Tongzhou Canal Park

通州运河公园

Tongzhou Canal Park is located at the intersection of Tonghu Street and Furong West Road in Tongzhou District, Beijing. It is very long and you can walk along the river. There are green willow trees and beautiful flowers on both sides. You can also take a cruise to enjoy the scenery on both sides. There is an "Oriental" sculpture on the east bank and a burning lighthouse on the west bank. You can come here for a walk on weekends.

Introduction

Attraction Location: "Dongcheng District, Tongzhou District, Beijing (北京市通州区运河东路/运河西路)"
History: Tongzhou Canal Park lies along the Grand Canal (大运河, Dà Yùnhé), a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This canal has been a crucial waterway for commerce, transport, and cultural exchange in China for over 1,400 years. The park itself was developed to preserve the canal’s heritage while providing a recreational area for residents and tourists.
Architecture: The park features modern landscaping combined with traditional Chinese elements, including arched bridges, pavilions, and waterfront promenades. It is designed to highlight the canal’s historic waterway while creating scenic walking paths and bike lanes.
Cultural Value: Tongzhou Canal Park represents the integration of Beijing’s urban development with the preservation of historical waterways. The park emphasizes cultural heritage, traditional waterway architecture, and leisure activities for citizens.
Other Information: The park hosts seasonal flower displays, boating activities, and cultural events like lantern festivals and traditional craft fairs along the canal. It’s ideal for walking, jogging, cycling, and photography.

Visiting Information

Opening Hours: "06:00 – 22:00 daily"
Ticket Price: "Free entry for the main park areas
Some boating activities: 50–120 CNY per person depending on duration"
Best Photo Spots: "Tongzhou Grand Canal Bridge (通州大运河桥) at sunset
Reflection shots of the canal from elevated walking paths
Flower gardens during spring (April–May)
Night views with lantern lighting in summer and autumn"
Time Reference: "Spring (April–May) for flowers
Summer (June–August) for boating and greenery
Autumn (September–October) for autumn foliage photography"

Where to Sleep (Nearby Hotels & Stays)

Luxury: "JW Marriott Hotel Beijing (北京通州万豪酒店)
Hilton Beijing Tongzhou (北京通州希尔顿酒店)"
Mid-range: "Holiday Inn Express Beijing Tongzhou (北京通州智选假日酒店)
Vienna Hotel Beijing Tongzhou (北京维也纳酒店)"
Budget & Boutique: "Tongzhou Youth Hostel (通州青年旅社)
Tongzhou Canal Inn (通州运河客栈)"

What & Where to Eat

Must-Try Dishes: "Beijing-style steamed buns (包子)
Canal fish dishes (运河鱼)
Local street snacks: Jianbing (煎饼), Grilled skewers (烤串)"
Famous Spots: "Tongzhou Canal Food Street (通州运河美食街)
Shunyi Seafood Restaurant (顺义海鲜酒楼)
Local riverside cafes along the canal"

What Souvenirs to Buy

Miniature canal models, traditional Chinese waterway paintings, handcrafted lanterns, local specialty snacks like preserved fruits, and Beijing-style handicrafts.

Transportation

Subway: Line 6, Tongzhou Beiguan Station (通州北关站) → short walk along the canal
Bus: Routes 604, 621, 621B, 670 stop at Tongzhou Canal Park or nearby stations
Taxi / Ride-hailing: Directly to Tongzhou Canal Park (通州运河公园)
Biking / Walking: Several bike lanes along the canal connect the park with Tongzhou Old Town and surrounding residential areas

Nearby Attractions

Tongzhou Old Town (通州古城, Tōngzhōu Gǔchéng) – 1.2 km south, walkable along Canal Road
Tongzhou Museum (通州博物馆, Tōngzhōu Bówùguǎn) – 1.5 km northwest, walk or bike along the canal
Grand Canal Cultural Park (大运河文化园, Dà Yùnhé Wénhuà Yuán) – 0.8 km north, walk along canal path

Tips for Visitors

Bring water and snacks if visiting for several hours; limited vendors along certain stretches.
Wear comfortable shoes for walking or cycling.
Best visiting months: April–October; spring flowers and autumn foliage are highlights.
Boating activities are seasonal; check in advance for availability.
Early morning or late afternoon is ideal for photography to avoid harsh sunlight.
Follow local regulations on cycling lanes and pedestrian zones.
Bring mosquito repellent in summer months.

Recommended itineraries

Route 1 (Half-Day Leisure):
Tongzhou Canal Park → Tongzhou Old Town → Lunch at Tongzhou Canal Food Street
Transportation: Walkable along canal path
Route 2 (Full-Day Cultural & Scenic):
Morning: Tongzhou Canal Park → Tongzhou Museum → Grand Canal Cultural Park
Afternoon: Explore riverside cafes and walking paths → Evening boating along the canal
Transportation: Walk or bike; taxi for longer segments
Route 3 (Two-Day Relaxed):
D1: Tongzhou Canal Park → Tongzhou Old Town → Riverside cafes and food street
D2: Grand Canal Cultural Park → Local temples or nearby parks → Shopping at Tongzhou pedestrian streets
Transportation: Walk/bike for canal areas; taxi/subway for connections to other attractions

User Reviews

By Chu Yunfei QQ |

A park in Tongzhou City highlights the scenery of the Grand Canal, and the sail decorations are very artistic.

