Home > Beijing > Beijing Old Hutongs Tour by Rickshaw
USD $55.00
Beijing Old Hutongs Tour by Rickshaw
Beijing, China
Take a historical tour of Beijing’s narrow streets, known as hutongs, on a traditional rickshaw (a type of tricycle designed to carry passengers in addition to the driver). See the old Beijing that still exists for millions of people today, and visit the gardens at Prince Gong’s Mansion, Beijing’s largest and the best-preserved royal mansion of the Qing Dynasty. Then visit a local home to learn about Chinese life from a family.
Your three-hour Beijing hutongs tour by rickshaw starts at the Drum and Bell Tower.
As you travel the streets of old Beijing on a traditional rickshaw with a local guide, you will visit the magnificent gardens at Prince Gong's Mansion, Beijing's largest and the best-preserved royal residence of the Qing Dynasty. Prince Gong's Mansion is famous as one of Beijing's most scenic retreat sites, lined with rockeries, plants, pools, pavilions and corridors. Step back in time to ancient China as you relax in the garden.
Continue on a rickshaw and explore the old streets of Beijing. Get a taste of life in ancient China as you learn the communities built around the hutongs (narrow streets). These winding alleyways are hidden between the city's main streets and form the residential neighborhoods that make up old Beijing.
Your tour concludes with a visit to a local Chinese family home, where you’ll visit with the family. Meet with local people and chat with them to learn about their daily way of life. You'll have an authentic experience interacting with Chinese people.
Finish with a stop for refreshments at a local tea house. Sample different types of tea and discover each tea's distinctive taste.
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.
Review by: SHARON G, April 2018
I was the only guest , it was a private tour with guide and driver!.
Review by: douglas p, February 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 !
Review by: Anne K, January 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.
Review by: Veronica K, December 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.
Review by: Joyce A, December 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.
Review by: LARRY G, December 2017
Misleading tour and our guide Michael was disapointing
Review by: abuangulo, November 2017
was a little disappointed. I was probably expecting something different.
Review by: Jill H, November 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
Review by: Jean Louis S, November 2017
A dedicated private tour for two with a driver and an a very nice English speaking lady guide._br/_ The tour included the Bell and Drum Towers as well a visit of a Tea House ceremony, tea tasting and shopping
Review by: redforever, November 2017
This was a very nice morning.
Review by: Joey, September 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.
Review by: S J, August 2017
This tour was amazing!
Review by: Maya V, July 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.
Review by: Jane R, June 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.
Review by: Mary 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.
Review by: 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.
Review by: amishak136, March 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.
Review by: gsenderlin, January 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.
Review by: jligon, November 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.
Review by: Jenni R, July 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.
Review by: Ruth V, June 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.
Review by: STEPHEN C, June 2016
Excellent
Review by: Kathleen Ann K, June 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!
Review by: kerrilee, June 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.
Review by: 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.
Review by: Alex C, December 2015
A good tour
Review by: Sara G, November 2015
Fabulous trip. Great guide, wonderful sites. Only thing I would change is skipping the silk mall at the end.
Review by: Richard T, October 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.
Review by: Marcelo Sechieri C. ... , January 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.
Review by: Marcelo Sechieri C. Neves, January 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.
Review by: Chris M, December 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.
Review by: Merran T, September 2014
This was an interesting tour through the narrow streets of beijing. The hutong we visited is only a remnant of what we were told hutongs used to be like. We were shown a model of an ancient hutong which consisted of many rooms and courtyards, the dwelling we saw was only two rooms with a central courtyard and kitchen annex. It was spotless and our host was welcoming and it was interesting to see how people live in this way. Our hostess at the tea shop was both amusing and informative. The rickshaw cyclist did a great job especially considering the day was very warm and humid.
Review by: Ethel B, August 2014
I enjoyed my tour through the old hutongs. My tour guide, Cherry, spoke English well and is very knowledgeable. I like that I was able to travel solo without having to pay a group price. Thank you.
Review by: Susan M, July 2014
I really liked exploring the 'old' alleys of Beijing. I also liked seeing someone's home upclose, and I didn't feel pressured to purchase anything (though I did, after I saw her paint inside a bottle and she let us try it ourselves and it was impossible).
