Inside the Walls in Half a Day: Beilin, Shuyuanmen and the Muslim Quarter
Turn Beilin, Shuyuanmen and the Muslim Quarter into one clean half-day. The museum closes while the lanes and food improve later, so handle the timed sight first and do not zigzag between rival food streets.
The short answer
South Gate (Line 2 Yongningmen) → east along Shuyuanmen, 500 m → Beilin Museum from 8:30, about two hours → Line 2 to Zhonglou → through the Drum Tower arch into Beiyuanmen → eat one lane over on Beiguangji Street. Add Sajinqiao, 600 m west, only if you are there for breakfast or the 19:00-21:00 night market.
Only the Beilin Museum needs a ticket: ¥85, real-name up to 5 days ahead on its WeChat official account, ticket site or Alipay, with a passport accepted on the ticket site - and it is open every day of the week. No concessions for foreigners; the discounts are for PRC citizens only.
Shuyuanmen is for brushes, paper and seals; Beiyuanmen is for looking, persimmon cakes and pomegranate juice; Beiguangji Street is for sit-down paomo; Sajinqiao is where the neighbourhood eats breakfast and supper. None of them has a ticket.
Our entries for both towers are still drafts: ¥30 each is the 2018 price-bureau figure, ¥50 for both, and on public holidays tickets must be booked on the '西安钟鼓楼' WeChat official account. If you pay for one, pay for the Drum Tower - its arch is the way into the Muslim Quarter.
It is halal by custom: beef and lamb, no pork, no alcohol on the tables - the pork roujiamo is on Zhubashi south of the Drum Tower, and the beer is on the Bell Tower side of West Avenue. The main street is dearest; eat one lane over, and do not bring pork or drink into a restaurant here.
Side by sideEach cell ends with the date of the notice it was checked against
Swipe sideways; the first column stays put
Beilin Museum (Forest of Steles)
碑林博物馆Open the place →- What you see · how long
- Two hours of carved text: the Kaicheng Stone Classics (114 tablets, 837), the Tang masters in Room 2, the Nestorian Stele (781) - ask which hall it is in now - and the stone-sculpture hall · 2026-09-11
- Ticket
- ¥85 full, ¥42 half since 12 May 2025, no seasons; concessions and free entry are for PRC citizens only. English guided tour ¥65 a head (90 minutes) · 2026-09-11
- Hours · closed days
- 8:30-19:00, ticket sales and entry end 17:30; open seven days a week; extra hours by notice (60 extra minutes daily in May-June 2026) · 2026-09-11
- Booking & passport
- Real-name timed booking up to 5 days ahead on the WeChat official account, pcticket.xablbwg.cn or Alipay; the ticket site asks foreign visitors for their passport details, and a passport-booked ticket enters on the QR code · 2025-04-11
- Metro, exit, walk
- Metro Line 2 Yongningmen, Exit D, then 10 minutes east along the inside of the wall; or walk Shuyuanmen from the South Gate; the museum is beside Wenchang Gate · 2026-09-11
- Eat on the way
- Nothing named in our entry; the food is in the Muslim Quarter - Line 2 north to Zhonglou · 2026-09-11
- Don't get this wrong
- Not the 'Beilin District' or the stele shops on Shuyuanmen - the museum is the walled temple compound at 15 Sanxue St; its shop sells the genuine rubbings, the street stalls sell prints · 2026-09-11
Shuyuanmen (calligraphy street)
书院门Open the place →- What you see · how long
- The walk itself: South Gate → Shuyuanmen → Beilin is 500 m under a paifang and past the gate of Guanzhong Academy (1609); five minutes of window-shopping unless you want ink and paper · 2026-09-11
- Ticket
- Open street, no ticket; stalls negotiate, proper shops price per item · 2026-09-11
- Hours · closed days
- Street always open; shops roughly 9:00-21:00 · 2022-09-09
- Booking & passport
- None · 2022-09-09
- Metro, exit, walk
- Turn east inside the South Gate (Metro Line 2 Yongningmen) under the paifang; the Beilin Museum is at the far end · 2026-09-11
- Eat on the way
- Nothing named in our entry - it is a brush, paper and seal street · 2026-09-11
- Don't get this wrong
- Guanzhong Academy cannot normally be visited - a working college behind the street's north side; the gate is the photo · 2026-09-11
Muslim Quarter (Beiyuanmen and the lanes)
回民街 · 回坊Open the place →- What you see · how long
- Beiyuanmen is 545 m of stalls from the Drum Tower arch - the show, not the meal; the quarter is the dozen lanes behind it, with the Great Mosque 250 m west on Huajue Lane · 2026-09-11
- Ticket
- Open streets, no ticket; you pay per stall · 2026-09-11
- Hours · closed days
- Streets always open; stalls from breakfast to late; Ramadan changes daytime trading · 2022-09-09
- Booking & passport
- None to enter; stalls take cash and phone payment; a few famous shops use queue numbers at peak hours · 2026-09-11
- Metro, exit, walk
