Climbing the Drum and Bell Towers and Wandering the Gulou Hutongs

Climbing the Drum and Bell Towers and Wandering the Gulou Hutongs

Most visitors treat the Drum Tower and Bell Tower as two separate photo stops. They are not. They are one compound site that worked as ancient Beijing's official timekeeping system, and you should buy the through ticket for 50 CNY that covers both. The towers sit 92 metres apart on a north-south axis. The logic of the visit is vertical then horizontal: climb, then wander.

Timing The Towers

The Drum Tower was first built in 1272 during the Yuan dynasty. The current structure dates to a 1539 rebuild in the Ming dynasty under the Jiajing reign. It stands 46.7 metres high. Climb its 69 steps and you reach the main drum platform where a performance runs every half hour from 09:30 until 17:30 (April to October) or 17:00 (November to March). The Bell Tower, first built the same year in 1272 but rebuilt later in 1745 under the Qianlong reign of the Qing dynasty, is a metre taller at 47.9 metres and requires 75 steps. Its bell-ringing schedule is sparser: 10:00, 11:00, 14:00, 15:00, 16:00, and 17:00. Arrive at least 30 minutes before closing or you are locked out of both towers.

How To Do It Right

Start at the Drum Tower south entrance on Gulou Dongdajie. Climb first, catch a performance, then walk the short distance north to the Bell Tower. The through ticket saves you 10 CNY over buying separate 30 CNY tickets at each gate. The entire tower visit takes 45 to 60 minutes if you time the performances correctly. Arrive at 13:00, and you wait until 13:30 for the Drum Tower show before reaching the Bell Tower with 45 minutes to spare before its 14:00 ringing. Arrive at 12:00, and you wait an hour. Land your visit between 09:30 and 10:00, or between 13:30 and 14:00, to minimise dead time.

From the Towers Into the Hutongs

Once you come down from the towers, the experience flips from vertical to horizontal. You are at the northeast corner of the Shichahai Hutong Conservation Area, the largest contiguous hutong grid inside Beijing's Second Ring Road. The grid is bounded by Di'anmen West Street to the south, Di'anmen Outer Street to the east, Gulou West Street to the north, and Deshengmen Inner Street to the west. Walk from the Drum Tower south entrance to Yinding Bridge in roughly 400 metres via Yandaixie Street.

The Lanes To Take

Yandaixie Street runs 232 metres northeast to southwest from Di'anmen Outer Street to Yinding Bridge. It is the most direct pedestrian route from the towers to Houhai. The alternate lane is Ya'er Hutong, which runs from Yinding Bridge west to Qianhai West Street. Both are narrow, shop-lined alleys with no vehicle access. From Yinding Bridge, walk 1.2 kilometres west along Houhai Beiyan (the north shore of Houhai) to reach Prince Gong's Mansion at 17 Qianhai West Street. That walk takes about 15 to 18 minutes at a steady pace.

The Lakes And The Ice

The three lakes together cover 71 hectares: Houhai is the largest at 34 hectares, Qianhai is 30 hectares, and Xihai is 7 hectares. In winter, the Qianhai ice rink opens from late December to early February, ice conditions permitting. Day tickets cost 60 CNY on weekdays and 80 CNY on weekends and holidays. Night sessions run from 18:00 to 21:30 and cost 80 CNY every day. An ice bike rental is included in the ticket. The rink closes if the ice is thin; call ahead before making the trip.

The Better Hutong Walk: Nanluoguxiang vs Beiluoguxiang

Nanluoguxiang runs 786 metres north to south from Gulou East Street to Di'anmen East Street. On a holiday, it hits roughly 100,000 visitors in a single day, with about 200 shops competing for your attention. It is pedestrian-only and served by Line 6 and Line 8 at Nanluoguxiang Station, Exit E. It is also crowded to the point of being unpleasant on weekend afternoons.

Beiluoguxiang runs parallel, 500 metres east, and stretches 1,200 metres from Andingmen West Street to Gulou East Street. It has no notable commercial strip and almost no foot traffic. If you want the hutong atmosphere without the crowds, skip the southern lane on weekends and walk Beiluoguxiang instead. Both are part of the same conservation area and offer identical architecture.

What You Will And Won't See

The pedestrian strip at Nanluoguxiang is open 24/7 with vehicle restrictions. The side lanes, 16 in total (eight east, eight west), are where you find the quieter courtyards, but they are residential and most doors are closed to the public. Do not expect to peek into courtyard homes; these are private residences.

Biking the Area: Two Loops, One Rental

Rent a bike for the day rather than walking the full circuit. Standard bike rental runs 30 to 80 CNY per day; mountain or road bikes cost 100 to 200 CNY. Dockless options are Meituan Bike (yellow), Hellobike (blue), and DiDi Bike (green). Riding costs 1.5 CNY per 30 minutes for Meituan and Hellobike, and 1 CNY per 30 minutes for DiDi. Parking racks are available at the Drum Tower (50 metres east on Gulou Dongdajie), the Lotus Market entrance on Di'anmen West Street, and both ends of Nanluoguxiang on Di'anmen East Street and Gulou East Street.

The Two Routes

Two routes make sense. The lakes loop runs roughly 5.5 kilometres along Qianhai East Street, the north shore of Houhai, Xihai, Deshengmen Inner Street, the south shore of Houhai, and Qianhai West Street. The hutong loop runs roughly 3 kilometres around Gulou East Street, Nanluoguxiang, Di'anmen East Street, Di'anmen Outer Street, and Gulou West Street. Combine both in one ride for about 8.5 kilometres total. That takes 40 to 50 minutes at a relaxed pace with stops. Do this in the morning before 10:00, when the lanes are empty and the lake path is passable.

At night, the dockless bikes are plentiful but the hutong loop is dark. Lighting on the lakes path is inconsistent between Yinding Bridge and Xihai. Stick to the main roads after 21:00.

What Goes Wrong Most Often

The single most common mistake is treating the Drum Tower and Bell Tower as independent attractions and paying 60 CNY for two separate tickets instead of the 50 CNY through ticket. The second is arriving after 16:00 in winter or 16:30 in summer, when the Bell Tower has already rung for the last time and you are left with a closed gate. The third is walking the full hutong loop on foot in the afternoon. That takes over two hours across 3 kilometres of identical lanes and leaves you too tired for the lakes. Bike instead. The fourth is believing Nanluoguxiang represents old Beijing; it represents 200 shops charging tourist prices. If you want the actual hutong experience, take Beiluoguxiang or the residential lanes off Houhai Beiyan. The fifth failure is expecting lake ice to be safe. Check local announcements before December 20; the rink opens only when the ice reaches safe thickness, and some winters it never does.