Overview

This two-story arched wooden structure once held 25 drums which, in combination with bells in the Bell Tower, were once used to indicate the time of day. Only one drum remains today, which is beaten four times a day for 15 minutes.

4.0

807 reviews

Excellent28%
Very good46%
Average22%
Poor3%
Terrible1%

Travelers talk about

“steep stairs” (46 reviews)

“worth the climb” (20 reviews)

“nearby hutongs” (6 reviews)

Suggested Duration: < 1 hour

LOCATION

Di'anmen Wai Main Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing 100006, China

CONTACT

Website

+86 10 6400 2452

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Ways to Experience Bell and Drum Towers

Private Cultural Tour: Hutong Rickshaw Ride...

14 Reviews

from $70.00

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Private Tour: Beijinger for a Day

from $90.00

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Beijing Old Hutongs Tour by Rickshaw

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from $54.99

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Small-Group Beijing Night Walking Tour

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from $44.28

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Write a ReviewReviews (807)

1 - 10 of 517 reviews

borrum

London, United Kingdom

394103

Reviewed 2 weeks ago

Interesting historic buildings, informative tea tasting session.

In former times, these two buildings housed drums and bells which principally served as timekeeping devices for the City. Today, a walk around provides detail of their interesting and varied history, as well as offering excellent views of the surrounding area. The tea house in...More

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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

Judi L

Denver, Colorado

619129

Reviewed 2 weeks ago

Great views and very interesting

The Bell and Drum Towers were build in 1420 to announce the time (drum at night and bell in daytime0, both towers offer great views plus picturesque local streets. Be aware the steps leading to the top are steep and long.

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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

Lizette A

Sydney, Australia

302

Reviewed 4 weeks ago

Very interesting

We saw the towers and went on a rickshaw tour of the Hu Tong. Not sure whether you can go in. Very impressive from far

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Bernice H

Beijing, China

123

Reviewed May 15, 2018

Great way to spend the afternoon

Make sure you watch the drum performance. Timings are on the door at the entrance. The views are fantastic on a clear day.

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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

Camilla K

327

Reviewed May 12, 2018 via mobile

Beautiful view

Beautiful view from both Towers. Were lucky enough to hear the drummers play and it was fantastic. Please check out the koncert times before you go - it’s worth it. Enjoy the elders playing Majong in the square or go for a walk in the...More

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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

silverbrook

London, Canada

41892

Reviewed May 7, 2018

Bell and Drum Towers

Our group gathered here before going on our rickshaw tour. Our guide, who was from one of the nearby hutongs shared a brief history with us about the tours. He stressed how important the towers once were for communication to the people of the area...More

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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

Yossi N

Tel Aviv, Israel

723126

Reviewed May 6, 2018

Towers with history

Bell and Drum Towers are separate towers you must see while visiting the square. Towers were built 13 century and used for telling the time in the morning.

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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

AMsays

Thornhill, Canada

843351

Reviewed May 6, 2018

Towers with interesting history

Built in 1272 the 2 separate towers originally represented musical instruments but later were used for telling time – in the morning, the bell. At dusk, the drum. The bell tower houses the largest and heaviest bell in China – a whopping 23’ high and...More

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This review is the subjective opinion of a TripAdvisor member and not of TripAdvisor LLC.

Maarika B

141

Reviewed April 28, 2018 via mobile

Trum tower performance

Definitely needs to see those towers. Also to go and look the trum performance. Before the trums had very important role in Beijing. Every sunset the drums were sign to close the gates around Beijing and nobody could go out or come in. And in...More

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Richard-Roadman

Heerhugowaard, The Netherlands

323133

Reviewed April 25, 2018

Plan your visit at the performance time.

Be sure to watch the drumperformance at one of the followingtimes; 9.30 10.30 11.30 or 13.30 14.30 15.30 16.45. The performance is about 5-10 minutes and with 4 sidedrummers and 1 lead. Its a nice show and absolutly not loud. The staircases in both towers...More

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Ask a question

Questions & Answers

See all 6 questions

luzktreter

Does it have an entrance fee? If ever, how much?

December 13, 2017|

AnswerShow all 4 answers

Yes. But affordable.

77sharifah

Hello, 1. How many types of drum performance are there? And what time are their performances? 2. Is Dong Gulou Street (South of Drum Tower) worth visiting for shopping local products - more on food or souvenirs etc? 3. Which other attractions can I combined with when visiting the Drum Tower? Thanks. Regards.

September 28, 2017|

AnswerShow all 6 answers

The times of the performances are 09:30, 10:00, 11:30, 13:30, 14:30, 15:30, 16:45 Prepare yourself on a lot of steep steps to get there. The view from the top is beautiful. Across the Drum Tower is Bell tower, you can visit... More

bellaroda

Hello Is it worth going and see them from outside? Because we cannot climb the stairs. Do we hear the drums from outside? Tks

January 21, 2017|

AnswerShow all 12 answers

Worth seeing from outside but view great. I listened to the drums from the bottom of the stairs which you have to pay for. You can't really hear them from further. The steps are amazingly steep!