Xi'an: the Bell Tower and the Drum Tower at Dusk

The Drum Tower went up in 1380 and the Bell Tower four years later, both in the first Ming reign, and together they were the city's clock: drums at dusk to close the gates, the bell at dawn to open them. The Bell Tower was moved a kilometre east in 1582 to sit at the crossing of the four great streets, which is where it stands now, on a roundabout in the middle of the modern city with traffic circulating underneath it.

Inside both towers are the instruments themselves - a bronze bell cast in 711, during the Tang, and a row of drums - along with small exhibitions on the Ming city and the drum rituals. The staircases are steep and the timber is old, and the upper galleries are open to the air, which is why the timing matters: late afternoon, when the light is low and the heat has gone, and the floodlights come on as you come down.

• The Drum Tower of 1380 and the Bell Tower of 1384, four years apart in the first Ming reign
• The Bell Tower moved 1,000 metres east in 1582 to sit at the crossing of the four streets
• A Tang bronze bell cast in 711, hung in the tower and still on display
• The drum rituals explained, and the drum performance if the timing works
• Four gate towers visible down the four great streets from the Bell Tower gallery
• The roofscape of the Muslim Quarter and Beiyuanmen from the Drum Tower
• Timed so you come down as the floodlights come on

• Meals as listed in the daily itinerary (no meals; tea at a rooftop cafe between the towers)
• Private air-conditioned vehicle with professional driver throughout
• English-speaking local guide (Spanish, French, German, Italian, Russian or Japanese on request)
• All entrance fees for the sites listed, including shuttle buses, eco-buses and cable cars where the site requires them
• Local handling and coordination service throughout the programme
• Bottled water (2 bottles per person per day) and audio headsets where group size requires them
• Travel accident insurance for the duration of the tour

• International air tickets and any domestic flights not listed in the itinerary
• China visa or visa-free entry documentation fees
• Meals not specified in the daily itinerary and all beverages/alcohol
• Tips for guides, drivers and hotel staff (suggested USD 8-12 per person per day)
• Personal expenses: laundry, telephone, minibar, shopping
• Optional activities and any item not listed under Price Includes
• Single-room supplement if a traveller requires a room alone
• The drum performance if it falls outside the session time (tickets at the gate)
• Dinner at a nearby restaurant, if you want it arranged (from about USD 20 per person)

Published: October 2026 — prices and itinerary reviewed on this date; later updates are shown in the revision note below.

Please read the notes below before you book. Both towers have steep timber stairs with no lift; the Bell Tower is reached by an underground passage from the square, not by crossing the roundabout.

Q: Are the towers worth going inside, or is the outside enough?
A: Inside, yes, but for the view rather than the exhibits. The Bell Tower gallery gives you the four great streets and, on a clear day, the four gate towers of the Ming wall in one line; the Drum Tower gives you the roofscape of the Muslim Quarter. The objects on display are modest. If you are short of time, do the Bell Tower only.

Q: How many stairs are there?
A: About forty steep timber steps in the Bell Tower and slightly fewer in the Drum Tower, in two flights, with a landing. There is no lift and no ramp. Anyone with knee problems should look from the square instead, which is genuinely the better photograph anyway, especially after dark.

Q: When is the drum performance?
A: Usually several times a day, with the last one in the late afternoon; the times change with the season and with the tourist calendar. We time the session around it when we can, and confirm the day before. It runs about ten minutes and is included with the tower ticket.

Q: Is the Bell Tower the original building?
A: The building is Ming, but it has been repaired many times, most heavily in the twentieth century, and the timber you touch is a mix of original and replacement. What is genuinely old is the site and the bell: the bronze bell in the tower was cast in 711, in the Tang, and is one of the oldest cast bells in China.

Q: Can we do this on a layover?
A: It is the best short layover option in the city, because the towers are in the centre and the airport expressway is twenty minutes from the South Gate. With five hours between flights you can do both towers and eat; with three hours, do the Bell Tower and skip the Drum Tower. We build the timing around your connection.

Q: Is it wheelchair accessible?
A: The square and the underground passage are, the towers themselves are not. The Drum Tower has a ground-floor exhibition hall that is step-free, and the viewing terrace at the Bell Tower square is flat. Tell us in advance and we will plan a route that keeps the walking short.

Q: Do I need a visa for this?
A: Most visitors do not. China's unilateral visa-free scheme covers 50 countries for stays up to 30 days, and 240-hour visa-free transit covers 57 nationalities through 65 designated ports. Confirm your nationality against the National Immigration Administration list before booking flights, since the scheme is revised from time to time.