Yangmei Zhu Xiejie: A One-Hour Beijing Hutong Walk

This walk runs along Yangmei Zhu Xiejie from the junction with Meishi Street (or Yan Shou Street, if you are coming from the other end), takes about an hour at an unhurried pace, and is best done at a weekend when you have the time to stop.

Base yourself near Dashilan so the street is a short walk from your door — compare all the booking sites before you pick.

The stops

1. NO.8 Coffee & Books. A reading-friendly café at number 8 on the street, with a run of Beijing-specific drinks on the menu. The ones worth ordering are the Beijing Soda Americano and the 2:8 Sauce Latte — sesame paste in a coffee, which sounds wrong and is not.

2. Suzuki Shokudo. A Japanese canteen that works equally well for a solo lunch or a group dinner. The narrow lane it sits on is the photo, not the food.

3. He Sha. Beijing cultural-creative fridge magnets and gifts. The same magnets cost less here than they do at the big sightseeing spots.

4. Qiankun Space. An old-Beijing souvenir shop with a classically styled shopfront and a huge hand-drawn map of Beijing on display inside. The map is the reason to go in.

5. Soloist Coffee Co. A retro room done in red and heavy with green plants. Sit down if you have already walked the first four.

6. Beijing Taste Shiiguang. The classic "micro-hutong" upward-shot spot. A tiny courtyard with a single small tree has been built inside the shop, and the sunlight through the wooden-framed glass window is what everyone is photographing. You have to buy something to go into the courtyard.

7. No. 55. A small shop of felt handicrafts. Cats turn up on the roof at random.

8. Norman General Store. Floor-to-ceiling objects from the last century, and plenty of odd little things worth digging through.

9. Song Family Calligraphy and Painting. Calligraphy, paintings and old books, behind a minimal, nostalgic shopfront.

10. Shan You Mu Xi. Handmade pendants and felt goods.

11. Hao Tu Ceramics. Ceramics, decorative pieces and bracelets.

12. Design Studio Paper Cut Maps. Paper-cut maps of major world cities, along with fridge magnets, coasters, puzzles and mugs. Paper and wooden pieces alike are carefully made, and the prices are friendly — the most surprising shop on the street.