By guilty |

Beautiful scenery, great for hiking and cycling

By Red Guard Wuhan |

It should be the northern starting point of the Grand Canal, but the memorial site does not seem obvious.

By Spring is coming |

Since the construction of Beijing's sub-center and the International Cinema, this place has changed a lot.

By Play around the world |

Located in Tongzhou District, Beijing, you can get there by taking Metro Line 6. It is very long and you can walk along the river, with green willow trees and beautiful flowers on both sides. You can also take a cruise to enjoy the scenery on both sides. There is the "Eastern" sculpture on the east bank and a burning lighthouse on the west bank. You can come here for a walk on weekends.

By Mr. Minami Kohaku |

I attended the Strawberry Music Festival in 2012. The atmosphere was very good and it is worth going.

By Yaogo |

A great place for a weekend stroll! ! ! ! ! ! 1

By Brother Kun |

Next to the Grand Canal Park is the only place in Beijing where you can pick fresh peaches, nectarines, and flat peaches in May. It is very nice. (The peach trees are very small, and children can pick them with their hands). Next to the picking garden are yurts, barbecue sites, children's playgrounds, boating, cycling, tents, etc. The specific address is about 50 meters north opposite the main entrance (west gate) of the Grand Canal Forest Park. The owner's phone number is 13051011020. It is very big inside, otherwise you will not be able to find it.

By Doraemon |

My home is next to the Grand Canal Forest Park. These are photos taken two years ago. The scenery is better now and the environment is much better. Although there are traffic jams every Saturday and Sunday when I go home, I still can't help but recommend everyone to come and play. There is no ticket fee, but the amusement facilities and water projects inside are charged. In addition, there are two parks on the east and west sides of the canal with different contents. Friends who have time can take a public taxi at the entrance of the park on the west side of the river to the other side of the river. The air is especially fresh after the rain. Friends who want to come can try it after the rain, you won't be disappointed

By GTX2050Ti |

This is a park and cultural square beside the Tongzhou Grand Canal, which has some introductions to the history of the canal.

By Zhu Zhu young |

Tongzhou Canal Park is located in Tongzhou District, Beijing. The park is divided into two parts, north and south, by a straight main road running through the park. The park starts from Lutong Bridge on the Sixth Ring Road in the north and ends at Wuyao Bridge in the south. The total length of the canal is about 8.6 kilometers. The park has complete facilities and is very clean. People who come to the park are basically people living in Tongzhou. There are many people who come here to cool off in the summer. At the same time, because the main road is wide and straight, this is also a place for many cycling enthusiasts to ride. If you have nothing to do on the weekend, it is a very good choice to set up a tent and rest and have fun in the park.

By A grass insect under the lamp |

One of the great advantages of the Canal Park is that it is next to the water and the Grand Canal, which makes it very spiritual and cool in summer. What I really like is a sculpture of a long river of history in the park square, which clearly shows the history of Tongzhou from the Qin Emperor and Han Emperor to the present, and what happened in which year. Walking into the park, you can see a huge sculpture by Han Meilin, which is very big, but I don't like it very much because it looks too fierce and scary at night.

My favorite thing is to stand next to the sculpture and look at the ancient Randeng Tower in the distance across the canal. It is said that this was a scene in old Beijing. The tall Randeng Tower is reflected in the river water in Tongzhou, which is quite poetic.

It is very comfortable to visit the Canal Park in summer, where you can escape the heat and cool off, and you can also fly kites.

By Strolling in the Distant Mountains |

I drove to Tongzhou for fun and drove to a gate on the north bank of the Canal Park. As soon as I entered the park, I was attracted by the scenery in front of me.

By Beihai Fishing Village |

You can't escape the cool drizzle in the summer. The scenery is beautiful and the air is very fresh. Strolling along the willow-lined path, you can see the canal flowing slowly. Back then, this was a popular water business route. Now it has become a good place for people to relax and escape the heat. It's really worth a visit to this good place on the edge of the city.

By Daydream long |

On the third day of the 2014 Strawberry Music Festival, Lu Guangzhong, Asi, Song Dongye, Maggie Cheung... were speechless about the weather in Beijing

By sora |

Looking at the map, it is really far from the city. I guess when this park was first built, it was planned to serve as a large-scale event venue in the city. Otherwise, it would be quite a luxury to build such a large park in Tongzhou, a place that in my mind has been sparsely populated at least in the past few years, or a lonely city during the day and brightly lit at night.

By jianyi |

The Tongzhou Canal Park is planned to be 4,600 meters long in total. It is a comprehensive place integrating leisure, entertainment, education, sports, fitness, water amusement and sightseeing. It is also the largest urban park in the Jingdong area.

By Namusa |

On a whim, we went to visit Tongzhou Grand Canal Forest Park. There were not many people and it was a good day, just as the saying goes, "The water is bright and beautiful when it is sunny." The two adults felt very comfortable riding the human-powered ferry that traveled back and forth between the two sides of the canal. The breeze was so comfortable! The children's playground was still the favorite. The facilities in the children's playground in the park are all made of wood, which feels very safe and simple. Plank roads, sand pits, slides, balance beams... The children had a great time!

By Photographer Zimei |

The canal park is nice to ride in, with great scenery, especially in spring and autumn, but the water smells a bit.

By papaya |

The Strawberry Music Festival in 2010 was great. Even though I don't have any musical talent, I still had the opportunity to be influenced by it. Haha.

By baby number |

There were many people driving, walking, and walking their dogs here, but unfortunately the canal was being cleaned up and there was basically no water...