• Brief description: hutongs are narrow streets that make up the old part of Beijing. Hundreds of hutongs surround the Forbidden City, most of which were built during the Yuan dynasty. You'll end up on numerous hutongs even if you don't want to, but you definitely shouldn't miss Yandai Xiejie, one of the oldest in Beijing. Its name derives from the many pipe stores that were once there (Yandai = pipe / Xiejie = passage). It is said that the reason for so many pipe shops was that during the Qing dynasty, the majority of inhabitants was addicted to opium. Today it is a commercial street brimming with shops and cafés.
• Duration of visit: 1hr.
• How to get there: exit Beihai Park through the northern gate, cross the street and walk along Qianhai Lake until Yindian Bridge. From here you can access Yandai Xiejie.