Beijing’s hutongs

Official tourist office maps are generally unhelpful, but boutique hotel The Orchid has prepared a wonderfully informative walking map of the hutongs around its immediate neighbourhood close to the Drum and Bell Towers.

A sample route begins on pedestrianised Qianmen Street south of Tiananmen Square and heads west onto Dashilan Dajie, a narrow street lined with heritage Chinese stores and Beijing’s oldest cinema. Cross Meishi Jie and continue along the quieter Dashilan Xijie, noting the cafés and grey-brick houses. Turn right onto Qingzhu Xiang, a small lane featuring Zhenwu Temple, which leads onto Liulichang – an attractive hutong famous for its inkstone and giant calligraphy brush shops.

See them by rickshaw

Trishaw drivers hang around Houhai Lake and nearby hutongs offering tours – a more leisurely way to take in the hutong atmosphere. Bargain hard or pay over the odds.

See them by bike

Beijing is full of dockless bicycles which are a great way to explore the hutongs, but you will need to enlist the help of a Chinese person to access them, because the apps (Chinese only) require a Chinese bank account for payment. However, there are plenty fo excellent cycling tours on offer – see our recommendations.

Avoiding the crowds

Some of the most popular lanes, such as Nanluogu Xiang near the Drum Tower, can become intolerably crowded, especially on weekends. However, you generally only need to step off the main thoroughfare and duck into a side alley to find relative peace and solitude.

Alternatively, seek out the hutongs around the White Dagoba Temple in Xicheng, which are wonderfully authentic and local, and far less prone to overtourism.

Spring and autumn offer the best temperatures for wandering. Summer can be blisteringly hot; winter bitingly cold.