Pingyao Ancient Town Walking Tour: Private Guide & City Wall

Walk the City Wall that frames Pingyao like a tortoise, then descend into the streets where Ming-Qing merchants once traded.

A private walking tour of Pingyao ancient city with a live guide in English or Chinese, covering the City Wall, traditional Ming-Qing Street, Temple of City God and Ri Sheng Chang Exchange Shop. Your guide picks you up at your hotel at 9am and leads you on foot through seven hours of stops, with lunch and all entrance tickets included. The tour ends back at your hotel.

Step-by-step itinerary

Pingyao Ancient Town Highlights

• Pick up at hotel lobby
• Visit City Wall of Pingyao
• Walk along Ming-Qing Street
• Explore Temple of City God
• Lunch break
• Tour Ri Sheng Chang Exchange Shop and Tong Xing Gong
• Escort back to hotel

The experience

Your guide meets you at your hotel lobby inside Pingyao's ancient city at 9am and walks you straight to the City Wall. The rectangular wall has been preserved for centuries and resembles a tortoise: a symbol of longevity in Chinese tradition. From the top, you overlook the whole of Pingyao's layout below. The climb itself is the vantage point. There is no vehicle involved anywhere on this tour.

After descending, you walk Ming-Qing Street, the narrow thoroughfare lined with buildings in ancient Chinese style. Many were once exchange shops, teashops, cloth shops and salt shops. Some now operate as hotels and restaurants, while others remain as museums and preserved sites. The street is narrow enough that you move through it on foot at a pace that lets you read the architecture. Lunch is included partway through the day. Your guide then takes you to the Temple of City God, one of China's best-preserved temples of its kind, distinguished by the way it combines the Temple of the God of Wealth and the Temple of the Kitchen God in a single complex.

The final stop is Ri Sheng Chang Exchange Shop, the first money exchange house in China and the founder of modern Chinese banking. It operated for roughly a century as a financial hub. Tong Xing Gong, an adjacent building, provided private escort services for the exchange shops during transport. After these sites, your guide escorts you back to your hotel to end the day.

What’s included

• Entrance tickets to all sites.
• lunch.
• a private guide who speaks English or Chinese.
• hotel pickup and drop-off.

Options for this experience

2 options

Departure for a hotel inside the cityGuide in English or Chinese · 09:00Pickup from a hotel inside the Pingyao ancient city: the tour picks you up and drops you off at your hotel inside the ancient city, with no car used, as it is a walking tour. Pickup is included.

Departure for a hotel outside the cityGuide in English or Chinese · 09:00Pickup from a hotel outside the Pingyao ancient city: we provide a vehicle service to pick you up from and drop you off at your hotel outside the ancient city. Pickup is included.

You pick the guide language when booking.

You'll see the exact price of each option when you check availability.See dates and prices

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 09:00

Book up to10h before

AgesAdult (10 and older) · Child (5 to 9 years) · Infant (under 5): free

GroupPrivate

Live guideEnglish and Chinese

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 8 days ago

Good to know

Low physical effortWheelchair accessibleStroller-friendlyInfant seats availableNot recommended with heart problemsNot recommended with back problems

Operated by happychinatours

Is this one for you?Book the morning departure inside the city if your hotel is within Pingyao's walls: pickup is seamless and you start walking by 9am. If you're staying outside the ancient city, select the outside-city option at checkout for a pickup that suits your location.

Traveler reviews

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and Chinese.

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (5 to 9 years); Infant (under 5): free.

What is the City Wall of Pingyao and why does it matter?

The City Wall of Pingyao is a well-preserved rectangular fortification that has stood for centuries and resembles a tortoise, a symbol of longevity in Chinese culture. Ascending it gives you a complete view of the ancient city's layout and is the opening stop of the tour.

Can I walk the entire tour, or do we use vehicles between stops?

The entire tour is on foot with no vehicle. You walk from your hotel to the City Wall, down to Ming-Qing Street, to the Temple of City God, and to Ri Sheng Chang Exchange Shop, all within the ancient city.

What was Ri Sheng Chang Exchange Shop used for?

Ri Sheng Chang was China's first money exchange shop and the founder of modern Chinese banking, playing a major role in financial business for about a century. The tour includes Tong Xing Gong, a companion building that provided private escort services to guard the exchange shops during transport.

Is lunch included in the tour?

Yes, lunch is included as part of the seven-hour tour. It is served partway through the day between your visits to Ming-Qing Street and the Temple of City God.

Do I need to arrange my own hotel pickup, or is it part of the tour?

Your guide picks you up at your hotel lobby inside Pingyao's ancient city at 9am. If your hotel is outside the city, pickup is available as an option at checkout.