How to Visit Nanluoguxiang Hutong in Beijing

Turning over the thick cover of Beijing’s modernity, you will see the old and authentic Beijing with a rich cultural and historical history.

A trip to Nanluogixiang Hutong（南锣鼓巷） brings you back to the Yuan Dynasty (1271 – 1368) when the earliest hutongs and courtyard houses along Nanluoguxiang started to be built.

Now almost every Beijing first-time visitor wants to be lost in the maze of Nanluoguxiang （南锣鼓巷）hutong teemed with side lanes. People want to be lost in the past, in the tradition, in the passing passengers, in a fad and in the future. Time is flying here and getting older.

Plan your Beijing tour? A walking tour of Nanluoguxiang （南锣鼓巷）is definitely recommended. Nanluoguxiang Hutong looks quiet and peaceful against the buzz of the crowds flocking here every day.

The 786-meter long south-north Nanluoguxiang Hutong （南锣鼓巷 is lined with numerous trendy bars, yummy restaurants, unique hostels, lively themed stores and itinerant vendors.

There are also 8 smaller hutongs hidden both on the east and west sides of the main and wider lane of Nanluoguxiang（南锣鼓巷) as well as former residences and mansions where loyal families and celebrities who once lived.

If you are interested in Beijing’s traditional architectures, Nanluoguxiang （南锣鼓巷）won’t let you down. Its vernacular courtyard houses, grey-coloured, accompanied by old trees, showcase the solid books of Beijing’s traditional architecture.

Nanluoguxiang （南锣鼓巷）is easily accessible by Subway Line 6 and get off at the station of Nanluoguxiang. Then enter the south entrance to Nanluoguxiang and exit from its north.

You can also walk further northward from Forbidden City’s northern gate to Nanluoguxiang over half a hour.