4. Saint Sophia Cathedral (AAAA scenic spot)

Address: No 88, Toulong Street, Daoli district

Traffic Routes:

Walk along Jingwei Street towards Hongxing Street, and then walk along Hongxing Street, cross the Central Avenue, then walk along 14th Street in West Daoli and an overhead pass to Toulong Street, and after 500 meters there stands the Saint Sophia Cathedral.

Tel: 86 451 84686904

Website: www.sofia.com.cn

Tickets: 20 yuan ($3.2) for adults, 10 yuan for students, and totally free for senior citizens above 70 and children under 1.4 meters.

Open: 8:30 am to 5:00 pm

Attractions: The Saint Sophia Cathedral is an AAAA scenic spot and National Key Protected Ancient Cultural Relic. Located at Daoli district, it was built in March 1907, with a total area of 50,000 square meters. As a new tourist site of Harbin, the scenic area has Saint Sophia Cathedral Exhibition Center, City Construction Exhibition, Construction Art Square, Central Square and Underground Multi-function Hall. The Saint Sophia Cathedral used to be the army cathedral of Tsarist Russia during the construction of the Middle East Railway. It was built mostly according to Byzantine style, with a Russian traditional tent roof and onion-shape tower. Designed by Russian architecture Kjasikopf, the cathedral’s wall was built of bricks and stones. It has a total area of 721 square meters and a height of 53.35 meters. Seen from the sky like a cross, it is the most well-protected Byzantine building in China.

5. Central Avenue (AAAA scenic spot)

Address: Daoli district

Tel: 86 451 87650401

Traffic Routes:

It takes about 15 minutes walking from Saint Sophia Cathedral to Central Avenue, and you can walk along Toulong Street westward across the overhead pass in front of Daoli Bazaar, and keep walking along 14th Street in West Daoli to get there.

Attractions: Built in 1898, Central Avenue is 1,450 meters long and 21.34 meters wide, with a square-stone traffic lane of 10.8 meters wide. There are 51 European buildings, with various building styles ranging from 16th century Renaissance style, 17th century Baroque style, 18th century Eclecticism style and multiple modern European styles. These buildings cover the four most influential building styles, showing the most charming European cultural history, making it a rare gallery of building arts.

Shopping: There are many souvenir shops along the Avenue, and you can buy souvenirs like birch rind handiworks, wheat straw pictures, decorative Harbin scene items. We recommend the Heilongjiang Tourist Product Shopping Center on the B2 floor of Jinan International Building.