CYCLING THE CITY WALL (BIKE HIRE ON TOP) · CHENGQIANG QIXING
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South Gate, Beilin and the City Wall · 34.253°N 108.942°E
Pay as you consumeClosure day
The one thing every first-timer asks about: bicycles are hired on top of the wall at the four main gates and ridden the full 13.7 km loop on the brick, back to where you started, in roughly ninety minutes to two hours. The hire is a separate cash-or-scan purchase on top of the ¥54 wall ticket — platform listings put a single bike at ¥45 for three hours and a tandem at ¥90 with a deposit — and the South Gate stands have the longest hours. No booking, no app for the bikes themselves: buy the wall ticket the night before, climb at the South Gate, rent at the stand.
AdmissionPay as you consumePlus wall ticket: ~¥45 single / ¥90 tandem per 3 h, ¥100 deposit (platform)
HoursSouth Gate stands to ~22:00 in season, other gates ~20:00 (platform)
ClosedNone; stands may close in rain or iceNot independently verified — check official channels before you go
IDNo ID rule is published; bring cash for the bike deposit.Details ↓
AddressBike stands on top of the wall at Yongning Men (south, east and west of the gate tower), Changle Men, Anding Men, Anyuan Men and Hanguang Men (media / platform lists)Secondhand sourceNavigate ↗
EntranceClimb at the South Gate (Metro Line 2 Yongningmen A1/D1); the stands are a few hundred metres either side of the gate tower on the wall top
Last verified 2026-09-11Source: platforms and press
How to book
No booking — pay at the stand on the wall (cash or phone scan); wall ticket needed first (WeChat mini-program)
ID details
No ID rule is published; bring cash for the bike deposit. Deposit ¥100 a bike at the stand (platform); whether a passport is held as surety is not published — carry cash
Paying on site
Wall ticket on the mini-program → up at the South Gate → stand on the wall top → single ¥45 / 3 h or tandem ¥90 + deposit (platform) → ride the loop → return to the same stand within the slot.
Beat the crowds
Ride clockwise (south → west → north → east) from the South Gate at 8:00 or from 17:00: by the time you come round through the east gate onto the last stretch back to the South Gate, its walkers have cleared, and the west and north sides are empty. Weekend afternoons the south stretch is a slalom through pedestrians.
Language
Stand staff speak little English; the price board is bilingual at the South Gate. The route needs no directions — it is a loop.