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Beijing · Attraction Guide

Houhai & the Hutongs (后海 · 胡同)
Lakeside nights, grey-brick alleys, the Beijing people actually live in

A lake in the heart of the old city — willows and birdsong by day, a string of lantern-lit bars reflected in the water by night — wrapped in the densest, most atmospheric hutong alleys left in Beijing. Free to wander, easy to cycle.

What it is

Why one evening at Houhai stays with you

Picture this: you step out of a narrow, dim grey-brick lane and the lake opens up in front of you all at once. It is about six in the evening, the sky still a deep blue, willow branches trailing onto the water. A retired Beijinger walks home carrying a birdcage; across the lake the bar lights are flickering on one by one, throwing long red, green and yellow streaks across the still surface. Further off, the dark silhouette of the Drum Tower cuts against the sky. It is an ordinary city evening that somehow you do not forget.

This is Houhai (后海) — the largest of three linked lakes known together as Shichahai (什刹海): Qianhai, Houhai and Xihai, sitting just a few kilometres northwest of the Forbidden City. By day it is a quiet stretch of water with old courtyard homes and willow trees; by night the southern and eastern shores turn into one of the busiest bar and live-music streets in the city.

And wrapped all around the lakes are the hutongs (胡同) — the narrow grey-brick alleys of old Beijing, lined with siheyuan (四合院), the classic courtyard houses built around a central yard on four sides. The Shichahai and Drum Tower area has the densest, most genuinely atmospheric surviving network of them in the city. What sets this place apart from every other Beijing sight is simple: the lanes and the lakeside are free, with no queue and no closing time — and this is somewhere people genuinely live, not just a backdrop for photos.

Houhai lake, Beijing, at night — colourful bar lights along the shore reflected on the still water, the silhouette of the Drum Tower in the distance
Houhai at dusk — the bar-street lights reflected across the lake, the Drum Tower silhouetted beyond
🎫
Entry
Free
Lanes and lakeside open any time
🕕
Best time
Late afternoon to dusk
Walk in soft light, stay for the lake lights
🚇
Metro
Shichahai, Line 8
Exit A2, ~5-minute walk north
🚲
Best way to see it
Walk or cycle
Rent a bike or grab a shared bike
⏱️
Time needed
Half a day
Best if you end at dusk
🏯
Prince Gong's Mansion
~¥20 (~฿100)
08:30–17:00 · check before going
5 things not to miss

5 places that tell old Beijing best

All within walking distance, around the lake and through the hutongs.

What to do here

Wander, cycle, row a boat — and skate in winter

🚲 Walk the hutongs or cycle the whole area

The best way to feel the hutongs is to walk slowly or cycle, turning off into the small lanes on a whim — looking at siheyuan gateways, stone steps, the trees poking over the walls. The lanes twist and connect like a maze; getting a little lost is part of the fun, not a problem. Rent a bike in the area, or unlock a shared bike with your phone.

For an easy start, walk from the Drum Tower through Yandai Xiejie down to Houhai, then loop around the lake. Along the way you will pass old houses, small cafés and a steady run of photo spots by the water.

⛵ Hire a boat (and skate the lake in winter)

In the warmer months — roughly spring through early autumn — you can hire a rowing boat or pedal-boat on Houhai and see the area from the middle of the water, a completely different angle, especially as the shoreline lights come on in the early evening. In deep winter, when the lake freezes solid, locals come out to skate and push wooden ice-chairs across it, a fixture of the season — an experience you can only have in the cold months.

Boat-hire and ice-activity prices vary by season and operator, so ask and agree the price before you start, every time.

A hutong in Beijing — a narrow grey-brick alley flanked by old siheyuan courtyard walls, with bicycles and cars parked along the lane
A real Beijing hutong — the grey-brick walls of siheyuan courtyards on both sides; this is the atmosphere hiding behind the crowded shopping lanes

📸 Photography — catching the light

The best images here tend to come from the narrow lanes, where the low afternoon sun rakes across the grey brick, and from the lakeside at dusk, around 6 to 7 pm, when the sky still holds its blue but the bar lights have come on and laid coloured streaks across the still water. On a calm, windless evening the surface turns to glass and you get the full reflection.

Another favourite angle is from the small stone bridge that separates Qianhai from Houhai, looking toward the Drum Tower once the lights are up — water, bridge and the silhouette of the old tower all in one frame.

Getting there

How to reach Houhai and the hutongs

Metro is the easiest option — several stations ring the area, so pick the one nearest where you want to start walking.

🚇
Line 8
Shichahai station (什刹海)
Exit A2, walk north for about 5 minutes to the Drum Tower and the mouth of the lanes — the easiest start for the Drum Tower
🚇
Lines 2 / 8
Gulou Dajie station (鼓楼大街)
Enters from the north of the area — useful if you are coming round on Line 2
🚇
Line 6
Beihai North station (北海北)
Enters from the south, near Prince Gong's Mansion and Beihai Park — handy if you are coming from the Forbidden City
Combining sights in one day: This area follows on easily from the Forbidden City and Beihai Park. Start at the Forbidden City in the morning, walk through Beihai Park in the afternoon, then arrive at Houhai and the hutongs in the late afternoon — wander the lanes while the light is soft, and stay just long enough for the lakeside lights to come on. You get both the quiet daytime and the lively night in one trip.
About pedicab hutong tours — read first: Pedicab (rickshaw) hutong tours are everywhere around the area, and the drivers target tourists; prices are often inflated and can change at the end of the ride. If you do take one, always agree the full price in writing before you get in — per person or per cart, the route and the duration. But if you just want to soak up the atmosphere, walking or cycling yourself is more relaxed and shows you far more.
Where to stay

Spend a night in a hutong courtyard

The real charm of this area is sleeping in an old Chinese courtyard house in the lanes — wake up and you are already in old Beijing.

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Sleep in an old courtyard house in the lanes, walking distance to Houhai and the Drum Tower
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Frequently asked

FAQ · Houhai and the hutongs

Is Houhai and the hutong area free to visit?
Wandering the hutong lanes and walking around Houhai lake is completely free, with no admission charge. You only pay for the ticketed sights — Prince Gong's Mansion (around ¥20 / ~฿100), or climbing the Drum and Bell Towers (a small ticket) — plus boat hire, bike hire or drinks at the lakeside bars. Check current ticket prices before you go.
When is the best time to visit Houhai?
Late afternoon into the evening is the sweet spot: walk the hutongs and lakeside while the light is soft, then stay until dusk, roughly 6 to 7 pm, when the bar-street lights switch on and reflect across the still water. Spring (April–May) and autumn (September–October) are the most comfortable seasons. In deep winter, when the lake freezes over, locals skate and push ice-chairs across it — a sight you can only catch in the cold months.
Are pedicab hutong tours worth it, and how much do they cost?
Pedicab (rickshaw) hutong tours are offered everywhere around Houhai, but the drivers target tourists and prices are often inflated — and sometimes change at the end of the ride. The rule is simple: agree the full price in writing before you get in, including whether it is per person or per cart, the route and the duration. If you only want to soak up the atmosphere, walking or cycling the lanes yourself is more relaxed and lets you see far more.
How do I get to Houhai and the hutongs, and which metro line?
Take Subway Line 8 to Shichahai station (什刹海), leave via Exit A2 and walk north for about 5 minutes to reach the Drum Tower and the mouth of the hutongs. Alternatively, Gulou Dajie station (鼓楼大街) on Lines 2 and 8 enters from the north, while Beihai North station (北海北) on Line 6 is handy for the southern end near Prince Gong's Mansion. All three are a few minutes' walk from the lake and the lanes.
Which hutong feels most genuine rather than just shops?
Nanluoguxiang is the most famous and most beautifully restored hutong, but it has become a packed street of shops and snacks — good for a first taste, not for quiet. For a more genuine feel, turn off it into the small side lanes, or head to Beiluoguxiang and Wudaoying, which are less crowded and still neighbourhoods where Beijingers actually live.
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Snacks to eat as you walk the hutongs, from old-school bites to famous stalls
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Forbidden City — Complete Guide
A few kilometres from Houhai — easy to combine in a single day
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Klook · Beijing

Guided hutong tours, bike rentals and Beijing activities — book ahead, no haggling

Book a guided hutong walk with a local guide, a Shichahai lake loop or other Beijing tickets through Klook in advance — clear prices, no negotiating on the spot.

Browse Beijing activities on Klook →
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