Locals' Top 3 Secret Activities! Explore the Market, Paddle Dragon Boats

🌟【Key Information at a Glance】

✅ Suitable for: Family trips / Hanfu enthusiasts / Cultural experience seekers
📅 Best time: June 10-12 (Temple fair peak hours 9:00-16:00, off-peak recommended before 10:00 or after 14:00)
🚩 Keywords: Intangible cultural heritage crafts / Dragon boat experience / Beijing-style cuisine / Trip.com special offers

📍【Scene-based Recommendations · Tradition Meets Trend】

1. Ditan Park · Dragon Boat Festival Cultural Festival (Direct access from Andingmen Station on Metro Line 2)

🌟 Highlights

- Enjoy the intangible cultural heritage market: 40+ time-honored stalls (Yangliuqing New Year paintings, Beijing silk figurines, Cao’s kites), make your own mugwort sachet (material pack 25 RMB each, stall owners teach blessing calligraphy)

- Peking Opera live performance: Daily at 14:00/16:00 excerpts from "Legend of the White Snake · Dragon Boat Festival" (Xu Xian and Bai Niangzi meet on Broken Bridge), free admission, front-row seats require arriving 30 minutes early to reserve

- Hanfu photo spots: 20 Dragon Boat Festival-themed installations in the park (mugwort archway, colorful rope corridor, zongzi-shaped inflatables), wear Ming-style Hanfu for great photos (Hanfu rental available in the park, 80 RMB/hour including headwear)

🍜 Must-try foods

- Old Beijing zongzi: Jin Fang snack stall freshly steams small jujube zongzi (glutinous rice wrapped around Miyun jujube, honey oozes when bitten, 3 RMB each)

- Ai Wo Wo: Made live at Huguo Temple snack stall (glutinous rice ball coated with sesame, filled with walnuts and melon seeds, 5 RMB each)

🛏️ Accommodation recommendation

- "Orange Hotel · Andingmen": 10-minute walk to Ditan Park, Dragon Boat Festival special offer room includes double temple fair tickets (Trip.com booking from 528 RMB/night, includes Dragon Boat Festival colorful rope)

2. Shichahai · Dragon Boat Night Tour (5-minute walk from Shichahai Station on Metro Line 8)

🌟 Highlights

- New dragon boat experience: Rent electric dragon boats (6 seats, 300 RMB/hour, 50 RMB off for booking one day in advance on Trip.com), paddle along the river with calamus lanterns hanging on both sides, lights turn on after 19:00 for a super romantic atmosphere

- Waterborne Dragon Boat Festival market: Small boats selling handmade zongzi (salted egg yolk meat zongzi / osmanthus honey jujube zongzi, 8 RMB each), lotus leaf tea (5 RMB/cup), you can stop the boat to buy

- Riverside photo spots: Yinding Bridge "Dragon Boat Festival limited sign" (reads "Enjoy Zongzi at Shichahai"), Lotus Market Dragon Boat Festival-themed decorations (great for family photos)

🍜 Must-try foods

- Shichahai bar street zongzi specials: "Blue Lotus" bar offers "Mugwort Mojito" (with fresh mugwort juice, 38 RMB/cup), "Hutong Xieyi" restaurant has zongzi pizza (creative dish, 58 RMB/portion)

- Cheese-filled bursting zongzi: Exclusive at Houhai snack stalls (glutinous rice wrapped with cheese, fried golden, cheese stretches when bitten, 10 RMB each)

🛏️ Accommodation recommendation

- "Shichahai Shadow Play Theme Hotel": Converted old residence, rooms with small courtyards, Dragon Boat Festival period includes Shichahai dragon boat experience voucher (Trip.com booking from 880 RMB/night, near dragon boat dock)

3. Huguo Temple Street · Beijing-style Food Blind Box (8-minute walk from Xisi Station on Metro Line 4)

🌟 Highlights

- Time-honored zongzi blind box: "Huguo Temple Snack Main Store" offers "Beijing-style Zongzi Blind Box" (28 RMB/box, includes 4 flavors: bean paste, honey jujube, poria yam, rose bean paste, packaging printed with old Beijing hutong paintings)

- Intangible cultural heritage sugar painting experience: "Beijing-style Sugar Painting Workshop" teaches making zongzi-shaped sugar paintings (30 RMB/session, finished product can be taken home, great for kids)

- Hutong Dragon Boat Festival parade: Daily at 11:00/15:00 old Beijing street vendors parade (drumming and gong beating selling mugwort and sachets), interactive photo opportunities

🍜 Must-try foods

- Door nail meat zongzi: "Bai Kui Old Brand" limited edition (glutinous rice wrapped around door nail meat patty filling, savory and juicy, 6 RMB each)

- Pea yellow zongzi: "Fuhua Zhai Bakery" creative version (zongzi wrapped with pea yellow, refreshing and light, 12 RMB each)

🛏️ Accommodation recommendation

- "W Beijing · Beijing Fang": 15-minute walk to Huguo Temple Street, Dragon Boat Festival suite includes hutong cycling experience + food blind box (Trip.com booking from 1280 RMB/night, overlooking Qianmen Street night view)

📌【Practical Information · Local Highlights】

1. Transportation tips

- Parking around Ditan and Shichahai is tight, metro travel recommended (Ditan Park is 500 meters from Andingmen Station Exit D, Shichahai Station Exit A2 leads directly to Yinding Bridge)

- Metro Lines 8 and 2 limit passenger flow from 10:00-12:00 on Dragon Boat Festival day, off-peak travel recommended

2. Money-saving tips

- Trip.com "Beijing Dragon Boat Festival Specials":
✅ Ditan Temple Fair + Shichahai Dragon Boat combo ticket 80 RMB off (original price 450 RMB, Trip.com 370 RMB)
✅ Huguo Temple food blind box + sugar painting experience ticket buy one get one free (28 RMB for 2 blind boxes)

- Time-honored brand discounts: Show Trip.com notes screenshot to get buy 5 get 1 free on Huguo Temple snack zongzi