One of the most distinctive things you can do in Pingyao is stay inside the old city in a restored courtyard house (siheyuan) with traditional heated brick beds (kang). The kang is a platform bed heated from below by a small fire or, in modern versions, by electric elements — practical in the cold Shanxi winters, and an entirely different sleeping experience from any hotel bed. In autumn and winter, sleeping on a properly heated kang, under a thick duvet, in a 200-year-old courtyard with the old city outside the door, is one of those genuinely atmospheric travel experiences.
Pingyao has dozens of small courtyard guesthouses inside the old walls, ranging from basic family operations to carefully restored heritage hotels. The quality varies; read reviews, and book a place that's actually inside the walls rather than in a hotel outside the main gate. The better ones have individually decorated rooms with original architectural elements — carved wooden doors, latticed windows, stone courtyard pavements.
Booking ahead is essential during Golden Week (October 1-7) and the high season (July-August). At other times, room rates are very reasonable by international standards.