Beijing's Old Hutongs
About the audio tour
The hutongs are the historic heart of old Beijing. Join us on this 3km walk from the Drum Tower to the Tibetan Buddhist Lama Temple, through a winding labyrinth of alleyways and local color that takes you past some of Beijing's most ancient landmarks.
IMPORTANT: There is a GPS offset in China, and as a result your position on Google and Apple maps will be incorrect. This issue doesn't affect the offline map, so after you've downloaded all the audio files, but before you hit start, switch to 'airplane mode' (or turn off data) and you'll be able to track your position correctly.
Major Landmarks
Drum Tower, Bell Tower, Confucius Temple, Lama Temple
Directions to starting point
Get yourself to the south side of the Drum Tower. If you're taking the subway, get out at Exit C of Shichahai Station on line 8, turn right and walk up. You'll see the tower in front of you: it's a big square red building, past a fork of traffic.
Alternatively, take a taxi to "Gulou" and you should end up at the same spot. Either way, walk over the fork of traffic and get right up close to the barred gate.
Note this is not the entrance to the Drum Tower (the way in is on the north side, next to a quieter courtyard), but is where the walk begins.
Tips
Places to stop along the way:
Drum Tower, Bell Tower, Ancient Liquor Museum, Imperial College, Confucius Temple, Yonghegong Lama Temple
Best time of day:
A lazy afternoon
Precautions:
Watch out for scooters
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