Back Lakes (Hou Hai), Beijing

Houhai (后海) is a great place to take a casual stroll by a body of water in the middle of Beijing. Start from any end of it and loop around for a complete view. Its proximity to various other tourist attractions, such as Prince Gong’s Mansion (恭王府) and the former residence of Soong Ching Ling (wife of Dr Sun Yat Sen) makes it a good in between stop for a change of scenery. Houhai is also known for its bar street where there are dozens of bars offering live music and cozy seats. Many of these bars also double as cafes in the afternoons as business is slow these days - they serve overpriced drinks and finger food but are nice for having a place to sit down and warm up, especially on a snowy day.

This is one of the best areas for tourists to come get a drink. There are many bars for you to choose from and there is a wide variety of music, so you may select the one with the most suitable genre to you. The bar is next to the lake which can be nice to take a stroll around especially in the evening as the sun is slowly setting. There are also some food streets that are located in the area, but you will find better food streets else where.