Hutongs around Houhai: tickets, hours and how to visit
Grey-brick lanes, courtyard houses, and the 700-year-old drum tower nearby.
Hutongs around Houhai at a glance
Grey-brick lanes, courtyard houses, and the 700-year-old drum tower nearby. Plan on 2–3 hours on foot here, plus half an hour either side for entry, security and parking.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Tickets | Free to walk. Drum Tower and Bell Tower combined ticket CNY 30. |
| Opening hours | Open all day. Drum Tower 09:00–17:00. Bars around Houhai open from 18:00. |
| Time needed | 2–3 hours on foot; add 45 minutes for the Drum Tower and a courtyard visit. |
| City | Beijing, China |
What to see
Three things carry this sight. If you are short on time, do them in this order.
- Yuer Hutongquieter than Nanluoguxiang, still lived-in
- Drum Tower69 steps up, drumming shows four times a day
- Houhai lake at duskthe ice rink in winter, the bar strip year-round
Tickets and booking
How the ticket works, and what foreigners usually get wrong.
Before you buy
- Price. Free to walk. Drum Tower and Bell Tower combined ticket CNY 30.
- Booking. Nanluoguxiang is the hutong everyone photographs and nobody enjoys — 800 metres of souvenir shops shoulder to shoulder. Walk one block east to Baochao or south to Yuer instead: same grey brick, actual doorways, far fewer people.
- Payment. Most Chinese sights take WeChat Pay or Alipay only. Cash works at staffed windows but not at self-service machines; a licensed guide can pay on your behalf and settle with you at the end of the day.
Getting there and when to go
Metro Line 8 to Shichahai, exit A. From the Forbidden City north gate it is a 20-minute walk, which is the natural way to end that morning.
Open all day. Drum Tower 09:00–17:00. Bars around Houhai open from 18:00.. The first hour after opening is the quietest — tour groups arrive around 09:30. Late afternoon gives better light but the main viewpoints start clearing people out, so shoot early if that is your priority.
Public transport reaches Hutongs around Houhai, but connections and waiting times add up. With luggage, older travellers, or two sights in one day, a car and driver removes the guesswork.
The one thing that goes wrong
Beijing local note
- Nanluoguxiang is the hutong everyone photographs and nobody enjoys — 800 metres of souvenir shops shoulder to shoulder. Walk one block east to Baochao or south to Yuer instead: same grey brick, actual doorways, far fewer people.
Pairing Hutongs around Houhai with
These are usually on the same day or the same trip.
Hutongs around Houhai: questions travellers ask
Can you go inside a courtyard house?
Is the rickshaw tour worth it?
How booking works — three steps, itinerary before price
No deposit to get a plan, and nothing is locked in before you agree.
Send the brief
Dates, party size, how you arrive and what you want to see around Hutongs around Houhai.
Get a route and a price
We order the stops by location and traffic, then quote per car per day with fuel, tolls and the driver included.
Confirm and travel
Only after you accept the route and the price do we assign the car and guide.
