Gao Family Courtyard, costume museum and shadow-puppet theatre
LandmarkBell Tower and the Muslim Quarter
GAO FAMILY MANSION (GAO FAMILY COURTYARD, COSTUME MUSEUM AND SHADOW-PUPPET THEATRE) · GAOJIA DAYUAN
☾ ✦
Bell Tower and the Muslim Quarter · 34.266°N 108.939°E
TicketedClosure day
The one door on Beiyuanmen that leads somewhere quiet: a Ming-Qing official's courtyard house of the Gao family — 86 rooms around a string of courtyards, carved brick and lattice, now run as a small classical-costume museum with an hourly shadow-puppet show and a teahouse. The tourism bureau lists it as a 3A site at No. 200 Beiyuanmen; platform listings give the museum ticket as ¥15 with the puppet show ¥30 extra, or ¥30 for both, with a WeChat official account for booking and a walk-in desk.
AdmissionTicketedPlatform: museum ¥15; puppet show ¥30 (or ¥30 for both by another listing)Secondhand source
HoursListings conflict: Tue-Sun 10:00-18:00 vs daily 9:00-21:30 — askSecondhand source
ClosedMondays by one listing (except holidays); not confirmedNot independently verified — check official channels before you go
IDNone reportedNot independently verified — check official channels before you go
Address200 Beiyuanmen, Lianhu District (莲湖区北院门 200 号) — tourism bureau's A-level list, Feb 2026Verified · 2026-02Source ↗Navigate ↗
EntranceWest side of Beiyuanmen, about 200 m north of the Drum Tower arch — a carved gate between food stalls
Last verified 2026-09-11Source: platforms and press
How to book
WeChat official account 西安高家大院 for booking, or register at the door (platform); enquiries 029-87401029Secondhand source
Paying on site
Gate on Beiyuanmen → desk → museum ticket ¥15 (+¥30 puppet show, platform) → courtyards; show times on the board inside.
Beat the crowds
Time it for a puppet show: they run roughly hourly from 11:00 through the evening by platform listings — take the show, then the courtyards while the next audience gathers.
Language
Bilingual signs in the courtyards; the puppet show is a short Shaanxi-dialect folk piece — the point is the puppets, not the words. An audio guide exists (platform).