The Forbidden City Ticket
- Orders require manual reconfirmation after successful submission, as official ticket sales are only open for bookings within 7 days. Bookings for 8 days or more are pre-sales and require waiting for tickets to be issued.
- Due to rapid changes in Forbidden City ticket availability, if the selected date is fully booked after the official system issues tickets, your order will be canceled and refunded.
- The Beijing Forbidden City is one of the largest and best-preserved ancient wooden architectural complexes in the world. Visit the classic imperial courtyards to experience the magnificent beauty of the Forbidden City.
- Click to book Beijing Universal Resort tickets for double the fun!
- In Beijing, don’t miss visiting Mutianyu Great Wall, Summer Palace, Prince Gong’s Mansion, and Temple of Heaven.
- The Forbidden City is a palace where ancient national ceremonies were held and where emperors and empresses lived.
- The Forbidden City houses a large number of precious cultural relics, accounting for one-sixth of the total cultural relics in China.
What to expect
The Forbidden City in Beijing is the imperial palace of 24 emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties in China, and it is also the best place to learn about ancient Chinese architecture and historical culture. Here, one can understand China's long cultural traditions. As the largest and most complete ancient architectural complex existing in the world, its planar layout, three-dimensional effect, and formal grandeur can be said to be rare in ancient times, and it has therefore been listed as a "World Cultural Heritage" by UNESCO. Some palaces in the Forbidden City also house comprehensive historical art museums, painting galleries, categorized ceramic museums, museums of the Four Treasures of the Study, and exhibitions of Qing Dynasty court artifacts, collecting a large number of ancient art treasures. Furthermore, the daily clock demonstrations at the Clock Museum are not to be missed.










Good to know
Warm Reminder:
- 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM daily is the busiest period for visiting the Forbidden City. It is recommended to plan ahead and avoid these times for the best viewing experience.
- There are many exhibitions. It is recommended to check the current exhibitions on the official website (https://www.dpm.org.cn/shows.html) before visiting.
- Visiting Route: The Forbidden City must be visited from south to north. Meridian Gate is the only entrance, and the exits are Shenwu Gate and Donghua Gate.
- Free Luggage Storage: The Forbidden City provides free luggage storage service. Stored bags are transferred between Meridian Gate and Shenwu Gate (meaning you can store your bag at the Meridian Gate entrance and pick it up at the Shenwu Gate exit). Storage service hours are 8:30-18:00.
- This activity is suitable for strollers and wheelchairs.
- Lockers are available inside the venue.
Location

Contact us
Reviews
This guided tour of the Forbidden City in Beijing was truly impressive, and I'm still thinking about it! Teacher Zhang's knowledge is vast, and his explanations were not only rich in professional content but also lively. His clear and organized way of explaining the history, architectural features, artifacts, and cultural background of the Forbidden City made the static ancient sites and relics come alive. The tour's pace was smooth, and the content was wonderfully rich, not only enhancing our knowledge but also keeping us thoroughly engaged. It allowed us to deeply appreciate the historical depth of Chinese culture and better understand the cultural value of the Forbidden City. We are grateful for the teacher's dedicated and professional sharing, which made this trip to the Forbidden City incredibly rewarding and beneficial. It was truly a wonderful feast of knowledge and culture. “The teacher not only imparted knowledge but also guided us to appreciate the Forbidden City from different perspectives, making the entire visit inspiring and moving.” This truly deserves a five-star review!
The guided tour experience at the Forbidden City was excellent. Our guide, Mr. Guo, was very professional and knowledgeable about the Forbidden City and the history of the Ming and Qing dynasties. Along the way, he shared many interesting historical facts and anecdotes, going beyond just showing us the sights. After the tour, I had a much deeper understanding of the Forbidden City and its history. The pacing of the tour was also very well-arranged. Mr. Guo made sure to allocate time for photos at scenic spots, so we never felt rushed. When there were elderly people or children in the group, he would proactively slow down and wait for everyone to catch up, making the entire experience very comfortable. During the summer, the Forbidden City is incredibly crowded, so purchasing tickets in advance on Klook provided peace of mind and prevented us from potentially not getting tickets on site. Overall, it was a highly worthwhile guided tour experience, and I highly recommend it!
