Emperor Guesthouse

Welcome to the Emperor Guesthouse!

The Emperor Guesthouse is one of Beijing's most famous hutong courtyard structures. It is a protected hutong building, with over 200 years of history. It is a main feature of all hutong tours around the Qianmen area, with visitors having to pay a small entrance fee.

Unlike many standard courtyard hostels around Beijing, the Emperor Guesthouse is a 2-storey building, with authentic wood-carved structure and wood-beam roofing. Nowhere else in Beijing can you find such a great combination of traditional Chinese architecture at such a central location (& at such a budget cost).

The guesthouse is well-known for its colourful history. In the past, the Emperor Qian Long himself is rumoured to have resided here, along with other famous nobles. In the basement, there is even a secret tunnel that previously led to the Forbidden City (now partially blocked off).


The guesthouse's location is extremely convenient for transportation and tourist sites, with Tiananmen Square and the subway being only 10 minutes walk away. The Emperor Guesthouse is set in the Qianmen hutong area, which has over 600 years of history ('hutong' is the name for Beijing's ancient ally-streets). To the East (starting just 100 meters away), a busy hutong market street area, with a large variety of restaurants, shops, tea houses and more, leading right up to Tiananmen Square itself. To the North, a residential hutong area, allowing you to take a glimpse into the 'Old Beijing' hutong life (you can zig-zag through the hutong all the way up to Tiananmen Square). To the West, a bustling fruit & vegetable market, and an art/culture street, packed with antiques and traditional architecture.

Enjoy the peaceful ambiance of our historic courtyard or meet fellow guests in our reastaurant/bar, with free internet and WI-FI.

The Emperor Guesthouse welcomes you to enjoy the amazing opportunity to sample a real taste of Beijing's history. Its beautiful wooden structure (and our 2 cats :) will welcome you from the moment you step through the red double doors!


(Please note: This Guesthouse is affiliated with Lonely Planet top-rated 'Leo Hostel', just 5 minutes walk away. Guests can enjoy the facilities and services offered at both hostels :)

Directions

DIRECTIONS TO THE EMPEROR GUESTHOUSE

** PLEASE READ THESE DIRECTIONS FULLY
TO AVOID ANY PROBLEMS GETTING TO THE
HOSTEL. PLEASE REMEMBER TO PRINT OUT
THE MAP - IT HAS OUR CHINESE ADDRESS AND
PHONE NUMBERS **

Please note: The Da Zha Lan Xi Jie market street has some road-construction right now, so please use the Yang Mei Zhu Xi Jie road - see map for more details)

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DIRECTIONS FROM THE BEIJING

INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT:
1) Book a taxi pick-up from us. We can pick you up at the airport for 240rmb per car (fits up to 3 passengers) (from 10pm to 7am, there will be an extra 50rmb charge). If you are interested, please provide ALL of the following details: arrival date, arrival time, flight number, airline, departure city. Please book your pick-up at least 48 hours in advance. If your flight arrives within 48 hours, please phone the hostel to give us your details.

or

2) Take the shuttle bus to the Beijing city
center (the journey takes over 1 hour). There are different shuttle buses but it is best to take the bus to the main Beijing train station (16rmb). The bus stops about 200 meters west of the Beijing station. When you get off the bus continue walking straight (in the direction of the bus) to arrive at Beijing station. For directions from the station, please read below.

3) Take the new shuttle train from Terminal 2 or 3 to Dongzhimen subway station (25rmb).
Then change to subway line 2 and take the
subway to Qianmen and leave by Exit C, then follow the map.

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DIRECTIONS FROM THE MAIN BEIJING TRAIN
STATION: (trains arriving from Shanghai,
Mongolia, Russia etc…)

1) Take the bus. Leave the station by the north exit, walk right (east) about 500 meters to the bus park and take bus 20 or 59 to Da Zha Lan (1rmb). The Da zha Lan stop is around the 5th stop (wait for the bus to completely pass Tiananmen Square and then get off at the next stop). When you get off the bus, walk north (in the opposite direction to the bus) and take the second left on to Yang Mei Zhu Xie Jie and follow the map to the Guesthouse. Please remember to print out our map, or even make a hand-copy!

or

2) Take the subway. The subway is outside of
the train station, 500 meters to the left (west). Take the subway to the Qianmen subway station - 3rmb. Leave the subway by Exit C and head towards Meishi Jie Road (you can see the 'GUANQI HOTEL' on the corner). Walk south on Meishi Jie Road about 500 and turn right on to Yang Mei Zhu Xie Jie and follow the map to the Guesthouse. Please remember to print out our map, or even make a hand-copy!


or

3) Take a taxi to the hostel - around 25rmb.
(ask the driver to phone us for directions)

ATM money machine: 100 meters left of the
station north exit.

Bank of Beijing: over the footbridge outside the station north exit

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DIRECTIONS FROM THE BEIJING WEST TRAIN
STATION:
(trains arriving from Xi’An, Chengdu, Pingyao, Datong, Hong Kong etc…)

1) Leave by the North exit & take bus 67 from in front of the station (opposite a KFC). You need to get on at the front of the bus and put 1rmb in the drivers box. The bus ends at Qianmen (next to a KFC!). When you get off the bus, continue walking East for about 200 meters (in the same direction as the bus). Follow the road round to the right and look for Meishi Jie Road (you can see the 'GUANQI HOTEL' on the corner). Walk south on Meishi Jie Road about 500 meters and turn right on to Yang Mei Zhu Xie Jie and follow the map to the Guesthouse. Please remember to print out our map, or even make a hand-copy!

or

2) Leave by the North exit, walk 10 minutes
North to the Military Museum (Junshi Bowuguan) subway station. Take the subway
to the Fuxingmen station and then change to
subway line 2 and take the subway to the
Qianmen station - 3rmb. (see above for
directions from Qianmen subway station)

or

3) Take a taxi to the hostel - around 25rmb (ask the driver to phone us for directions)

Bank & ATM money machine: leave the station
and walk to the right (east)

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DIRECTIONS FROM THE BEIJING SOUTH TRAIN
STATION (trains arriving from Tianjin etc)

This is a new station so there are not any good bus/subway connections to the Guesthouse yet. Please take a taxi (costs around 20rmb) and ask the driver to phone us for directions.

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PLEASE NOTE: If you have any problems or get
lost, please phone us - many small newspaper
shops have a phone you can use. Taxi drivers
do not always know the best way to reach the
hostel, so it is best to ask them to phone us, or you can get out at Tiananmen Square and follow the map yourself.

Facilities

Restaurant, Internet Access, Airport Pick Up, Bicycle Hire, Linen Included, Bar, Towels, Luggage Storage, Telephone/Fax Facilities, 24 hour reception, Travel Desk/Travel Info, Bureau de Change, Common Room, Breakfast Not Included, WiFi in lobby, Web access in lobby, WiFi in room, Air Conditioning, Breakfast