Slow China — Go beyond the postcard

Five Citywalk routes across Beijing:

The old-Beijing hutong line

Route: Gulou Dajie, Baochao hutong, Beiluoguxiang, Gulou East Street, Yandai Xiejie, Shichahai.
What you get: The liveliest stretch inside the second ring: coffee in the lanes, candied haws on the street, boats on Shichahai. Beiluoguxiang is noticeably quieter than Nanluoguxiang, and when the ash trees turn gold in autumn it is the photograph.

Route: Dongjiaomin Xiang, Xixinglong Street, Sanlihe Park, Dashilan, Qianmen Street, Yangmeizhu Xiejie.
What you get: Dongjiaomin Xiang, the old legation quarter, comes with its own filter: a century of embassy buildings and a Gothic church. Xixinglong Street and the newly opened Changxiang are full of small workshops and design shops. Sanlihe is the little Jiangnan inside the second ring — a bridge, running water, and that is the whole mood.

Route: Ditan Park, Yonghegong, Wudaoying hutong, Guozijian Street, Guijie, Longfusi.
What you get: The classic hutong walk: Ditan Park's old trees, an offering at Yonghegong, red walls and grey tiles on Guozijian Street, the small shops on Wudaoying, and dinner on Guijie. An easy pace, and not tiring.

Route: Zhongshan Park, the Forbidden City corner tower, Jingshan Front Street, Jingshan Park, Beihai Park.
What you get: The palace as the centre of it: the ginkgo avenue in Zhongshan Park, the whole Forbidden City from the pavilion on Jingshan, and the corner tower with autumn leaves against the moat and the red wall. Everything photographs.

Route: Niujie, Fayuan Temple, Xuannan bookshop, Lanman hutong, Daji lane.
What you get: The route that avoids the crowds. Fayuan Temple is quiet and has cats; Lanman hutong is empty enough to photograph without waiting. On Niujie, eat the halal snacks — the soft buns, the steamed rice cake and the pea-flour cake are all safe orders.

Transport: Metro, shared bikes and walking in the hutong areas. Do not drive: parking is hard to find and the streets jam.
Bookings: Several stops need booking ahead on an official account — Lao She's house, the Red Building at Peking University, the Confucius Temple and Guozijian among them. Check for Monday closures so you do not arrive at a locked door.
What to wear: A Citywalk is harder work than it sounds, so wear shoes you trust. In early November the temperature swings between morning and evening: long sleeves plus a windproof layer, and dress in onion layers.
The best time of day: Walk between 14:00 and 17:00: the light softens, the shadows through the leaves are the ones worth photographing, and you finish on a sunset.