Soft beds, a central position and English-speaking staff make this hotel in Ice City a popular choice amongst Western travelers. Within walking distance of St Sophia?s Cathedral, the Holiday Inn is located in the center of Harbin, just across the road from the cobble-stoned shopping street, Zhongyang Dajie. Zhaolin Park, one of the snow sculpture venues, is about a 15-minute walk away and in the immediate vicinity lay the imprints of the Russians, with examples of Byzantine architecture creating a uniquely Eastern European cityscape. For those with little proficiency in Mandarin, English-speaking staff will seem like a godsend, while transport can be easily acquired here in the form of buses or cabs, with the train station only two bus stops away.