Spring is a most ideal time to go strolling in the area. During the summer, Yanqi Lake offers a fun way to beat the heat and enjoy summer in cool waters. During the autumn, picking the fruit and visiting the Great Wall are nice choices. Winter is the best time to visit the Hongluo Temple. We all need a favorite places to escape Beijing's scorching heat, traffic, pollution and cloying summer atmosphere, anywhere that offers pure, fresh air and relaxation away from the demands of work and the madding crowd.
Many people head for water, either lakes or water parks where they can cool off for hours at a time.
Others prefer the restful atmosphere of a countryside park, where they can picnic and allow their children to run free in safety. My favorite place, which I strongly recommend, providing you have transport, is the glorious and spectacular Yunmeng Mountains, located two to three hours' drive northeast of downtown Beijing. The drive itself is fascinating. En route you pass all manner of interesting historical sites such as a roadside goddess sculpture as you approach Huairou county along Jingmi Road. Taken during the summer, the photograph showed the surging, turbulent waves that over thousands of years have carved the river's course.