Private Hutong Tour: Prince Gong's Palace, Drum & Bell Tower

You will be picked up by the private tour guide at the hotel lobby at either 8am or 13:00pm and take public transportation or taxi (at your own cost) to the hutong area near the Drum Tower and Bell Tower which stand at the end of the central axis line in Beijing. They are used to tell the time for the city. You can also climb to the top and watch the drum beating performance at the certain times

After that walk to the Prince Kung's Mansion (known as Gong Wang Fu in Chinese) is the best preserved Qing Dynasty princely mansion and used to house several families, which shows us a typical example of how the upper class lived in that time. It has orderly layout and excellent architecture craftsmanship, beautiful pavilions, halls, corridors, bridges, courtyards can be seen everywhere, which fully reflects the great fusion of the exquisite and delicate style of the royal family and the simple and elegant folk style of Qing Dynasty.

After visiting the Prince Gong's Palace you will wonder around the hutongs at the Shichahai lake. It consists of front lake; west lake and rear lake all surrounded by old-style Beijing houses. You will understand how old people live and their status according to their courtyard architectures. By the end of tour your private tour guide will help you to find a way to go back to the hotel or you can just spend more time at this area or take lunch or dinner on your own.