Bell and Drum Towers, Beijing (北京钟鼓楼)

Attraction · Beijing. Two historic time towers with separate and joint tickets.

Source: https://chinafootnotes.com/places/beijing-bell-and-drum-towers · Data checked 2026-10-06 · Rendered for 2026-10-08 (Asia/Shanghai). Facts carry their status; "not found yet" means we searched and found no reliable source.

Why go

The Bell and Drum Towers (北京钟鼓楼) stand at the north end of Beijing's central axis. They were the city's historic timekeeping landmarks and now offer a way to look over the old hutong grid. The two buildings are close but are separate climbs, and a joint ticket covers both.

What to do

• Climb the Drum Tower. Enter the Drum Tower (鼓楼) to see the timekeeping setting and elevated views along the central axis. The tower has its own single ticket if this is your only climb.
• Cross to the Bell Tower. The Bell Tower (钟楼) stands just north of the Drum Tower and is open again. Its individual ticket is separate from the drum-tower ticket.
• Compare the central-axis view. From the tower area, look south through the street axis and outward over the surrounding hutongs. The paired buildings explain Beijing’s old timekeeping system better together than as distant exterior landmarks.

• Don't miss: The new municipal notice lists Bell Tower ¥10, Drum Tower ¥20 and joint ticket ¥30.

• Best time: Morning for the climb and hutong views

Practical details

• Hours: 09:30–17:30 peak; 09:30–16:30 off-peak
• Peak season (03-26 to 10-25), Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun: 09:30–17:30
• Off-peak (10-26 to 03-25), Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun: 09:30–16:30
• Seasonal times come from the July 2026 municipal notice and the 2025 peak and off-peak notices from the towers' preservation office; the 北京钟鼓楼 WeChat account carries each year's update.
• The Drum Tower's first-floor exhibition hall is closed on Mondays except public holidays.
• Admission: Ticketed · ¥10 Bell / ¥20 Drum / ¥30 joint
• Bell Tower: ¥10
• Drum Tower: ¥20
• Joint ticket: ¥30
• An older municipal listing says Bell Tower ¥15; the July reopening announcement gives ¥10 and is newer.
• Booking: Book through 北京钟鼓楼 WeChat account
• Beijing Bell and Drum Towers (北京钟鼓楼) — WeChat → search 北京钟鼓楼 → ticket booking
• Passport accepted: unknown — Official notice gives a WeChat channel but no passport-ID workflow.
• Last admission: Joint ticket 16:30 / single 17:00 peak
• Time to allow: 1–2 hr
• Getting there: Line 8 · Shichahai station · Exit A2
• Metro Line 8 to Shichahai (什刹海), Exit A2, about 8 min walk
• Metro Line 2 to Gulou Dajie (鼓楼大街), Exit G, about 10 min walk
• Show a taxi driver: 东城区钟楼湾胡同 北京钟鼓楼
• Foreign visitors: Passport booking is not documented

Not found yet

• booking.passport.accepted: The official booking notice does not state whether the WeChat account accepts a foreign passport. (searched: municipal 2026 notice, operator WeChat search, English visitor page, English guide sites (beijingtourism.org, chinatraveldecoded), Beijing Bendibao local-services guide, TripAdvisor single-review pages, Xiaohongshu)
• foreignVisitors.foreignPhone: Overseas-phone account registration was not documented. (searched: official booking channel, English government page, English guide sites, Xiaohongshu)

