Forbidden City-The Palace Museum
Forbidden City-The Palace Museum
4.5
8:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Tuesday
8:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Wednesday
8:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Thursday
8:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Friday
8:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Saturday
8:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Sunday
8:30 AM - 4:30 PM
About
Consisting of more than 9,000 rooms and spread over 250 acres, this huge palace complex was built in the 15th century and later extensively renovated and restored during the Qing Dynasty in the 18th century
Duration: 2-3 hours
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- Paradise456262745397 contributionsChina history the Forbidden CityThe Forbidden City was beautiful and we felt goosebumps when we walked into the area. It's huge and full of history and mystery and can feel it as soon as you lay eyes on it. We were privileged and so grateful we made it here. Just superb and gorgeous 😍Visited September 2023Travelled with familyWritten 14 October 2023
- fateUnited Kingdom8 contributionsA historical vastness!Visiting the Forbidden City in Beijing is like taking a trip back in time. The vastness of the palace is simply overwhelming - it's like walking through a hallowed, palatial and historical wonderland. It's so vast, it can take days to explore all the buildings, gardens and courtyards.Visited October 2023Travelled as a coupleWritten 12 November 2023
- ClaireLouiseDerbyshire, United Kingdom342 contributionsA massive and beautiful place.A massive and beautiful place. 100% recommend. We arrived via metro (not on a guided tour). As foreigners you need to show your passports at many places. First as we got off the metro. Info for gaining tickets. Previously you needed to email Emailbookingticket@dpm.org.cn to reserve only tickets ensuring you include full name, Passport number,nationality, date of visit and number of tickets needed. They would then reply back via email to confirm reservation which you take to the ticket booth when you arrive to actually buy your entrance ticket for 40CNy. Now, from an email I have received states you can visit website to reserve a ticket/s. When you pay for your ticket at the booth your passport is your ticket so when you go through just show your passport . The place is massive. It took about 4 hours to walk around (quickly), although could certainly take a whole day. We were glad to purchase tickets at the separate entrance tickets for the treasurey (10cny) and clocks (10 cny). Both were worth it. Overall the place is a massive beautiful place and I thoroughly enjoyed spending 4 hours wandering throughVisited November 2023Travelled as a coupleWritten 12 November 2023
- dyhx6,252 contributionsMust visit in BeijingAmazing architecture with a rich history, from the 九钉门 (how only the royal doors will have 9 rows and 9 columns of 'nails') to the different functions of the various 宫殿 (太和殿,中和殿,保和殿,三宫六院) containing a total of 8,707 rooms, covering 150,000 sqm out of the 720,000 sqm premises. We entered through the middle door at 午门, which usually is used only by the Emperor, even the Empress can only enter through here once (on their wedding day, which are not many because usually most are already married before the Prince becomes Emperor). The top 3 scholars (科举的状元, 榜眼,探花) are also exceptions that are allowed to enter through the main door, once in their life when they make it to top 3 of the imperial exams. I enjoyed the place, it's breathtaking, despite the hazy weather, you can still the beauty of the architecture, the pure presence of the size (imagine how much they had to walk in the past and how they navigated this huge red-walled maze without Maps). The Emperor's throne was alttle underwhelming though, I had expected it to be bigger and more glamourous. Ended the day exiting through 神武门 after 2 hrs of walking in it.Visited October 2023Travelled with friendsWritten 13 November 2023
- Malcolm GreenhillSt Leonards-on-Sea, United Kingdom147 contributionsAn absolute must if you’re in BeijingSpectacular! I was on a solo business trip so I hired an English speaking guide who explained every aspect of the place so well. Unusually for China there are no street hawkers around every corner trying to rip you off. The buildings and their contents are so well preserved and presented that it’s obvious the Chinese revere their history. There is a quality gift shop where skilled calligraphers will paint your words onto wall scrolls and glass or porcelain items. I had my wife’s name inscribed onto the inside of a tiny perfume bottle. The is also a Chinese tea shop where you can sample teas free of charge, but beware, if you want to purchase teas they can be incredibly expensive. I was almost suckered into paying £300 for some Ginseng Oolong. I bought the smallest pack and still consider I was ripped off at £30!Visited January 2023Travelled soloWritten 22 December 2023
- mic_leowSingapore, Singapore619 contributionsIcon of BeijingAn absolute stop when in Beijing. The whole place is massive. Post covid, they now restricted the number of people entering the palace. So do pre-book your tickets before hand before heading down. It seems very popular and highly recommended to plan in advance to avoid disappointment.Visited December 2023Travelled with familyWritten 26 December 2023
