The Olympic Green occupies a long strip of northern Chaoyang laid out for the 2008 Summer Games: a central plaza with the stadium on one side and the aquatics centre on the other, water features down the middle, and the Olympic Forest Park continuing north beyond it. By day it reads as a formal set of sports buildings; after dark, when the lighting comes on, it becomes one of the most photogenic pieces of modern Beijing, and the plaza fills with families, skateboarders and joggers.
What to see
The National Stadium, universally known as the Bird's Nest for its woven steel frame, is the anchor. Its structure is exposed rather than clad, so the lighting turns the whole nest into a lattice of warm lines. Across the plaza, the National Aquatics Centre - the Water Cube - is a box of translucent ETFE cushions that glows a soft blue-green from inside; the effect is best from the eastern side, where the reflected light falls on the water channel. Both buildings host events and concerts, so their own opening hours and access change with the calendar, but the plaza between them is free and open at all hours.
How an evening runs
Arrive about half an hour before sunset and walk the length of the plaza from south to north, which puts the stadium on your left and the aquatics centre on your right. Lighting switches on shortly after dusk and stays on until late. There are food kiosks, ice cream stalls and a large shopping mall at the southern end of the site, so you can eat without leaving. From the northern end the paved path continues into the Olympic Forest Park, which is darker, quieter and good for a second hour of walking.
Practical notes
The site is served by several metro stations along its length, including stops on lines 8 and 15, and the walk between them takes about twenty minutes. It is exposed, so summer evenings are hot until well after dark and winter nights are genuinely cold - the wind funnels along the plaza. Weekday evenings are far calmer than weekends. If a concert is on at the stadium, the plaza is crowded and the nearest metro exits are restricted, so check before you go.