Traveler tips

• Buy for the building you want. The July 2026 municipal notice lists ¥10 for the Bell Tower (钟楼), ¥20 for the Drum Tower (鼓楼) and ¥30 for the joint ticket. Pick the building you want; the joint ticket is the only published two-tower option. The ¥15 on an older city listing is out of date. Caveat: The older listing and the newer notices disagree on the Bell Tower price; the live WeChat checkout shows the current figure. source
• Use the official WeChat account. Search WeChat for 北京钟鼓楼 and follow its booking entry for a dated visit. That account is the ticketing channel named in the municipal notice. Save the booking confirmation before heading to the towers. Caveat: 磊子轻户外 (Sept 2026), 每天都在哈哈哈的xer (Nov 2025) and 春海摄影小玩家 (Jul 2026) all say to book through the 北京钟鼓楼 WeChat account (春海 adds 'book ahead'; 每天 says to scan your (Chinese) ID card at the gate and to book a day ahead in peak season). A masked commenter (Jul 2026) followed the account but found no booking window; no answer appears in the collected comments. None of these posts says whether a foreign passport can be used to book or to enter. (3 travelers) source
• Check the Bell Tower season. The reopened Bell Tower is listed 09:30–17:30 from March 26 to October 25, then 09:30–16:30 from October 26 to March 25. Allow for the earlier winter finish if you plan two climbs. source
• Walk from Shichahai Exit A2. The city's museum-by-subway list pairs the Bell and Drum Towers with Shichahai station Exit A2. From there, walk toward the towers on the central-axis street, keeping the Drum Tower south of the Bell Tower. Caveat: Exit A2 and a walk of 5–8 minutes are given by 京京的漫游记 (Nov 2025, 400 m), 磊子轻户外 (Sept 2026, 5 minutes) and 每天都在哈哈哈的xer (Nov 2025, 8 minutes); 磊子 and 每天 also name Line 2 Gulou Dajie station Exit G, about 800 m or 10 minutes away. (3 travelers) source
• See both timekeeping buildings. The Drum Tower and Bell Tower were a pair in Beijing’s historic daily timekeeping. Walk the short outside stretch between them even if you decide to climb only one; the site reads as two buildings. source
• The Drum Tower stairs are steep and have no lift. The Drum Tower has 69 very steep steps to its upper floor and no lift. Hold the handrail, and take care going down, which is harder than going up. The stairs are not suited to small children or older visitors who cannot manage a steep climb. Caveat: 磊子轻户外 (Sept 2026) counts 69 steps, 德胜漫记 (Dec 2025) and 京京的漫游记 (Nov 2025) call the stairs long and steep, and super晶 (Nov 2025) says the slope is over 70 degrees and calls it the Bell Tower by mistake in the text. The Bell Tower's own stairs were not described. Only super晶 says there is no lift, and 京京的漫游记 advises against bringing older visitors or small children; a step-free alternative was not mentioned. (4 travelers) source
• Time the climb to a drum show. Drum performances run at the top of the Drum Tower (鼓楼) at 10:00, 11:00, 13:00, 14:00, 15:00, 16:00 and 17:00 in peak season; the 17:00 show is dropped off-peak. An immersive film plays on the first floor at half past the hour, 10:30 to 16:30 in peak season and 10:30 to 15:30 off-peak. There is no 12:00 show, so plan lunch around it. Caveat: Show times come from the 2025 seasonal notices; the operator can change the schedule. 德胜漫记 (Dec 2025) writes six or seven shows a day by three drummers, about three minutes each; 菁姐说 (Mar 2026) says every hour; 一遍再一遍 (Jun 2025) says about five minutes in peak season; 磊子轻户外 (Sept 2026) lists 10:00, 11:00, 14:00, 15:00, 16:00 off-peak and adds 17:00 in peak season, without 13:00. (4 travelers) source
• Know the ticket cut-off before a late visit. Ticket sales stop well before closing. In peak season (to 17:30) the joint ticket is sold until 16:30 and single-tower tickets until 17:00, with the ticket check at 17:20. Off-peak (to 16:30) the cut-offs are 15:30 for the joint ticket, 16:00 for a single tower and 16:20 for the check. Arrive at least an hour early if you want both climbs. Caveat: 磊子轻户外 (Sept 2026) writes that sales stop at 17:00 in peak season and 16:00 off-peak for a single tower; the joint-ticket cut-off is from the notices. source