- Lois DQuezon City, Philippines7 contributionsSeeing Forbidden City and Knowing the Stories Behind ItIf you ever find yourself in Forbidden City without a tour, chances are you will only walk blindly and treat it as a photo spot. Take it from me: you will only appreciate the beauty of Forbidden City if you will know the stories behind it. So I highly recommend that you book a tour with Mubus. Our tour guide is Michael and he is 100% VERY INFORMATIVE. We were the only ones in the tour so it felt like a private tour! During the 4-hour tour with him, I acquired a lot of information about ancient Chinese dynasties and emperors. The tour was really interesting because there is really so much that you will learn. Michael is engaging, even holding recitations with us in the middle of the snow. He is really passionate when it comes to ancient Chinese culture. Ultimately, you will feel that Forbidden City is so much more than a tourist destination in Beijing.Visited December 2023Travelled with familyWritten 2 January 2024
- CLO2509Melbourne, Australia188 contributionsTop attraction in BeijingMy 2nd visit to the palace. This time I got a tour guide to tell the history and it was definitely worth it. The map attached showed only where the emperor, empress and the concubines lived. It was pretty crowded. There is a restaurant within the palace with limited choices and it is pricey obviously. Don't forget to buy the ticket early. Don't think you can get the ticket the same day you visit.Visited January 2024Travelled with familyWritten 12 January 2024
- Fadilah FapusAbuja, Nigeria381 contributionsA BEAUTIFUL PIECE OF HISTORYChina, especially Beijing, is always a treasure trove to explore. The forbidden city was everything i have hoped it would be and more. The rich culture of china was in full display. This is another must visit site. Although there is an admission fee, which is truly valued for money, if you ask me. Some of the actual palaces were closed, but i got to see a whole lot moreVisited April 2023Travelled with friendsWritten 15 January 2024
- Jeffry bEssendon, Australia13,595 contributionsPalace is well worth a visitThe Forbidden City is related to the Palace Museum in Beijing. The building of the Forbidden City in the Ming Dynasty. It was part of the rule of China's Emperor. These days, it has been renovated, the Palace Museum well worth a visit. It's in the center of Beijing. The main colors are red and gold.Visited November 2023Travelled as a coupleWritten 23 February 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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Ray S
New York, United States203 contributions
Dec 2019
No visit to Beijing is complete without a visit to The Palace Museum and the adjacent Tiananmen Square. ID or Passport is required to access the Square and Museum. Tickets can be purchased by phone or at the ticket counters just outside the main gate.
Written 3 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Daniel C
Middlesbrough, UK162 contributions
Jul 2019
To get here you'll need to visit Tian An Men square first so you'll have to bring your passport to get in because they'll check it. After exploring the square which deserves a review of it's own, you can then take a tunnel underneath the road and arrive at the entrance of the palace; you'll recognise the image of Mao above the entrance. Once inside you're not in the full palace, you will still need to buy tickets later on and if it's summer then it will get very hot so you'll need some money not just to get in but also to get some drinks/ ice cream. If you're interested in Chinese history you'll be amazed by the doors, walls and even roofs of the palace since all of it is like a work of art. The palace stretches on and on and you can explore the main courtyards, the side tunnels and little buildings which have now become museums and shops. You'll see the vibrant colour and design of classic China and can learn some of the history behind the emperors who lived and ruled there; you'll even find the throne that they sat on, a golden chair with dragons resting on top.
Written 14 June 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Isaac L
Indiana101 contributions
Dec 2019 • Solo
A vast area to cover; even tour guides encourage you to stay longer and see more. Off-season (I was there on Dec 27) is a good time to do it. I see some reviewers were disappointed—I’d encourage folks to read up beforehand, and watch the film The Last Emperor. You’ll get more out of it if you have a sense of who ruled here. Please plan ahead on food... the great majority of visitors remain Chinese domestic tourists, and they are not inclined to support stalls that sell snacks and drinks, let alone the sort of museum cafes or restaurants that are standard in the West. You’ll need some fuel for all this walking, but amazingly there is almost nothing to buy here (aside from the many shops selling expensive museum reproductions). Be sure to save some energy at the end for climbing up to the grand view of the whole Forbidden City from the park across the street on the north side (small extra admission fee), it’s cinematic and so worth the effort!
Written 12 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Pratik Kumar
Hyderabad District, India29 contributions
Dec 2019
First of all, you have to buy tickets online. You can buy combo tickets which include the tickets for the museum inside the palace. If you have not bought tickets online and go there, you can buy the tickets in the right hand side office. Your "Passport" is the ticket. You don't need anything else. Chinese people can buy tickets via WeChat.
