Beijing Old Hutongs Tour by Rickshaw
Beijing, China
- 3 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
Explore our promoted experiences
Overview
Weave your way around charming streets and ancient alleys (hutongs) on a rickshaw tour of Beijing. Clamber into your traditional mode of transport and discover an alternative side of Beijing; see locals going about daily life and marvel at spectacular sights like Drum Tower. Visit a local home to gain insight into ancient Chinese customs and culture and sip aromatic tea collected from local plantations. Enjoy the convenience of round-trip transportation from your hotel on this enriching tour.
- Tour Beijing’s hutongs (old, narrow streets) by rickshaw
- Visit a local home to visit with a Chinese family
- Sip on delicious Chinese tea at a local tea house
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
What's Included
- Travel down the hutong on a rickshaw
- Pick-up and drop-off services from the hotels located within 4th ring circle highway
- If your hotel is located out of 4th Ring Circle Highway, please go to Prime Hotel to join the tour at 08:30AM or 01:00PM. (Add: No. 2, Wangfujing Ave. Tel: +86-10-65136666)
- Professional English-speaking tour guide
- Tea tasting
- Admission tickets
- Food and beverages
- Gratuities
Meeting and Pickup
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
Pickup details
Departure Point: Departs from the hotels located within 4th ring circle highway Dates: Daily Return point: Tour returns to original departure point
Itinerary
Depart from your hotel in a comfortable, air-conditioned vehicle and venture to the magnificent Drum and Bell Tower, where the tour begins. Climb aboard your awaiting rickshaw, a traditional method of transportation designed to carry the driver and passengers, and set off to see the city sights.
Climb back onto the rickshaw and explore the old streets of Beijing; learn about communities built around hutongs (narrow streets) then arrive at a local Chinese home to gain insight into traditional customs.
Greet the courteous family and listen as the local people talk about their way of life. After your enriching cultural experience, head to a traditional tea house to sip freshly brewed varieties of the beverage in a richly decorated environment. In the end of tour, you might have a chance to visit the silk factory depends on the interest. Return to your vehicle and relax during the journey back to your hotel, where the tour concludes.
Climb back onto the rickshaw and explore the old streets of Beijing; learn about communities built around hutongs (narrow streets) then arrive at a local Chinese home to gain insight into traditional customs.
Greet the courteous family and listen as the local people talk about their way of life. After your enriching cultural experience, head to a traditional tea house to sip freshly brewed varieties of the beverage in a richly decorated environment. In the end of tour, you might have a chance to visit the silk factory depends on the interest. Return to your vehicle and relax during the journey back to your hotel, where the tour concludes.
1
Hutong Tour
2 hours • Admission Ticket Included
2
Bell and Drum Towers
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Infants aged 2 years and under travel free of charge, providing they are not occupying a seat
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Near public transportation
- Infants must sit on laps
- Most travelers can participate
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 999 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
3.6
based on 73 reviews
Benjamin_V, Dec 2025
Good customer service. I accidentally left my phone in the car at the end of the tour, but they were able to get it back to me by the end of the night. Shoutout Michael and Simon!
Enjoyable tour too. Got to try some new stuff, like a rickshaw ride, and got to touch some silk worm cocoons. Also got to see a cool view from the bell tower.
Lianne_K, Jan 2025
Terrible experience . Took us on tour then halfway through, the guide insisted we only paid half the cost. Demanded more money. When I explained we had paid the total cost, he dismissed it, and then towards the end of the tour refused to ring us back to the hotel until we agreed to pay more and then when we got to the hotel, refused to leave and followed us around until we paid additional money. This tour is a scam, do not recommend it. Stay away from this company
The tour itself wasn’t good either. Took us to a pearl and tea factory and pushed us to buy products.
Boerge_W, Sep 2019
The company called me one before the tour and claimed that all rickshaw companies would not have to drive for the next two weeks due to a parade. So I got no tour of Hutongs!
John H, Apr 2018
Not much really to be seen or learned from the guide or the tour. You may be better off getting to the drum tower on your own.
douglas p, Feb 2018
a very interesting and insightful tour of the hutongs, or narrow alleys. watching folks go about their lives, and soaking up the culture. my guide was full of info, answered all my questions, and couldnt have been better. a very worthwhile tour, for sure !
Anne K, Jan 2018
Trip to the Bell/Drum towers was good. Not much of a rickshaw ride in Old Hutongs The demo of tea in one of the towers was nice but price to buy the teas was expensive. Then onto the silk shop which was interesting but again looking to sell expensive items to us.
Veronica K, Dec 2017
An interesting tour. My 7yo son asked to do this tour cos he wanted to ride in a rickshaw. It was really cold though. The visit to a home in the hutong was enlightening, and we also enjoyed the visit to the drum tower. Our guide, Gale, was excellent. She was punctual in picking us up at our hotel, very knowledgeable about history, and spoke good English.