Our trip to the Forbidden City was perfect, thanks to Teacher Xinyi. The ticketing process was smooth and efficient, saving us the hassle of waiting in line. Her explanations were brilliant and insightful, delving deep into the historical details behind the Forbidden City, making the content rich and engaging. The itinerary was well-planned, allowing ample time to explore each attraction at a leisurely pace without feeling rushed. Our child was completely captivated, thoroughly enjoying the historical anecdotes and even asking questions. Teacher Xinyi patiently answered all our questions, making this tour especially suitable for families with children. We truly recommend her!
Teacher Xinyi's explanation of the Forbidden City was truly professional! The historical context was clear, the cultural interpretations were spot-on, and her grasp of details was particularly impressive. Many easily overlooked aspects, such as the mythical creatures on the roof ridges, the furnishings in the palaces, and the meanings of the plaques, became incredibly significant after her explanation. Her presentation was lively and engaging, her voice was pleasant, and her logic was clear, making it easy to listen for extended periods without feeling tired. Both adults and children could easily follow along and gain valuable insights. Such high-quality commentary is rare and is absolutely the best complement to a visit to the Forbidden City!
The entrance process was smooth despite the long line, it actually move quite fast once they open the door to the Forbidden city. It was lovely, but quite a lot of walk even before reaching the entrance 😅
It’s really a very awesome and fantastic travel to the past, to read about the imperial history and understand the culture. We are glad that we bought the tickets earlier as you can’t get the tickets on the spot at all and there are many layers of checks before we can step into the palace.
I originally tried to book tickets myself on WeChat but couldn't. Although it took a bit longer for the platform to confirm the time, being able to book tickets and have a professional guide explain everything was truly worth the price. 👍🏻 However, the Forbidden City is really vast, and there was a 15-minute break arranged near a restaurant and restroom. Make sure to eat a good breakfast in the morning. The tour normally ends at 12 PM, but due to crowd and traffic control in the area, it takes some time just to walk back to the subway station. The entrance and exit are different, and the exit offers various shuttle buses to other scenic spots, which is quite thoughtful. Overall, I highly recommend this tour, especially with the guide's extensive knowledge, which allowed us to fully understand every architectural feature and the stories behind the Forbidden City. Compared to just casually looking around on your own, I definitely recommend touring with a guide, and the guide will even tell you the best spots for photos. 📷
Today was a beautiful, sunny day, with temperatures around 24 degrees Celsius. Despite the heat, my family and I followed tour guide Song Song through the Forbidden City's central axis, the Eastern Six Palaces, and the Western Six Palaces. The entire tour lasted three hours, and listening to Teacher Song Song's stories and historical anecdotes was fascinating. We even found one of the only three remaining inscribed bricks in the Forbidden City. The tour truly brought out the essence of the Forbidden City, and I gained so much knowledge, remembering historical facts I couldn't recall before. I completely forgot my fatigue and felt incredibly fulfilled. Trip.com also provided tickets to the Treasure Gallery, which was absolutely stunning.
Our tour started with beautiful weather and lots of people, but it went smoothly. We learned a lot about Chinese culture and how they lived back then.Our tour guide Peter was amazing and fun , love from Iceland
I highly recommend Teacher Xinyi! Five-star rating! This National Palace Museum tour experience was truly wonderful! The teacher's explanations were detailed and lively throughout, meticulously introducing each key artifact and interspersing many interesting palace anecdotes, making the entire visit far from boring. Thanks to the teacher's sharing, I also learned that many plots in historical dramas differ significantly from actual history, giving me a deeper understanding of the National Palace Museum and its history. The pacing of the explanation was excellent; it didn't feel rushed, nor did it overwhelm with too much information. Every key point was explained clearly and understandably, allowing us to truly immerse ourselves in the history and culture of the National Palace Museum. She is a very professional and exceptionally high-quality tour guide. After the tour, she also shared many photos of the National Palace Museum in different seasons, which made my husband and me even more excited to visit again in a different season. If I were to bring family or friends for a tour, I would definitely hope to have Teacher Xinyi again and would not hesitate to recommend her to everyone I know!
FAQs
What should I do if I cannot find the tour guide?
Since the tickets are currently sold out on the website, will any other tickets be released later?
Q: How to enter the Forbidden City?
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