- Through the Drum Tower arch from the Bell-and-Drum Tower square; Metro Line 2 Zhonglou, then 5 minutes west · 2026-09-11
- Eat on the way
- Beiguangji Street, one lane west, for sit-down paomo (老米家, 马峰小炒 at No. 254, 老白家 lamb soup at No. 76 - 2021 municipal-media names); on Beiyuanmen itself, the persimmon cakes and pomegranate juice · 2026-09-11
- Don't get this wrong
- 'Muslim Street' on maps is Beiyuanmen only; and the famous pork roujiamo (Fanji's, since 1925) is outside the quarter, south of the Drum Tower on Zhubashi · 2026-09-11
Sajinqiao (the locals' food street)
洒金桥Open the place →- What you see · how long
- A plain street of shopfronts and steam on the quarter's west edge - the breakfast the quarter actually eats; no spectacle · 2026-09-11
- Ticket
- Street; pay per stall - bowls and skewers in the low tens of yuan · 2026-09-11
- Hours · closed days
- Breakfast before 7:00 until about 10:00-11:00; night stalls set up after 17:00, busiest 19:00-21:00; dead at 14:00 · 2022-09-09
- Booking & passport
- None; cash and phone payment; some breakfast shops are pay-first at the counter · 2026-09-11
- Metro, exit, walk
- Metro Line 1 Sajinqiao station at the north end, or 10 minutes west from the Drum Tower through Xiyangshi and Dapiyuan - 600 m from Beiyuanmen · 2022-09-09
- Eat on the way
- Beef-ball hulatang, youcha with mahua and steamed dumplings at breakfast; skewers, cold noodles and zenggao at the night market - follow the longest local queue · 2026-09-11
- Don't get this wrong
- Not the metro-station area on Lianhu Road - the food is on the street south of the station, into the quarter · 2026-09-11
| Compare | Beilin Museum (Forest of Steles) | Shuyuanmen (calligraphy street) | Muslim Quarter (Beiyuanmen and the lanes) | Sajinqiao (the locals' food street) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What you see · how long | Two hours of carved text: the Kaicheng Stone Classics (114 tablets, 837), the Tang masters in Room 2, the Nestorian Stele (781) - ask which hall it is in now - and the stone-sculpture hall · 2026-09-11 | The walk itself: South Gate → Shuyuanmen → Beilin is 500 m under a paifang and past the gate of Guanzhong Academy (1609); five minutes of window-shopping unless you want ink and paper · 2026-09-11 | Beiyuanmen is 545 m of stalls from the Drum Tower arch - the show, not the meal; the quarter is the dozen lanes behind it, with the Great Mosque 250 m west on Huajue Lane · 2026-09-11 | A plain street of shopfronts and steam on the quarter's west edge - the breakfast the quarter actually eats; no spectacle · 2026-09-11 |
| Ticket | ¥85 full, ¥42 half since 12 May 2025, no seasons; concessions and free entry are for PRC citizens only. English guided tour ¥65 a head (90 minutes) · 2026-09-11 | Open street, no ticket; stalls negotiate, proper shops price per item · 2026-09-11 | Open streets, no ticket; you pay per stall · 2026-09-11 | Street; pay per stall - bowls and skewers in the low tens of yuan · 2026-09-11 |
| Hours · closed days | 8:30-19:00, ticket sales and entry end 17:30; open seven days a week; extra hours by notice (60 extra minutes daily in May-June 2026) · 2026-09-11 | Street always open; shops roughly 9:00-21:00 · 2022-09-09 | Streets always open; stalls from breakfast to late; Ramadan changes daytime trading · 2022-09-09 | Breakfast before 7:00 until about 10:00-11:00; night stalls set up after 17:00, busiest 19:00-21:00; dead at 14:00 · 2022-09-09 |
| Booking & passport | Real-name timed booking up to 5 days ahead on the WeChat official account, pcticket.xablbwg.cn or Alipay; the ticket site asks foreign visitors for their passport details, and a passport-booked ticket enters on the QR code · 2025-04-11 | None · 2022-09-09 | None to enter; stalls take cash and phone payment; a few famous shops use queue numbers at peak hours · 2026-09-11 | None; cash and phone payment; some breakfast shops are pay-first at the counter · 2026-09-11 |
| Metro, exit, walk | Metro Line 2 Yongningmen, Exit D, then 10 minutes east along the inside of the wall; or walk Shuyuanmen from the South Gate; the museum is beside Wenchang Gate · 2026-09-11 | Turn east inside the South Gate (Metro Line 2 Yongningmen) under the paifang; the Beilin Museum is at the far end · 2026-09-11 | Through the Drum Tower arch from the Bell-and-Drum Tower square; Metro Line 2 Zhonglou, then 5 minutes west · 2026-09-11 | Metro Line 1 Sajinqiao station at the north end, or 10 minutes west from the Drum Tower through Xiyangshi and Dapiyuan - 600 m from Beiyuanmen · 2022-09-09 |
