VERIFIED2026.09.11798, Sanlitun & the Embassy Quarter · 39.948°N 116.470°E
No ticketing
The canal that runs east from the embassy quarter past the Kempinski, Lufthansa Center and Solana mall — a drainage ditch until the district rebuilt 5.5 km of it in 2019-22 as a lit promenade with terraces, footbridges and a boat line. Since then it has been the evening walk of the expat and embassy neighbourhood and, on summer nights, the most photographed stretch of water in the city outside the lakes. The banks are free and open around the clock; the sightseeing boats from the Solana pier are the ticketed part.
AdmissionNo ticketingRiverside free; boats ¥35 day / ¥90 night (2025 product page, go by the day)Verified · 2026-09Source ↗
HoursPromenade 24 h; boats 14:30-17:30 & 18:00-22:00 from 15 Mar (weather)Verified · 2026-09Source ↗
LandmarkFrom the Third Embassy Area east past the Lufthansa Center to Solana and Chaoyang Park
AddressLiangmaqiao Rd / Chaoyang Park Rd, ChaoyangNavigate ↗
EntranceLine 10 Liangmaqiao station, Exit B, for the western (Lufthansa) stretch; Line 14 Zaoying station, Exit A, for the Solana pier (official directions)
Last verified 2026-09-11
How to book
No booking: queue at the pier, boats leave when full about every 20 minutes (city tourism site listing); hotline 4008-922-992, 10:00-22:00 daily. The luxury dinner charter is booked by phone 2 days aheadVerified · 2026-09Source ↗
Beat the crowds
Summer evenings 19:00-22:00 the Solana stretch is a promenade; early mornings it is joggers and dog-walkers. Winter the boats stop and the terraces are empty — the walk still works.
Language
Bilingual signs on the promenade; the boat operator's hotline 4008-922-992 is Chinese (10:00-22:00 per the bureau page).