• Reduced-price tickets are bought at the window. Full-price adult tickets are sold through the 北京钟鼓楼 WeChat account. Half-price and free tickets cannot be booked there; show your valid ID at the Drum Tower ticket window. Groups of 20 or more reserve 3 days ahead by phone on 84028113. Caveat: The sources do not say whether a passport counts as valid ID at the window or whether a foreign passport works in the WeChat booking. 春海摄影小玩家 (Jul 2026) says students get a discount; a masked commenter (Jul 2026) asks whether older visitors enter free and no answer appears in the collected comments. source
• Enter the Drum Tower by the north gate. The Drum Tower's south door is shut, so go round and enter by the north gate, where the tickets are checked. Take the stairs up for the drum hall on the second floor. The ticket window and the check are on the north side. Caveat: 德胜漫记 (Dec 2025) wrote that the south door is not open; 京京的漫游记 (Nov 2025) places the ticket check at the north gate. 一口鱼丸 (May 2025, older than 12 months) wrote that tickets were sold at the south door, which does not match the later posts. (2 travelers) source
• See the one genuine drum, with its scars. On the Drum Tower's second floor the main drum is the only original of the 25 former night-watch drums; the other 24 are modern copies. Its torn skin carries the cuts of foreign soldiers' bayonets from 1900, and it stands off to one side where it is easy to miss. Look at it before the drum show starts. Caveat: Four posts agree (磊子轻户外 Sept 2026, 菁姐说 Mar 2026, 德胜漫记 Dec 2025, 大林子 Dec 2025: the 1 original and 24 copies). The bayonet story comes from 磊子轻户外, 菁姐说 and 德胜漫记 and is the visitors' account of the drum's history. (4 travelers) source
• The Drum Tower balcony faces south; the Bell Tower opens on four sides. From the Drum Tower only the south side is open, with a view of Jingshan's Wanchun Pavilion down the central axis. You can glimpse the White Pagoda and the China Zun tower by leaning to the corners of the railing. The Bell Tower's upper gallery is open on all four sides. Caveat: 德胜漫记 (Dec 2025) climbed both towers and says the Drum Tower has only the south side open and that the Bell Tower has four open sides; 大林子 (Dec 2025) saw east, west and south from a tower; super晶 (Nov 2025) saw Jingshan to the south, the CBD to the east and the White Pagoda to the west. In Nov–Dec 2025 the Bell Tower was under repair: 德胜漫记 wrote that only its first floor was closed, while 大林子 wrote that it was suspended and covered in scaffolding; its current state is given by the municipal notice of 28 July 2026. (3 travelers) source
• If you can only climb one: Drum Tower for the show, Bell Tower for quiet. Choose the Drum Tower if you want the hourly drum performance and a small exhibition on its first floor. Choose the Bell Tower if you prefer fewer people and a wider view. Allow one and a half to two hours for both towers and the square between them. Caveat: 德胜漫记 (Dec 2025) gives the choice and 'under two hours'; 每天都在哈哈哈的xer (Nov 2025) gives about 1.5 hours and says the Bell Tower is 50 m from the Drum Tower, while 一口鱼丸 (May 2025) says 5 minutes' walk. In Nov–Dec 2025 the Bell Tower was under repair (京京的漫游记 and 每天都在哈哈哈的xer wrote that it was not open; 德胜漫记 wrote that only its first floor was closed); the municipal notice of 28 July 2026 gives its reopening. (2 travelers) source

Sources

• Beijing Municipal Government (published 2026-07-28)
• Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism
• Beijing Municipal Government
• Beijing Daily (北京日报) (published 2025-03-24)
• Beijing Daily (北京日报) (published 2025-10-23)
• Beijing Bendibao (北京本地宝) (published 2024-08-17)
• super晶 (published 2025-11-19)
• 磊子轻户外 (published 2026-09-09)
• 德胜漫记 (published 2025-12-04)
• 京京的漫游记 (published 2025-11-05)
• 每天都在哈哈哈的xer (published 2025-11-15)
• 春海摄影小玩家 (published 2026-07-15)
• 菁姐说 (published 2026-03-08)
• 大林子 (published 2025-12-06)
• 一口鱼丸 (published 2025-05-24)
• 一湾小何 (published 2025-12-14)

More places

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• More in Lakes & hutongs: Prince Kung's Mansion, Nanluoguxiang
• Book ahead: what to reserve before you go