Free
Tip-based
Pay What You Want
Beijing City Free Walking Tour
Discover Beijing's urban legends through thousands of years of imperial history that makes it the cultural and power center of China!
Beijing Hutongs and Lakes Free Walking Tour
- English
- 3 Hours
- Tip Based
- By Booking Only
Dive into Beijing Hutongs where royal heritage blends with daily life!
What is “Hutong”?
Hutongs, dating back over 700 years to the Yuan Dynasty, took shape when the Mongols established their capital in Beijing. These narrow alleys wind through a maze-like network of courtyards and homes, forming the backbone of the city’s historic neighborhoods. Today, they serve as an open-air museum of memories and traditions, offering a glimpse into Beijing’s deep history and vibrant local life.
Join our local guide to explore iconic, well-preserved hutong neighborhoods. Visit a historical courtyard museum to uncover the ancient family hierarchy, marvel at the dust-covered remnants of architectural history, and feel the pulse of local life—both its struggles and triumphs. Finally, conclude this beautiful journey with a breathtaking lakeside view, where imperial myths still linger and echo through time.
Meeting Time
10:00 AM Every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday
The schedule may vary on certain days. Please refer to the calendar for available booking dates.
*Look for our YELLOW umbrella to find us!
*Suggest arriving 5-10 min earlier.
*By booking only.
Meeting Point
PING’ANLI Metro Station (Line 4/6/19),
Exit B (North-East Exit); After exiting, turn around to the concrete open space behind you.
Address for Taxi: Corner of Huguosi Street & Xinjiekou South Street
(In Chinese: 4/6/19号线地铁平安里站B口【东北口】/ 护国寺街与新街口南大街路口；出站后，向后转至后方水泥空地)
Ending Point
Bell and Drum Towers
Near Shichahai Metro Station on Line 8
(Chinese: 钟鼓楼，近8号线什刹海地铁站)
Note: Our tour does not include entry to the Bell and Drum Tower. After the tour, you’re welcome to explore it on your own, or enjoy shopping, dining, and additional sightseeing in the lovely lakeside area!
Things to Bring
◆ Comfortable shoes for walking 🙂
◆ Courtyard Museum Entry Fee: 10 RMB per person (paid onsite via cash, Alipay, or WeChat)
◆ Money to tip your guide at the end of the tour! (Recommended Tips: 150-200RMB / 20-25 USD or Euro per person)
◆ A curious heart to learn and explore!
Tour Highlights
- Beijing’s Historic Local Snack Street
- Mei Lanfang Memorial Courtyard Museum (Entry Fee: 10 RMB/pp, paid onsite)
- Former Fu Jen Catholic University site
- Prince Qing’s Mansion
- Numerous Historical Courtyard Residences
- Houhai Bar Street
- Shichahai Neighborhood
- Fire God Taoist Temple
- The Oldest Bridge in Beijing
- Bell and Drum Towers (View from Outside)
- And More！
Booking Calendar
Pay what you want!
Being a tip-based tour, simply pay what you feel the tour worth at its conclusion. This guarantees our local guides will provide you the best tour experience every time!
(Recommended tips: 150-200 RMB / 20-25 USD or Euro per person)
Want to learn more?
Check out our social media accounts and TripAdvisor reviews to read more of our tour stories & China travel tips!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
We request each visitor to make the online pre-booking so that we can keep you informed of any changes of the tour and arrange tour guides accordingly. It only takes you 3 minutes to do the click, easy, clear, and free!
YES! You will receive a confirmation email right after your booking. One day before the tour, you will also get another welcome email from your guide with their information and more tour details. Make sure the email address you left is correct!
YES! The tour will generally go on rain or shine, unless the weather is really catastrophic (like Typhoon). You will also receive a welcome email the day before the tour to inform you of the weather condition if necessary.
We usually start with a 15-20 minute introduction speech at the meeting point after the tour begins. If you’re up to 20 minutes late, you can still catch up there. However if you’re more than 30 minutes late, it may be hard to catch up (remember that Google Maps and WhatsApp aren’t always reliable in China:P) and you will surely lose some delightful stops! We recommend arriving 5-10 minutes early before the meeting time.
YES! We have 1-2 breaks included in all tours for some amazing and cheap local food, drink and toilet! We won’t sit in any restaurant but you will surely enjoy the street food adventure along the way:)
3 hours may go by much quicker than you thought! We design the tour to be very well-paced with many breaks. Previously, we had visitors aging from 3 months old to 78 years old, everyone made it to the end with ease. So keep calm and enjoy the tour!:)
We only take bookings for groups of less than 6 people so as to optimize the experience of everyone who comes. Feel free to contact us to get a private walking tour arranged if you have a group bigger than 6!
All our public free walking tours are in English, but we also offer private tours in Mandarin and Spanish!
我们可以做中文私人定制团。
Podemos hacer tours privados en español.
Click here to request your private tour!
Other Amazing Tours and Experiences We Offer
Maximize your travel plan in Beijing & Shanghai!
Attend one of our free tours and automatically receive a 10% discount coupon for any of our paid experiences:)
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