Harbin Metro
Three lines, 65 stations, and one of them goes to the Ice and Snow World. Harbin built its metro late and spent the money on the stations, so this is the rare Chinese system where the concourses are worth a look in their own right. This page has the map, the fares, the hours and the station for each sight. How the security check, the gates and transfers work anywhere in China is in our interactive China metro guide; for the city itself, see our Harbin guide.
The Harbin Metro at a glance
Network
3 lines, 82.9 km
65 stations, 4 interchanges. Line 3 is a circle line.
Fare
from 2 CNY
≈ $0.30 for the first 6 km, then by distance.
Hours
05:30–22:30
Both ends of each line dispatch at these times.
Exits
Numbered 1, 2, 3, 4
Not lettered A–D as in Beijing and Shanghai.
Network figures and fares are not yet confirmed against an operator publication — see sources below.
How much does the Harbin Metro cost?
By distance, like most Chinese systems. Nothing a visitor does in a day will get past the 6 CNY band — even the run out to the Unit 731 museum at the far end of Line 1 is inside it.
| Distance | Fare | ≈ USD |
|---|---|---|
| up to 6 km | 2 CNY | $0.30 |
| 6–10 km | 3 CNY | $0.44 |
| 10–14 km | 4 CNY | $0.59 |
| 14–21 km | 5 CNY | $0.74 |
| 21–28 km | 6 CNY | $0.89 |
| beyond 28 km | +1 CNY per additional 10 km | |
Which metro station for which sight?
The short version: Line 2 does almost all the tourist work. It crosses the Songhua, so Central Street, St. Sophia, Sun Island and the Ice and Snow World are all on it. Line 3 picks up the outliers.
| Sight | Get off at | Line |
|---|---|---|
| St. Sophia Cathedral圣索菲亚大教堂 | Shangzhi Street尚志大街 | 2 |
| Central Street & Stalin Park中央大街 · 斯大林公园 | Central Street中央大街 | 2 |
| Flood Control Monument防洪纪念塔 | Central Street中央大街 | 2 |
| Ice and Snow World冰雪大世界 | Ice and Snow World冰雪大世界 | 2 |
| Sun Island & Polar Park太阳岛 · 极地公园 | Sun Island太阳岛 | 2 |
| Siberian Tiger Park东北虎林园 | Shimao Avenue世茂大道 | 2 |
| Heilongjiang Provincial Museum黑龙江省博物馆 | Museum博物馆 | 1 / 2 |
| Soviet Red Army Memorial苏联红军纪念碑 | Museum博物馆 | 1 / 2 |
| Confucian Temple文庙 | Harbin Eng. University哈尔滨工程大学 | 1 |
| Chinese Baroque quarter中华巴洛克 | Jingyu Park靖宇公园 | 3 |
| Russian Yellow House yard俄式黄房子 | Workers' Cultural Palace工人文化宫 | 2 |
| Harbin No. 6 Pharma “Versailles”哈药六厂 | Haihe East Road海河东路 | 3 |
| Dragon Tower龙塔 | Convention & Exhibition Centre会展中心 | 3 |
| Harbin Art Museum哈尔滨美术馆 | Shangzhi Street尚志大街 | 2 |
| Unit 731 Museum侵华日军第七三一部队罪证陈列馆 | Xinjiang Street新疆大街 | 1 |
Sights in green link through to their entry — with our own photographs — on the Harbin city guide. The Ice and Snow World and Sun Island stations only matter in winter — see the ice festival page for when the parks are open.
Harbin Metro map
Unofficial schematic, drawn by us for orientation — station positions are not to scale and the network changes. Harbin Metro publishes no website we can point you at, so check the posted map in the station or the operator's WeChat account before you rely on this.
The stations are worth looking at
Harbin built its metro late and spent the money on the stations. Several are worth the fare on their own — Ice and Snow World station on Line 2 is done out in a retro European style on an 冰清玉洁 (“clear as ice, pure as jade”) theme — and the platform seats are heated, which in February is not a gimmick. The overall look is spacious and plain rather than the flashy, photo-bait style of some newer Chinese systems; plenty of locals will tell you the concourses are pleasant just to walk through.
Exits are numbered 1, 2, 3, 4 rather than lettered A, B, C, D as in Beijing and Shanghai — worth knowing when an address or a map app tells you which exit to use. Direction signage is large and unambiguous, and it is genuinely hard to end up on the wrong platform.
For how the security check, the gates, the ticket machines and transfers work — the parts that are the same in every Chinese city — see the China metro guide. Beijing and Shanghai have their own pages: Beijing Subway and Shanghai Metro.
FAQ
What time does the Harbin Metro run?
Lines 1, 2 and 3 run from 05:30 to 22:30. Both ends of each line dispatch at these times, so the last useful train from the far end of a line leaves earlier than 22:30 if you are heading back across the city.
How much does a ride on the Harbin Metro cost?
Fares are by distance, from 2 CNY for the first 6 km. up to 10 km 3 CNY, up to 14 km 4 CNY, up to 21 km 5 CNY, up to 28 km 6 CNY. Beyond 28 km, 1 CNY more for every additional 10 km.
Why are the exits numbered instead of lettered?
Harbin signs its exits 1, 2, 3, 4 rather than A, B, C, D as Beijing and Shanghai do. It catches people out who have travelled in those cities first, and it matters when an address or a map app tells you which exit to take.
Which metro station is St. Sophia Cathedral?
Shangzhi Street (尚志大街) on Line 2. Central Street and the Flood Control Monument are both at Central Street station, one stop further north, and the two are an easy walk apart.
Can I get to the Ice and Snow World by metro?
Yes — Line 2 runs across the Songhua River and has a station called Ice and Snow World, plus Sun Island one stop earlier. That is the single biggest practical reason the line matters to visitors, and it only opened in 2021.
How many lines does the Harbin Metro have?
3 — Lines 1, 2 and 3, with 4 interchange stations: Museum, Taipingqiao, HMU Second Hospital, Zhujiang Road. Line 3 is a circle line.
Sources and status
Hours and fare bands supplied by the site owner. Harbin Metro has no public website we can link to; verify in station or in the operator’s WeChat account.
Unlike Beijing and Shanghai, we cannot yet tell you whether a foreign contactless card opens the gate in Harbin — we have not verified it, so we do not claim it either way. Until we have, assume you may need a local payment app or a ticket from the machine.
Hours and fare bands last checked 2026-09-20.