Drum Tower and Bell Tower
Place · Nanluoguxiang & Gulou hutongs
Two Yuan-and-Ming-era towers that once told Beijing the time by drum and bell: climb the Drum Tower's steep stairs for a hutong rooftop view, and catch a drum performance if the timing works. 30–45 minutes.
- 700 years of timekeeping
- Steep stairs, hutong rooftop view
- Golden-hour photo spot
- Queue: switch at 15 min
Highlights come from Voykit's own data and desk notes, not from reviews. Hover a tag to see its source.
Rules in force · 10Hutong lanes are too narrow for cars and often unpaved or…
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More
Map & directions
Add your hotel to get directions from it. · stays in this browser; shared with the pocket card.
Plan
Open now, best time to go, opening hours
Go now?
hours and prices: check on the day- Open
- Hours not on file: check the official site.
- Crowds
- MonTueWedThuFriSatSun
Quietest Mon–Thu · busiest Sat, Sun · desk estimate
- Time to spend
- 35–50 min · up to 80 min if you linger
Best time to go
Quiet on weekday mornings; the square below fills with locals and photographers at sunset.
Queue rule: switch if the queue passes 15 min; come back when under 10.
By weekday: quietest Mon–Thu, busiest Sat, Sun.
Opening hours
- Note
- Drum performance times and closing hours change by season; not printed until verified for your date.
Which month is quietest
- Janbusy
- Febbusy
- Marbusy
- Aprbusy
- Maybusy
- Junbusy
- Julbusy
- Augbusy
- Sepbusy
- Octheavy
- Novbusy
- Decbusy
Quietest Nov–Sep · busiest Oct.
Estimate: desk reasoning from hutong foot-traffic and sunset photography demand; not counted. Holidays and events move these weeks.
Weather here, next 7 days
Loading forecast…
Forecast: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), model data for this point.
Not checked in the last 12 months (no check date on file).
On the ground
Getting in, access, sensory load, what to bring, and where to go if it does not work
Getting in
- Stop
- Gulou Dajie Station (Line 8) or a walk north from Nanluoguxiang
- Ticket
- on site · official site
- Stairs
- Steep, narrow wooden stairs to the top of the Drum Tower — about 69 steps; not for anyone unsteady on their feet.
- Shoes
- Shoes on; the stairs are steep and narrow.
Accessibility
- NoStep-free entrance · Steep, narrow wooden stairs to the top of the Drum Tower — about 69 steps; not for anyone unsteady on their feet.
- Check firstAccessible toilet
Sensory load
- Sensory load3/5 Medium
Exposure: medium
What to bring and the rules
- Footwear that suits the rule · Shoes on; the stairs are steep and narrow.
- Freely allowed.
Rules and prices change: check the official site before you go.
Bailouts
- crowd: Skip the climb; the square and exterior are free to see
- heat: Gulou Dongdajie café (AC)
Nearest rescue anchor: H — Drum Tower square east benches
Problem
Red lines
- The internal stairs are steep, narrow and one-way at busy times: watch your step and let others pass.
Not checked in the last 12 months (no check date on file).
Map and nearby
Where it is, how to get there from your hotel or from where you stand, and what is around it
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
Add your hotel to get directions from it. · stays in this browser; shared with the pocket card.
Nearby places
Eat nearby
More detail
Everything else we know about this place
Tickets, prices and entry
Know before you go
- The Drum and Bell Towers sit at the northern end of Beijing's imperial north-south axis, the same line the Forbidden City and Tiananmen sit on further south — together they marked the city's official time for over 700 years, from the Yuan dynasty (with major Ming and Qing rebuilding) until mechanical clocks made them obsolete in the early 20th century.
- Drummers used to beat the tower's drums to mark the hours through the night; a demonstration performance runs on the current tower's drums at set times — check locally, as the schedule changes.
- The square between the two towers is one of the most-photographed hutong scenes in Beijing, especially at sunset when the towers catch the light.
Tickets & entry
- Where to buy
- Buy at the entrance on the day.
- Buy from the official site or the ticket desk; resellers add a fee for the same ticket.
- Photos
- Freely allowed.
Time on site, inside and your plan
Time on site
Minimum
20min
Worthwhile
35min
Typical
50min
p95
80min
How much time do you have?
Enough for a typical visit (50 min).
With the other 10 min, these are a walk away (their own visit time is on their page):
- Hutong noodle house5 min on foot · 5 min spare
- Nanluoguxiang lane6 min on foot · 4 min spare
Visit times are typical figures, not promises; queues and closing times can change them.
Inside, in order
Overview
Drums and a scale model of the towers' history in the Drum Tower; a large bronze bell in the Bell Tower.
Step-free check, who it suits, facilities
Step-free check
- Step-free entrance: no · noSteep, narrow wooden stairs to the top of the Drum Tower — about 69 steps; not for anyone unsteady on their feet.
- Accessible toilet: check · check
The towers themselves are climbed by steep, narrow stairs with no lift; the square and exterior are flat and step-free.
Facilities on site
| What | Status | Where / note |
|---|---|---|
| Amenities | check | No AC or toilets inside the towers; cafés and convenience stores in the square and along Gulou Dongdajie. |
Seasons, festivals and night openings
| When | What happens | Effect on your visit | Dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| Year-round | No strong seasonal change | No strong seasonal change; best light for photos is late afternoon year-round. | check |
“Check” rows move every year; confirm dates on the official calendar before you plan around them.
Who it suits
| Traveler | Fit | Why |
|---|---|---|
| A hutong rooftop view without the crowds of the Forbidden City | good | — |
| Photos at golden hour | good | — |
| A short, active stop between hutong wandering | good | — |
Skip it if
- Mobility limits that rule out steep stairs — the square and exterior view are still worth the walk
- You already plan a longer hutong walk and are short on time
Combine with
Combine with
- 5 minHutong noodle house
- 6 minNanluoguxiang lane
- —nanluoguxiang
Walk the Nanluoguxiang & Gulou hutongs area · the cluster page has the walking order, rescue stops and after-dark notes
Best photo time
Best photo time today
Sun times for today load in your browser.
- The square between the two towers, especially at golden hour.
- The rooftop view south over grey hutong roofs from the Drum Tower's upper gallery.
Deep dive
Questions, photos, and where our facts come from
Questions and answers
Questions and answers
Is the climb worth it?
Yes for the hutong rooftop view, if you can manage steep, narrow stairs; the square below is a free alternative.
Checked 2026-09-28 · Voykit desk
Can I climb both towers?
Yes, with separate tickets; most visitors find one climb (usually the Drum Tower) is enough.
Checked 2026-09-28 · Voykit desk
What were the towers used for?
They marked official time for the city by drum and bell for over 700 years, before mechanical clocks made them obsolete.
Photos
Photos
Drum Tower and Bell Tower Photo: HanYang1989, CC BY-SA 4.0
Deep dive
Sources
- officialVisit Beijing (official)
- secondaryWikidata Q1066929
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Source: Price
Draft
Written from desk research. Not yet compared with the official source.
Prices are 2026 estimates. The official site has the current price.
Source: Opening hours
Draft
Written from desk research. Not yet compared with the official source.
Source: Best hour
Draft
Written from desk research. Not yet compared with the official source.
No official source is recorded for this figure.
Taken from the desk crowd estimate by hour. It is not a count of visitors.
Source: Bag rating
Draft
Written from desk research. Not yet compared with the official source.
No official source is recorded for this figure.
Rated for the whole walking cluster, from desk research, not for this entrance.