Joyce A, Dec 2017
Had an amazing guide, Gale. She gave very detailed explanation. However, I realised she didn't take me to the Prince Gong's Mansion as stated in the tour details.
Larry_G, Dec 2017
Misleading tour and our guide Michael was disapointing
CarmenMaria_A, Nov 2017
was a little disappointed. I was probably expecting something different.
Jill H, Nov 2017
I am not sure what happened here. I was supposed to be with Wendy and then I was with a different guide. The tour was supposed to be for 4 hours. The tour was less the 1.5 hours and this was after my hour long taxi ride from my hotel. I asked to go to Tiananmen Square. The guide dropped me at the corner of a security check point. I was lost for about an hour. I a resourceful and figured things out. I would not book this tour again
Jean Louis S, Nov 2017
A dedicated private tour for two with a driver and an a very nice English speaking lady guide.
The tour included the Bell and Drum Towers as well a visit of a Tea House ceremony, tea tasting and shopping
redforever, Nov 2017
This was a very nice morning.
We first visited the Bell and Drum Towers, climbing up the steep stairs of the Bell Tower.
The rickshaw ride was next, with a short stroll through the hutongs as well as a visit to one of the houses.
Then we had a tea ceremony...trying around 5 types of tea. there is a little shop as well where you can buy tea and accessories.
Last on the list was a visit to a silk factory. There was a huge selection of household items as well as clothing that was for sale as well.
The only thing that could have improved this tour was if we were there on a day when the drums are played at the Drum Tower.
JoseJr_T, Sep 2017
This tour is very deceiving! I chose this primarily for the Prince Gong's Mansion because of the hype in the tour description, and it is even indicated on the voucher. However, we were NOT taken there! According to the guide Michael, the Mansion is closed, and they have not been taking people there for a long time. There was no interaction with the hutong family except for a greeting from the owner when he passed by. The only insight into traditions was when the guide described some figurines in the home. After the rickshaw tour, we were encouraged to tip the driver 20 yuan each, which made me wonder if we had paid the drivers ourselves.
Moreover, I did not learn much from the guide, since he just took us to the sights and basically left us there on our own. He said he had bad knees so he did not climb the Drum Tower. Had there been some semblance of scheduling, we could have seen the performance in the Drum Tower. Instead, during that time we were in the Bell Tower not in a traditional tea house as described with the tea ceremony just being a tourist trap to sell different kinds of tea. Afterwards, we were driven a long way to a silk factory which is not part of the program, which is just another tourist trap.
I had only three days in Beijing, and one of them was wasted with this tour which did not deliver the main attraction which was promised in its itinerary. It was a good thing that Viator refunded the cost of tour after it acted on my complaint.
Maya V, Jul 2017
This tour was fantastic and I would highly recommend it. Our guide, Gayle, was wonderful, warm, kind, and very informative. I did the tour on my first day in Beijing with my 8 year old daughter, and am so glad we did. Gayle was especially sweet with my young daughter, who also loved the tour. The hutong neighborhood was so interesting, and we loved the drum tower and tea tasting. After the tour as over, Gayle asked if we might like to visit a pearl place and a silk place, and we did and these were also great fun to see, especially for my daughter, who liked seeing the oysters and the silkworms. Overall, a wonderful experience.
Jane R, Jun 2017
This is a good, 3-hour tour around a district of old hutongs - including a visit inside one - and a walk up to the Drum Tower. Michael was friendly and very knowledgeable.
Susan C, May 2017
I was the only person on this tour and I was already staying in a Hutong area - maybe it would be more exciting for those staying in the city areas. It was a bit boring actually - a quick zoom through an inactive hutong area, we were late for the bell tower so I had to RUN up all those stairs.. My guide was okay but I felt uncomfortable being the only person. It was advertised for 12 noon but I got a message at my hotel saying I would be picked up at 1pm. Others seem to have given good reviews, so maybe I was just unlucky on this day. The rickshaw part was only a small part of the tour and there are better hutong areas they could have taken me through.
Daniel_C, May 2017
This was a fantastic way to see an actual Chinese neighborhood and get a glimpse of everyday life. Our guide Gail was very kind and informative.
Amisha_K, Mar 2017
We did this tour on Christmas morning. Was really good to be out and about so early. Lovely tour. I take my hat off to the Rickshaw driver's as they navigate through the small lanes so well. A different way to tour and our tour guide was also very good. A visit to one of homes was also very interesting.
Suzanne_E, Jan 2017
An interesting experience seeing the old Chinese homes situated around the river. We had the opportunity to visit briefly with a family and were shown miniature glass bottle painting, which was interesting. There was no pressure to buy and we enjoyed our experience. Our guide and driver were excellent.
Jan_L, Nov 2016
We had a very good guide and enjoyed the rickshaw ride through this unique and historic part of Being. That said, because the tour is limited on what you see or do, I would not rate this one as a priority. If you had to pick two, do the highlights Forbidden City, etc. and the Great Wall. We stopped by a silk place afterwards where you can see how it is made... and of course, it's a promo stop for tourists to hopefully buy stuff. We bought two silk bed pillows and like them, actually ! It was just my wife and I on this one, so turned out to be a private tour.