| Eat on the way | Nothing named in our entry; the food is in the Muslim Quarter - Line 2 north to Zhonglou · 2026-09-11 | Nothing named in our entry - it is a brush, paper and seal street · 2026-09-11 | Beiguangji Street, one lane west, for sit-down paomo (老米家, 马峰小炒 at No. 254, 老白家 lamb soup at No. 76 - 2021 municipal-media names); on Beiyuanmen itself, the persimmon cakes and pomegranate juice · 2026-09-11 | Beef-ball hulatang, youcha with mahua and steamed dumplings at breakfast; skewers, cold noodles and zenggao at the night market - follow the longest local queue · 2026-09-11 |
| Don't get this wrong | Not the 'Beilin District' or the stele shops on Shuyuanmen - the museum is the walled temple compound at 15 Sanxue St; its shop sells the genuine rubbings, the street stalls sell prints · 2026-09-11 | Guanzhong Academy cannot normally be visited - a working college behind the street's north side; the gate is the photo · 2026-09-11 | 'Muslim Street' on maps is Beiyuanmen only; and the famous pork roujiamo (Fanji's, since 1925) is outside the quarter, south of the Drum Tower on Zhubashi · 2026-09-11 | Not the metro-station area on Lianhu Road - the food is on the street south of the station, into the quarter · 2026-09-11 |
City Wall from the South Gate (draft entry)：Draft entry: going up the wall is a separate ¥54 ticket (media and platform figure), real-name on the '西安城墙景区' mini-program up to 7 days ahead, South Gate 8:00-22:00; passport holders swap the booking for a paper voucher at a gate window. The wall is 13.7 km - walk, ride or go at night is its own decision page. a separate dusk visit from the South Gate. → See “City Wall: Walk, Ride or Night?”
Great Mosque (draft entry)：Draft entry: platform figures of ¥25 in season / ¥15 in winter, 8:00-21:00 unconfirmed, prayer times close the courtyards; 250 m west of Beiyuanmen down Huajue Lane. A religious site first - modest dress, and keep out of the prayer hall. the calm hour between meals in the quarter.
Drum Tower (draft entry)：Draft entry: ¥30 on the 2018 price-bureau figure, ¥50 with the Bell Tower; 1 April-10 October 8:30-21:30; on public holidays it must be booked on the '西安钟鼓楼' WeChat official account; the over-65 free ticket is for Chinese nationals. Its arch leads straight into Beiyuanmen. if you pay for one tower, this one - it leads somewhere.
Bell Tower (draft entry)：Draft entry: same ¥30 (2018 price bureau) / ¥50 combined and the same hours as the Drum Tower; it stands in a traffic circle, reached by underpass from Line 2 Zhonglou. Not the Drum Tower - the Bell Tower is the one in the roundabout. a dusk look at the lit roundabout, or just a photo from the underpass exits.
Gao Family Mansion (draft entry)：Draft entry: platform prices ¥15 for the museum and ¥30 for the puppet show, hours in conflict between listings; on Beiyuanmen about 200 m north of the Drum Tower arch - a courtyard and a ten-minute shadow-puppet show. a pause from the street, with children.
City God Temple (draft entry)：Draft entry: free and 8:30-17:30 on a platform listing; the gate lane opens off West Avenue 400 m west of the Drum Tower - a real temple with real incense in a quarter of restaurants, ten minutes. a contrast with the mosques, on the way along West Avenue.
One by one
Beilin Museum (Forest of Steles)
碑林博物馆The one paid stop, and the one that needs help: without the paid guide or a real interest in calligraphy, most visitors see stone tablets. Come for the Nestorian Stele and the sculpture hall, pay for the tour, and do not build a day around it. The daily cap is 20,199, reached only on weekends and holidays - a weekday morning never hits it. For the morning half, after Shuyuanmen - anyone who will pay for the guide.
Open the place →Shuyuanmen (calligraphy street)
书院门A tourist street with a scholarly name: use it as the route to the Beilin, not as a destination. Buy a brush or paper here, not a 'rubbing' - the genuine ink rubbings are inside the museum shop - and for a seal cut with your name, ask the price per character first. For everyone on the way from the South Gate to the Beilin.
Open the place →Muslim Quarter (Beiyuanmen and the lanes)
回民街 · 回坊For a pork-free traveller the easiest place to eat in China; for everyone else, the famous pork roujiamo and the beer are outside. Walk Beiyuanmen once, then eat one lane over - the main street is a tourist trap by 19:00. It is a working religious neighbourhood with about ten mosques: cover shoulders and knees near them and ask before photographing people. For everyone, for lunch or an early dinner - one lane off the main street.
Open the place →Sajinqiao (the locals' food street)
洒金桥If you want lanterns and skewers for the camera, that is Beiyuanmen; if you want the breakfast the quarter eats, come here at 7:30 and accept the language gap - no English menus, few pictures; point, pay, sit. It fits a half day only at either end: breakfast before the Beilin, or the night market after the Drum Tower. For early risers and night-market eaters - never mid-afternoon.
Open the place →