations form part of the cableway experience, but their surroundings and return directions differ.
Adult tickets are currently around CNY 60 one way and CNY 100 return. Senior and military concession tickets are around CNY 40 one way and CNY 70 return. For children 1.2–1.5 metres tall, tickets are around CNY 30 one way and CNY 50 return; children under 1.2 metres are free. No reservation is required; tickets can be bought online or on site.
Operating hours and how much time to allow
Current listed hours are 09:00–21:30, with entry stopping around 21:00; the exact window may shift slightly by season. The ride takes a little over 10 minutes one way. Allow 30–45 minutes for a short crossing and about 1.5–2 hours with a north-bank walk and return; weekend and holiday queues may exceed two hours.
The cableway is a paid river crossing and sightseeing experience, not the railway bridge's pedestrian path or a ferry. For sunset and Sun Island views, take a one-way Jiangnan-to-Jiangbei ride and return by metro or taxi. Before buying a return ticket, assess the possible queue for the return direction.
Tickets and visit details
View visit options for this attraction and confirm the visit date and current arrangements before you go.
Choose your visit
Riverside Castle and Chocolate Castle
Tongjiang Plaza near the south-bank station works for photographs that include the castle and cableway. The north-bank Chocolate Castle is on the Sun Island side and offers higher views of the wetlands, river and cableway line. The two station buildings have different architectural forms, and the ride provides views of both city banks.
Sunset and blue hour
Leave from Jiangnan Station around sunset, cross the river and arrive on Sun Island with views of the water and skyline from the cabin. Walk briefly at the north station, then return towards Jiangnan by metro or taxi; sunset time, queue length and lighting status may vary by day.
Tongjiang Plaza on the south bank is good for the operating cableway and castle exterior. The Chocolate Castle viewpoint on the north bank frames Sun Island wetlands and the full cableway. Poor weather or low visibility reduces the view from above; the ride may function mainly as transport.
Romantic views, with a real queue cost
The cableway suits photography, couples and visitors who want an aerial view of Harbin. The ride itself lasts only a little over 10 minutes, and the ticket is more expensive than the bridge or ferry. Its main value is the high view and the connection between the two banks.
Build your day
30–45-minute one-way Jiangnan-to-Jiangbei route
Buy a ticket at Jiangnan Station and choose the one-way direction from Jiangnan to Jiangbei. Watch the river and Sun Island from the cabin. After arriving at Chocolate Castle, photograph the north station and the nearby part of Sun Island, then leave according to the day's metro or taxi arrangement.
This route suits visitors who want one aerial crossing and still have other Sun Island plans. Do not join another long queue simply to return to Jiangnan; decide how to leave the north bank and continue around Sun Island before entering the station.
1.5–2-hour sunset route
Check the sunset time in advance, queue at Jiangnan Station and board before sunset. After arriving in the north, stop at the Chocolate Castle viewpoint or the nearby part of Sun Island for the sunset and cableway panorama. If you will walk farther into Sun Island, calculate that distance separately from the cableway's entry stop around 21:00.
Return towards Sun Island Station by public transport or arrange a ride in advance. A return ticket suits visitors who definitely need to come back to Jiangnan, but the return queue may be long again; a one-way connection is more flexible when time is tight.
Arrive early for peak periods
To reduce queueing, reach Jiangnan Station before 09:30 or choose a weekday. Weekends and holidays may use batch numbers, and queues of more than two hours are not unusual. When time is tight, use the pedestrian bridge, ferry or metro instead.
Get there
Jiangnan Station
Take Metro Line 3 to Youyi Palace Station and use Exit 1. Jiangnan Station is about 50 metres away. Bus routes 2, 4 and 16 stop at Tongjiang Wetland Bus Hub; walk towards 218 Tongjiang Street and the “Riverside Castle.”
Jiangnan Station is near the Flood Control Monument and Stalin Park, so it can follow the Central Street combined walk. The cableway requires a separate ticket queue. Parking in the old city is tight, so driving is not the main arrival option.
Jiangbei Station
The Jiangbei “Chocolate Castle” station is at 18 Fengjing Street inside Sun Island Scenic Area. After arriving, walk towards Sun Island or change to park transport. Sun Island's main park, Russian Style Town and Polar Park have separate tickets and entrances.
Return direction
After getting off on the north bank, move towards Sun Island Station, a park exit or a taxi pick-up point. If you bought a return ticket, follow the on-site signs back to the cableway station. The metro, taxi, ferry and railway bridge are at different points, so check the map and same-day service before leaving.
Know before you go
Queues, ticket types and the aerial ride
Weekend and holiday queues may exceed two hours and may use several batches of numbers. Adult one-way/return tickets are currently around CNY 60/100; concession tickets around CNY 40/70; child tickets around CNY 30/50; children under 1.2 metres are free. The ticket, discount documents and queue process may vary by day.
The cabin ride takes only a little over 10 minutes, but the stations and aerial crossing can involve waiting and crowds. Visitors with a fear of heights, motion sickness or limited mobility can watch the boarding process and station stairs before deciding. Operation depends on wind and weather.
Night operation and the return
Current listed hours are 09:00–21:30, with entry stopping around 21:00; confirm seasonal changes before setting out. If you wait for sunset or the night view on the north bank, plan around the cableway's entry cut-off, the walk across Sun Island and the direction of the last metro.