4-Hour Private Layover Tour: Beijing Old Hutong

Your private guide and driver will greet you at the luggage carousels in the airport when your flight arrives, holding a sign with your name printed on it. Hop into the climate-controlled vehicle for the 30-minute drive to Beijing's historic hutong area, the web of low-rise alleyways that's an icon of old Beijing.

You'll alight at the scenic Shichahai lake district. Admire the elegant curves of the historic Silver Ingot Bridge (Yinding Qiao) that links Qianhai and Houhai lakes. Drink in the atmosphere as locals chat, drink, and relax around the lake, sometimes with wood pigeons cooing overhead.

From here, it's just a short stroll to Skewed Tobacco Pouch Street (Yandai Xiejie), a quaint 800-year-old hutong that used to be known for sellers of long-stemmed pipes.

Take your time to imbibe the atmosphere as you walk a couple of minutes to the Drum Tower, one of a pair of iconic structures that used to help Beijingers tell the time. It's home to a fascinating museum of Chinese timepieces, from incense clocks to water clocks.

Facing it is its opposite number, the Bell Tower. It's still home to China's largest bell, which is 23 feet (7 meters) high and weighs more than 20 tons (tonnes).

Once you've finished exploring the towers with your guide, your driver will bring you back to the airport to catch your onward flight.