Want to walk the west center of old Beijing? This route is your perfect guide—a one-day journey where royal grandeur meets local life and ancient peace. You’ll see grand mansions, quiet temples, lively snack streets, and hidden courtyards, and even get to ride a bike like a local! It’s the best way to feel the city’s incredible mix of royal splendor, local life, and ancient culture.
Here’s your simple plan for the day:
Start at Prince Kung’s Mansion → Walk to the Mei Lanfang Memorial Museum → Explore Huguo Temple Snack Street and see the Vajra Hall → Ride a bike to Zhengyang Bookstore/Wansong Pagoda → End at the peaceful Guangji Temple.
Start your day at the huge and beautiful Prince Kung’s Mansion. This isn’t just a big house; it was the home of a very powerful prince during the Qing Dynasty, China’s last imperial family. To dive deeper into its fascinating history, hidden symbols, and visiting tips, check out our dedicated guide: Prince Kung’s Mansion: Your Gateway to Old Beijing. Walk through the grand courtyards and imagine the fancy parties and important meetings that happened here. Then, make sure to explore the secret garden in the back. It has pretty bridges, rocks, and quiet spots—a perfect escape, just like it was for the prince.
Address: 9 Huguosi Jie(St), Xicheng District
Next, take a short walk to the Mei Lanfang Memorial Museum. This is a traditional siheyuan (courtyard home) where the most famous Peking Opera star of all time once lived. For official visitor information, you can refer to the Mei Lanfang Memorial page on VisitBeijing. Peking Opera is a beautiful and colorful Chinese performance art with singing, acting, and amazing costumes. As you walk through the quiet rooms, you can see old photos, gorgeous costumes, and feel the artistic spirit of old Beijing. It’s a calm and personal stop after the big palace.
Now, get ready for some flavor! Walk over to Huguo Temple Snack Street. This busy little street is full of small shops selling classic Beijing snacks. You can try things like lüdagunr (sweet rice rolls)驴打滚, wandouhuang (a sweet pea cake)豌豆黄, or savory jianbing (fried pancakes)煎饼. While you’re here, look for the old Huguo Temple Vajra Hall护国寺金刚殿. This ancient building is right there among the food stalls, which is a cool mix of everyday life and deep history.
After eating, it’s time to move like a local—by bike! Rent a shared bike (use the Meituan or Hello/Alipay apps) for the most fun. Then, enjoy a relaxing 10-minute ride to Zhengyang Bookstore正阳书局. This special bookstore is inside another old courtyard, and it only sells books about Beijing’s history and culture. But the real treasure is right in its yard: the Wansong Pagoda万松老人塔, a quiet, ancient brick pagoda from over 700 years ago. Finding this peaceful history spot in a busy city is a wonderful surprise.
Love exploring Beijing by bike? If you enjoy this short ride through the west center of old Beijing, you’ll love our longer and scenic Bike Route from Baitasi to Xishiku, which takes you past ancient pagodas and a historic church in Beijing’s Xicheng District.
Finally, your last stop is the Guangji Temple, one of Beijing’s most important Buddhist temples. Compared to the busy snack street, this place is very calm and peaceful. You can see people praying, smell the incense, and admire the beautiful old architecture. It’s the perfect place to relax and think about all the amazing history you’ve seen today. This temple is still very active, so please be quiet and respectful inside.
This isn’t just a list of places. It’s a story. You start with the huge, powerful world of a prince. Then, you see the elegant life of an artist. After that, you taste the fun, noisy life of everyday people on the snack street. Finally, you end in the peaceful, spiritual space of ancient temples. You get to experience all the different “layers” of old Beijing in one perfect day.
If you love discovering quiet hutongs and local life like you did around Huguo Temple, our guide to Things To Do In Beijing: West Beijing Hutong Adventure will show you even more hidden corners and stories in this fascinating part of the city.
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