Lido, Beijing: Guide to Living Here

Lido (丽都 in Chinese, Lì Dōu in Pinyin) a small Western-oriented area of Beijing in the city's northeast, 15 minutes by car from the airport and 10 minutes by car from downtown. Nearly one-quarter of all Westerners in Beijing make their home in Lido.

Prior to the development of Shunyi District, Lido was Beijing's top destination for expatriate families relocating to the city. As it remains a popular residential area for foreign families, the prices in Lido stay relatively high compared to other areas of Beijing, too.

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While not as completely Westernized as Shunyi is, Lido features a wide assortment of Western restaurant options, shopping, bars and pubs, some Western hotels, and offices for several large multinational companies. Because Lido is not far from the South Korean-populated Wangjing, Lido caters to South Korean tastes and interests, in addition to those of North Americans and Europeans.

Living Arrangements

The housing selection in Lido is restricted primarily to apartments, and these cover a spectrum from very basic to luxury residences. As in other areas of Beijing, apartment complexes tend to be gated and staffed with security guards. Included in many complexes here are:

Swimming pools
Gyms and fitness centers
Tennis and squash courts
A reading room
A business center

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Rental prices range from ¥7,000 per month at the lower end for studio apartments, to up ¥40,000+ per month at the higher end for larger luxury accommodations. The normal range for most apartments here is about ¥10,000 to ¥30,000 per month.

Lido tends to be made up more of expatriate families, though you will find some singles living here too. The prices tend to be too steep and the location too far from where most of the action is though for the majority of those without families.

Local Amenities

While not the Western suburbia transplant that Shunyi is, Lido still offers a great deal more Western amenities than you'll find almost anywhere else in Beijing. For this reason, Lido's often considered to be not a "real" Beijing experience... even many of the shop owners speak enough English to communicate with the Western clientele.

In Lido you'll find:

Western supermarkets like Jenny Lou's, BHG, and Vanguard
Marko, a superstore selling groceries, kitchenware, and cleaning supplies
Western and other restaurant options, including Thai, Italian, Indian, American, and Korean restaurants
A number of small Western-style bars and pubs, such as Little Britain
The largest IKEA furniture store outside of the company's home country, Sweden
Indigo, a large, modern, recently opened shopping mall with a huge selection of brand names, including H&M, Sephora, and Gap, Watson's drugstore, BHG Western grocery, and a number of fast food and Western restaurants.

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Beijing United, arguably Beijing's most respected hospital for internationals, is located in Lido, and features an impressive array of healthcare facilities and very competent staff

It's easy to find the foods, supplies, and entertainment you're used to in the West in Lido, and the area continues to be one of the most comfortable in Beijing for Western transplants who don't want to venture too far away from Western comforts and amenities.

Education

As the first major residential area of Beijing catering to Western families, Lido attracted some of the earliest international schools outside the embassy areas to serve the children of those families in obtaining educations.

These include:

Beanstalk International Bilingual School (BIBS)
Eton International Bilingual Academy
Eton International School
International Academy of Beijing (IAB)

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Lido is very near to both Chaoyang Park and the Lufthansa Area, both of which also have solid international schooling options.

Main article: International Schools in Beijing: The School Guide

Location

Situated more conveniently in town than Shunyi, its sister area for expatriate families, Lido is closer to downtown and a shorter commute for most expatriates working out of one of Beijing's multinational offices, with about a 15-minute ride by car or taxi to downtown (not accounting for traffic).

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The biggest drawback of Lido location-wise is its lack of a centrally-positioned subway station; the stations closest to Lido are Liangmaqiao and Sanyuanquiao, close to the area's borders. More centrally located residents of Lido have a bit of a walk ahead of them to reach one of these. Nevertheless, bus service in Lido is good and connects to anywhere in Beijing, and taxis are usually easy to come by (except, perhaps, during rush hour).

Verdict

As one of the more popular locations in Beijing for expatriates and expatriate families, Lido offers the opportunity to be around other Westerners, and features access to all of the usual amenities offered in Western cities elsewhere around the globe.

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Lido is a great choice for any family relocating to Beijing that wants to be close to the schools, have access to restaurants, groceries, shops, and stores providing Western fare, and not be too far away from the city center. Many Westerners seeking a less insulated place to live than Shunyi offers that still has plenty of Western comforts pick Lido as their new home, and there's a lot worse you could do.

Ready to find an apartment in Lido? You can head here to start now: