Where to go to escape the summer heat? A 2-hour drive from Beijing and Tianjin will take you to the 'Little Guilin' of the North

👉🏻 A 2-hour drive from Beijing and Tianjin, there is a 'Little Guilin' with beautiful lakes and mountains. It's relaxing and suitable for all ages, perfect for a short family trip. 📍 Yishui Lake, Yi County, Baoding, Hebei Province ➡️ Recommended Itinerary Two days and one night: Yishui Lake + Taihang Water Town, these two places are very close and can be visited together. Day1️⃣ No need to get up too early, arrive at Taihang Water Town in the afternoon, and experience the night boat tour and light show. Day2️⃣ 3-4 hours is enough to explore Yishui Lake, then return. ✅ About Taihang Water Town 🎫 Free admission 🆓 ✔️ It is an ancient town with some snacks and small shops to explore. It is quite commercialized, with many internet-famous snacks, and some local specialties like Zhaobing, but not as authentic as in Baoding city, so not highly recommended. ✔️ Recommended snack in the water town: 'Traditional Braised Fish', 88 yuan for a big fish, enough for two people, personally tested and tastes very good. ✔️ I went on a weekday, and there were no activities at night. The boat tour and light show are probably only available on holidays. If you arrive late, most shops in the water town will be closed, and there are hardly any places to eat nearby. I ended up eating instant noodles that night, haha. ✔️ There should be a lot of people and activities on holidays, unlike the very quiet weekdays. ✅ About Yishui Lake ✔️ Ticket + boat ticket 140 yuan/person, parking 10 yuan/vehicle unlimited time, buy tickets on-site via QR code, but it's slow, so it's recommended to book in advance. ✔️ A 4A scenic spot, an artificial lake from the 1960s. The phrase 'The wind is bleak and the Yishui is cold' refers to this Yishui. It's recommended to visit on a good weather day, as it really feels like Guilin for a moment. ✔️ You need to take a boat to enter the center of the scenic area, there are three docks: 📍 Jingu Dock: I chose this dock, the boat ride time is moderate 📍 Jinpo Dock: The longest boat ride time, about 30 minutes, with the best scenery, but also the most crowded dock. During holidays, it's said that you may have to queue for 2-3 hours to get on the boat. 📍 Dam Dock: The least crowded, the shortest boat ride time, about 10 minutes. If you are not very particular about the boat ride experience, you can choose this one. However, the return trip from the Dam Dock will pass through Taihang Water Town, which has a risk of traffic jams. 👉🏻 The boat ride from each dock corresponds to different colored wristbands, and you return to the same dock you boarded from. ✔️ After getting off the boat, there are scenic trails to climb the mountain, with moderate slope and length, basically no difficulty, suitable for all ages. ✔️ There are no dining facilities in the scenic area, so it's recommended to either go early, finish the tour and have lunch in Yi County, or have lunch first and then visit. 🌟 Tips: Holiday crowd strategy Get up early! Go early! Board the boat early! Or avoid holidays, weekends are also not too crowded.