Nanluoguxiang

南锣鼓巷

Insadong-style old lane of shops; step sideways for quiet hutongs

Hours

The lane is always open; shops roughly 10am–10pm

Address

An 800 m north–south hutong lane in Dongcheng; the south end is right by the metro

A narrow lane of grey single-storey houses is lined with souvenir shops, qipao rental studios and snack stalls selling tanghulu and yoghurt. The main lane is shoulder-to-shoulder by afternoon, but one block into the side hutongs you find bikes parked by courtyard doors and old men playing chess. The usual route is zhajiangmian at nearby Fangzhuanchang No. 69, then a hutong walk over to Shichahai.