Nanluoguxiang side hutongs to the Lama Temple: a walk in Beijing

From the hutongs either side of Nanluoguxiang, with their Qing-era courtyard gates, east to Fangjia Hutong and Guozijian Street (Confucius Temple and Imperial College), then the Lama Temple and the cafe lane of Wudaoying.

Best time: Morning: the side hutongs are quiet and residents are out; reach the Lama Temple by late morning. Nanluoguxiang itself is crowded at weekends.

The route, stop by stop

1
Mao'er Hutong
West of Nanluoguxiang: the site of the Ming Zitong Temple and Wenchang Palace before it became Mao'er Hutong in the Qing. 20 min
A 585-metre residential lane running west off Nanluoguxiang, called the most royal hutong for its aristocratic courtyards: Keyuan garden at Nos. 9-11 and, at Nos. 35-37, the…
2
Voyage Coffee (Yuhe, Nanluoguxiang)
The main north-south lane, about 800 m with eight hutongs branching off each side; walk it briskly. 20 min
A home-grown espresso brand in a two-courtyard house by the restored Yuhe canal, quiet despite being steps from Nanluoguxiang. Order the "dirty", a ristretto floated on cold…
3
Dongmianhua Hutong
Late Qing brick-carved arch at No. 15, the Penghao Theatre and the Central Academy of Drama at its end. 15 min
4
Ju'er Hutong
Quiet residential lane in the north-east of the Nanluoguxiang grid. 10 min
A 400-metre Yuan-dynasty lane nicknamed Centipede Lane, where Tsinghua professor Wu Liangyong rebuilt courtyards in the late 1980s as a model for hutong renewal that kept the…
5
Fangjia Hutong
Yuan-era hutong, now with small bars, snacks and art spaces; walk it west to east. 20 min
A 700-year-old residential lane with the remains of Prince Xun's mansion and the Baiyi Nunnery, and at No. 46 the 46 Fangjia complex of studios and bars such as the Peiping…
6
Confucius Temple and Guozijian (Imperial College)
The imperial academy and the temple where emperors honoured Confucius, on tree-lined Guozijian Street. 60 min
China's second-largest Confucian temple, begun in 1302, sits beside the Imperial College, the empire's highest school from the Yuan to the Qing. The courtyard holds 198 stone…
7
Lama Temple (Yonghegong)
Beijing's largest Tibetan Buddhist temple, still an active temple, with its halls rising in courtyards from south to north. 75 min
Built in 1694 as the residence of the future Yongzheng Emperor and turned into a Tibetan Buddhist monastery of the Gelug school in 1744, it became the Qing court's centre for…
8
Wudaoying Hutong
632 m lane of cafes, small restaurants and shops, quieter than Nanluoguxiang; walk it west to Andingmen. 30 min
A 632-metre Ming-era lane of 69 courtyards that young Beijingers use for slow afternoons among ceramic shops, small boutiques selling handmade clothes and earrings, cafes with…

Walking directions

Nanluoguxiang side hutongs to the Lama Temple

The route, stop by stop

More walks in Beijing