Review by: Peggy C, April 2014
This tour was amazing. I learned so much about early Beijing life. My guide, Karlynn(spelling?). Was extremely accommodating and knowledgable. I would highly recommend this tour
Review by: vivi, July 2013
is interesting to see the way they live, but what I do not like is that during the visit have some crafts for sale expensive and expect you to buy
Review by: Larry C, June 2013
We were late to meet the tour. Our guide was courteous. However, we did not get much explanation as to what we were seeing.
Review by: annmarie, May 2013
The tour was 'okay', but definately not note-worthy. The guide was sweet, but stood by and watched as the sales people at the tea house over charged me heavily, and even told me to pay in cash, i am sure they shared the revenue. Perhaps I am naive, but when I pay for the services of a guide, I feel he or she should help me, not help others take advantage of me. This being said, I will use Viator again, if needed.
Review by: Lynne A V, April 2013
The Hutong tour was our first tour of Beijing and it was much more than we expected. Jason was our guide and he provided an excellent tour!
Review by: Phil, July 2012
An enjoyable morning in the "old" part of Beijing. One on one with Guide, Cherry, which added to the experience.
Review by: Steve F, June 2012
Greta trip in to the older part of Beijing. tour guide was great and had alot of information on teh history of the area , wort doing
Review by: Marilyn F, May 2012
This was the weekest portion of the tours and frankly, a waste of money. It was a major "push" for tips. Wouldn't suggest it to others.
Review by: Dr Bart, May 2012
Our tour was very interesting. Our guide Zoe was extremely helpful and told us all the history of China during the tour. We enjoyed our guide and tour so much - we booked a Great Wall tour the next weekend with Zoe._br/_
Drs. Bart Lardner and Karen Schwean-Lardner
Review by: Claudia K, May 2012
The Tour was nice - especially Mr. Lee who guided us from hotel to city and back-! One guy (Michael) asked for more tip - although tip is not usual in China (we gave him 20 Yuan). This was the worst thing on this tour! Because he was very unpolite! The hutongs and the Belltower were interesting to see. The tea-factory could have been left behind!!!!
Review by: Janet S, May 2012
Our tour was terrific! The guide at the Hutongs was very good. She included additional information and her English was also very good.
Review by: Alejandro C, January 2012
The tour was really nice. It was a little bit expensive taking into account services offered.
Review by: Thuy, October 2011
This tour claims to be a few hours long... but actually only lasted 15 minutes on the rickshaw... i was really disappointed!!!
Review by: Sam, September 2011
I enjoyed the Old Hutongs Rickshaw tour but only last probably no more than 30-40 minutes. I think something else needs to be incorporated with the rickshaw tour. I did not enjoy or cared for the porcelain tour/medicine centre tour.
Review by: Margaret M, December 2010
This tour was not at all like the description. We started the tour at 9AM, and it was not even one hour, as I was back at my friend's condo at 10:20 (20 minutes for traffic both ways).
The tour guide dropped me at one of the hutongs where the rickshaws took off. Before he handed me off to the rickshaw guide, he told me that I should tip both the rickshaw driver and the guide 20 yuan each at the end -- which, I found problematic for two reasons: 1) tipping is not customary in China at all and 2) even though I'm more than happy to tip guides (and have done so in the past regardless of custom) I don't like being told or pressured that I should do so.
The one bright spot in the tour was the rickshaw ride and the hutong guide, but the ride around the hutong was the only part of the tour was like the description. Unfortunately, the ride and tour only lasted 25 minutes tops. At the end of the rickshaw ride, instead of going to Prince Gong's mansion, I was pointed to a porcelain factory in the same alley as the rickshaw drop off, where a docent showed how porcelain was made for 5 minutes and then led me to a gallery so I could purchase some souvenirs. It felt like the purpose of this tour was to get me to shell out additional $ when I'd already paid 50 USD for the tour itself!
Overall, I think the description was misleading, and I didn't get what I paid for. I could've easily arranged a rickshaw ride on my own because that’s all I got. I recommend booking a different activity, as this wasn’t worth the money.
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