Jennifer_R, Jul 2016
A good trip overall - was fun to travel in the rickshaw, the visit to the house was a bit underwhelming, felt like more a tourist place than a genuine Chinese home.
Ruth V, Jun 2016
The tour guide was reasonably good. There could have been a lot more information given. However this tour spent a lot of time trying to sell me things. It seems clear that viator has something to do with this. I want to go to a place, learn about it and not be forced into buying overpriced goods.
KathleenAnn_K, Jun 2016
This was my first tour in Beijing and it was my favorite! Mr. Goo picked me up at my hotel and he was a wonderful guide! The hutongs are a must and this is the way to experience Beijing!
Michael_L, Jun 2016
Our guide was very prompt in ringing us at the motel and advising of the pick up time. As it was just the two of us and our guide the tour was very interesting, we could ask lots of questions and receive lots of answers. It was an eye opener to see how people live in the hutongs. We enjoyed the tea drinking ceremony and purchased quite a few - a lovely reminder of our trip to Beijing when we drink the tea.
Chris H, May 2016
My guide didn't show up. I called and he said he could be there in two hours. I went for a nice walk of the hutongs by myself. Viator just got cross off my list of companies for tours.
Sara G, Nov 2015
Fabulous trip. Great guide, wonderful sites. Only thing I would change is skipping the silk mall at the end.
Richard T, Oct 2015
Our guide, William, was excellent and he could not have done more for us. Very professional and a delight to be with. The tour itself was excellent an a great insight into life before modern China and we highly recommend it. We have used Viator many times in many countries, and have never been disappointed. We have recommended Viator to many of our friends who have also been very impressed. Thank you for running a high quality, very reliable travel company.
Marcelo Sechieri C. Neves, Jan 2015
Interesting. My guide was very nice and teached me a lot about chinese culture, but the family house visit was a bit disappointing. We visited a house the was not habited for a family, but had a young boy and an uncle. He was there only to serve tea and show the photos when the family used to live there.
Chris M, Dec 2014
I had a great tour and overall experience. Being off-season (December 4), I ended up being the only one on the tour. My tour guide, Cynthia, did a great job combining a good bit of explanation and personal conversation. She was very colorful and enthusiastic, and a great tour guide. The driver was also good and worked very well with Cynthia. The hostess at the home-stop was very sweet and gracious.
From $77.00
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
Compare Similar Experiences
Current
Beijing Old Hutongs Tour by Rickshaw
73
3 hours
Free Cancellation
From
$77.00
Customers Who Bought This Tour Also Bought
Explore Similar Things to Do
- City Tours
- Full-day Tours
- Bus Tours
- Historical Tours
- Tours, Sightseeing & Cruises
- Private and Luxury
- Cultural Tours
- Beijing
- City Tours - Tianjin
- Full-day Tours - Tianjin
- Bus Tours - Tianjin
- Historical Tours - Tianjin
- City Tours - Datong
- Full-day Tours - Datong
- Bus Tours - Datong
- Historical Tours - Datong
- City Tours - Shenyang
- Full-day Tours - Shenyang
- Bus Tours - Shenyang
- Historical Tours - Shenyang
Attractions in Beijing, China
- Monument to the People’s Heroes Tours & Tickets
- Tiananmen Square (Tiananmen Guangchang) Tours & Tickets
- Shijia Hutong Museum Tours & Tickets
- Beijing Olympic Park Tours & Tickets
- Shichahai Tours & Tickets
- Huangyaguan Great Wall (Great Wall at Huangya Pass) Tours & Tickets
- Capital Museum Tours & Tickets
- Imperial Garden of the Palace Museum Tours & Tickets
- Confucius Temple Tours & Tickets
- Prince Gong Mansion (Gong Wang Fu) Tours & Tickets
- Great Wall at Jiankou Tours & Tickets
- Forbidden City (Palace Museum) Tours & Tickets
- Cuandixia Village Tours & Tickets
- Mutianyu Great Wall Tours & Tickets
- New Silk Alley Market (Xiu Shui) Tours & Tickets
- Wangfujing Street (Wangfujing Dajie) Tours & Tickets
- Gubeikou Great Wall Tours & Tickets
- Back Lakes (Hou Hai) Tours & Tickets
More attractions near Beijing, China
- Forbidden City (Palace Museum) Tours & Tickets
- Mutianyu Great Wall Tours & Tickets
- Great Wall of China Tours & Tickets
- Tiananmen Square (Tiananmen Guangchang) Tours & Tickets
- Summer Palace (Yiheyuan) Tours & Tickets
- Temple of Heaven (Tiantan) Tours & Tickets
- Chairman Mao Memorial Hall (Maozhuxi Jinian Tang) Tours & Tickets