Half-Day Beijing Walking Tour in a Neighborhood

Beijing-Life Discovery Walk

What is it like to be an ordinary person living in Beijing? The answer is not to be found in the hutongs, where tourists ride rickshaws.

Gain some insight into Beijing people's lives by visiting a Buddhist temple and a local market, and walking through a residential community, hutongs and a park.

This half-day walking tour will take you to places where there are no other tourists and help you understand the lives of ordinary people from their religious beliefs, daily food, hobbies, housing issues and retirement situations.

Tour 'Wow' Points

Discover the Religion Belief of Chinese in a Non-Touristy Temple

Visit Tianning Temple which has the oldest pagoda in Beijing. Listen to the temple's stories. Your guide will explain the religious activities that people like to take part in.

Tianning Temple
The stone pagoda in the temple

Shop Like a Chinese Housewife in a Market

Observe people doing their daily shopping in a market. Get to know the popular food for people's daily life in Beijing and senior people's hobbies.

visit a local market for daily life
A noodle shop

Kick a Shuttlecock, Sing, or Dance, with Local Seniors

Visit a pretty park where senior citizens do exercises. Get a glimpse of the retired life in China. People are dancing, writing on the ground, playing Chinese chess, and having fun with grandchildren.

Singing with local people
Enjoy the singing of local people

Taste a Popular Snack Loved by Locals

Try a popular pancake breakfast at a local breakfast stand. Learn about the cooking skill of Chinese people.

Try the local snack
pancake

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Itinerary Quick Look

Here is a suggested itinerary. We are happy to customize a tour according to your interests. The time frame is just for your reference. It could be adjusted accoring to your need and interest.

08:30—09:00Hotel Pick-up and Transfer

Your private guide will pick you up at your hotel lobby. An experienced driver with a comfortable and private vehicle (non-smoking, with air-conditioning) will be ready to drive you to the destination you will explore by walking.

09:00—09:30Tianning Temple

Your discovery will start with the religious beliefs of local people. Your guide will show you around Tianning Temple, which has the oldest pagoda in Beijing, telling the temple's stories and explaining the religious activities that people like to take part in.

If your travel dates happen to coincide with a Buddhist festival, you will find it is quite busy in the temple and local believers chant the sutras together with monks.

The abandoned thermal power plant next to the temple will suggest to you something of the effort that Beijing has made to protect the environment.

09:30—10:00Local Market for Daily Life

Observe people doing their daily shopping in a market next to Tianning Temple. You will see the food that people like, the daily necessities, the fish and flowers that people like to have to decorate their homes. Your guide will explain how payment methods have been changing as China develops.

10:00—10:30Residential Community and Snack Tasting

Then you will walk through a residential community built in the 1990s. Discover more about housing developments in Beijing. The bulletin board will show you how the local government advocates for its policies and values.

Cross the bridge on the city moat. If you like, try a popular pancake breakfast at a local breakfast stand.

10:30—11:30Retired Life in a Community Park

Then you will visit a pretty park where senior citizens congregate to do exercises. Retired life in China might be quite different from that in your country, with dancing, writing on the ground, playing Chinese chess, and having fun with grandchildren.

11:30—12:00Hutong Walking

You will end your tour by visiting a hutong, without any other tourists. This is a place where you can see authentic hutong life. Senior citizens stand or sit at the doorways, talking. Beer vendors make a living by hawking beer on a tricycle.

Drive back to the hotel after the tour.

FromUSD129 p/p Based on a private tour for 2 people. Price varies depending on program, travel date, and number of people. We suggest combining this walking tour with other sightseeing in Beijing, to make it more cost-efficient.

Price Includes:

  • Private air-conditioned business car with big windows and ample space
  • English speaking local guide
  • Activities and meals listed in the itinerary
  • 24/7 helpline for while you are traveling

Tour code: bj-38

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