We visited the Bell and Drum Towers on a self tour, on our way to a Hutong meander Our hotel gave us one of those "tear off" maps, highlighting pretty much anything of interest in Beijing. This was a featured attraction. Shock! Very steep stairs!...More

It’s just two towers. No idea why lonely planet think this is a top ten. There are views at the top admittedly but nothing special. It’s cheap to visit so if you’re passing, go up. Otherwise don’t bother.

There are 69 steep steps up to the drum tower. It's just about worth it but nothing special . The view is good and there are lots of drums to see.

Visited the Bell and Drum Towers and while interested in the history, we were entranced with the tea drinking ceremony offered in the bell tower. A bit touristy but very interesting and educational. Adjacent tea shop provides opportunities to purchase the teas that are sampled....More

Bell tower wakes you up. Drum tower sends to to bed. Very cool structure worth looking at. Not s must see or even a destination location.

The impressive structures were used as time keepers. They are located near the Forbidden City and, for us, were the end point for our hutong rickshaw ride. They are at either end of an attractive square where locals were playing various board games. An interesting...More

Great to hear the drum beat during the day marking out the time. We visited the Bell Tower for the tea ceremony and highly recommended, our hostess spoke excellent English and was witty and engaging.