Free walking tours in Peking

Yan was incredible. She took us through the authentic hutongs, those traditional alleys full of life and history, showing not only the main highlights but also hidden corners we would never have found on our own. One of the most memorable parts was how immersive the experience was. We got to try local street food (delicious and authentic), practice Chinese calligraphy, and understand the cultural meaning behind it. These hands-on moments made everything much more meaningful than just listening to explanations. Yan’s knowledge was truly impressive. She explained Beijing’s history, culture, and daily life in a very engaging and clear way, always open to questions and she answered everything with detail and enthusiasm. On top of that, she gave us plenty of great recommendations (restaurants, places to visit, practical tips), which really helped us throughout the rest of our trip. We really recomend this freewalking tour.

Did the Beijing Imperial City Free Walking Tour with Roy and it turned out to be one of the most authentic experiences in the city. Roy is an excellent storyteller and brings the history of Beijing to life in a very engaging way. Walking through Nanluoguxiang and the surrounding hutongs didn’t feel like a typical tour — it felt like discovering hidden layers of the city with someone who truly understands it. What stood out most was how Roy explained the evolution of hutongs, from imperial times to modern-day contrasts. Visiting places like Houhai Lake and the historic alleys around it gave a real sense of local life beyond the usual tourist spots. He also shared fascinating stories about former residences, emperors, and everyday life in these neighborhoods, making each stop meaningful rather than just a photo point. The pace was comfortable, and he managed the group very well. This tour is perfect if you want to experience a more real, less touristy side of Beijing. Roy makes it insightful, enjoyable, and easy to follow throughout. For a deeper look at this experience, you can also check my YouTube channel travelwithshreya where I’ve shared more from this trip.

A nice mix of a look into daily life as well as some historic temples easily missed. Would highly recommend. April is very knowledgeable and has good tips for other places to visit in Bejing.

Roy is very knowledgeable and shares interesting facts and info during his tours. Highly recommended

Very nice walking tour. Roy is engaging and friendly and gave us plenty of good information. Recommend his tour.

Genial experiencia. Muy entretenido y ameno. La guía lo mejor, gracias Xiaoyan Kong. Se nos pasó volando el tour! Y pedir por sus tips!!

Absolutely recommended tour - Roy really helps you understand Chinese history and society, in a way wouldn’t be able to do on your own. With his explanations, you will be able to appreciate more the things you see. Definitely our highlight in Beijing!

I've had a couple of tours, and roy has been the best guide

I really enjoyed the tour with Roy. He made sure to mix information with humor so it never felt hard to listen. Apart from the sites he made sure to include other interesting facts about China and Chinese culture, so I really feel I learned a lot in just 2 hours.

We came from Canada after receiving warm recommendations from Canadians of Roy’s professional guidance. His tour was inspiring and we would definitely recommend him to other visitors

Roy is absolutely wonderful. He knows so much history about Beijing and China itself. He’s very funny and adds great personality to the tour. His list of places that we visited on the walking tour was a good taste of different neighbours that I visited after my tour as well. Highly recommend his tour if you are in Beijing

Roy Li tour was very interesting, learned a lot about hutongs and culture, good recommendations too, highly recommend

Roy was a great host! He has actually lived in the Hutongs so he knew about them first hand! Very professional and very good at English, a rare sight in Beijing!

April was fantastic. Very knowledgeable and professional. We really enjoyed this tour.

Roy speaks really great English and was very clear in his explanations and good with telling stories. You can tell that he is passionate about his work, sharing the history and fun facts, even compiling a list of good food, shopping, massage places, etc. We tried the dumpling restaurant which he recommended and it was truly the best dumplings we’ve had in our whole trip (we have also tried dumplings from other restaurants with great recommendations on Da Zhong Dian Ping, but this is still the best)

Wonderful tour. April was very kind, thoughtful and informative. I learnt so much!

What an amazing tour! Roy gave us a full immersion into the history of China and Beijing, explaining a lot of details of houses and spots around us that otherwise we would have missed. He kept the tour engaging, dynamic and interesting. Don't miss the chance to go on this tour!

Yan was incredibly interesting and fun. She has a very food english and a lot of information for us. Caligraphy was great

Roy was an outstanding tour guide. He is very knowledgeable. His English is excellent, and he answers questions extremely well. We would give him our highest recommendation.

Roy was very professional and knowledgeable. The tour exceeded our expectations. Would highly recommend!

Highly recommend!!! Roy show gave an great overview about Beijing, people's daily live. He guide as through a local neighborhood and showed us interesting details and stories. Thank you very much!

Es war interessant zu erfahren wie die Leute hier gelebt haben und es z. T. Auch immer noch tun. :) Roy Li spricht sehr gutes Englisch und steht zu dem was er sagt.

Very insightful and a great guide who was so friendly!

Muy buena experiencia. Muy bueno que el guia sea chino realmente. Muy buenas historias y muy entretenido

Roy è stato una guida molto professionale, simpatica e competente. Fortemente consigliato.