I had a wonderful time meandering down this street visiting the shopfronts. Made some good purchases and then continued through the hutongs. We visited a Hutong to see family life but it was very touristy. Take away the furnishings and you could imagine what it...More

I love the Yandaixiejie, or the Zigzag Alley for Selling Smoking Gadgets. It's not only so close to my favorite Houhai area but also so unique. It's a quarter-mile-long, snake-like alley rather than a straight one like almost all in the rest of the town....More

Bars, shopping, people-watching. Beautiful scenic lake, rickshaw rides (be careful of getting scammed!!), bridges, hutongs, all in one place.

Bars, souvenir stores, small tea shops and an enormous mixture of different shops (calligraphy, art, ceramics, jewelry, etc). A must-stop if you visit Beijing for the first time! Spend sometime for shopping here (afternoon), and letter follow the street until reach the restaurants! Have Peking...More

If you walk along the main thoroughfare, do take the time to duck into the little shops for gifts and souvenirs. Even if you are paying relatively higher prices in Chinese terms, really everything is very cheap for westerners with higher wages. We wandered off...More

My wife became infatuated with this shopping street when we visited this lane while on exploration of the Hutong area near the Bell and Drum Tower and the and the Sichaihai scenic lakes area. It was a gem and I personally like the ancient ambience...More

When you are at the Bell and Drum Towers you are pretty close already, so check this one out. Walk south down the right hand side of Di'an Men Wai Street, take the first turn right to enter Yandai Xie Street (it's a small alleyway)....More

Lovely byway through the Hutong, lots of little shops and history to go with it. I cycled all around this area and was a fabulous experience. I recommend a visit.

If you are in the back lakes (Hou Hai) area have a stroll along this pretty little street. Mostly touristy sort of boutique style shops, but some interesting things and some friendly little bars. It's also near the Bell and Drum towers if you want...More

With only seven days in Beijing, this spot commanded two visits! I loved it! It was part tacky touristy and part charmingly unique. We had an elegant dinner along the Houhai Lake and walked past bars just gearing up for karaoke and other themes. One...More