You can take a tour guide or any self service guide which is available in multiple languages. The place is massive. It's like a small city. And prepare to walk a lot. Without a guide you won't be able to know much of it. A must visit for anyone who is interested in world history.
You can take a tour guide or any self service guide which is available in multiple languages. The place is massive. It's like a small city. And prepare to walk a lot. Without a guide you won't be able to know much of it. A must visit for anyone who is interested in world history.
Written 27 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
BettyG
73 contributions
Sept 2020 • Couples
We were planning to spend whole day in the Forbidden city. But when we got there, they told us they don’t have any free tickets, all were sold out. They have limitation of 8000 visitors per day, one would say it is enough... obviously not. They told us we need to go to one website to make a reservation but the web was not working - only some chinese words appeared. Later on one english-speaking lady told us the tickets are sold out for next 14 days.
Written 25 September 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
S.J
Stockholm, Sweden179 contributions
May 2019 • Couples
We went just 1 hour after opening and it was really packed with people. We had a tour guide and it was very interesting to listen to all the great history. It's a place u have to visit when u are in Beijing but if possible choose a day when it's not to much people. We where literally walking in top of each other.
Its huge and it took us around 2.5 hour to finish.
Its huge and it took us around 2.5 hour to finish.
Written 4 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Snoopy
Fort Lauderdale, FL4 contributions
Sept 2019 • Friends
I traveled to Beijing in September, 2019, with a group of friends. I was responsible for arranging local tours in Beijing. I booked a skip the line tour of tge Forbidden City-The Palace Museums and Tianamen Square through Trip Advisor. It was well worth it! The Palace complex and Tianamen square are vast and filled with Chinese history. You would miss out on interesting historical abd factual information if you did not take the tour!
We booked a private tour. Our tour guide Jackie, met us at out hotel early in morning on the day of our tour. Because our hotel, The New World Beijing Hotel, is close to Tianamen Square and The Forbidden City, It took us 15 minutes to arrive at the square by tour van.
The square was vast and on the day we were there preparations were under way to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party. It was interesting to see the construction of the viewing stands giant TV screens and banners for the massive parade scheduled for Later in the week!
The Forbidden City us also vast, with dozens of beautifully painted ancient palaces and adminstrative buildings, steeped in Chinese history and intrigue! Our tour guide Jackie was most informative, personable and professional and took great pains to provide us with a memorable experience of this amazing historical site! I highly recommend this tour!
We booked a private tour. Our tour guide Jackie, met us at out hotel early in morning on the day of our tour. Because our hotel, The New World Beijing Hotel, is close to Tianamen Square and The Forbidden City, It took us 15 minutes to arrive at the square by tour van.
The square was vast and on the day we were there preparations were under way to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party. It was interesting to see the construction of the viewing stands giant TV screens and banners for the massive parade scheduled for Later in the week!
The Forbidden City us also vast, with dozens of beautifully painted ancient palaces and adminstrative buildings, steeped in Chinese history and intrigue! Our tour guide Jackie was most informative, personable and professional and took great pains to provide us with a memorable experience of this amazing historical site! I highly recommend this tour!
Written 12 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tanzer856
6 contributions
Aug 2019
We were approached by a chinese man who said he was selling art. After he took us to his studio what actually was a room with paintings. He was really pushy and in the end we were paying 800 rmb for a paining that was going to be worth a lot in future. as Master Fu would be famous in a couple of years.
Written 14 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Zarza's Travels
Auckland, New Zealand1,000 contributions
Dec 2020 • Solo
Visites in December and it was incredibly cold, so wear LOADS of layers. Incredible buildings, similar in style but with unique intricate details. The view from the hill above is a must and well worth a climb!
Written 1 January 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Bennett A
Charleston, SC35 contributions
Jun 2021 • Family
The Forbidden City is an amazing place that you absolutely must visit, but currently if you do not book your tickets at least a week in advance you will not be permitted inside. They will let you pass through Tiananmen and through another gate, but at the location where you used to buy tickets they will usher you out if you did not prebook. Really stunk after wading through the mass of people for over an hour to be then turned away. You can book tickets (and pay) on the trip.com website or app, but it currently is over 8 days out, so we were not able to enter this time. Oh well. It is an amazing place, just not for spontaneous trips anymore.
Written 13 July 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Hi everyone.
As I know, We must buy forbidden city 's ticket before 8 days but I cannot book it at official website. It always show that ticket is sold old even I waited to 00:00 A.M for booking. Have any ways to book it easier even a little more expensive. Thank you so much for reading
Written 15 April 2024
The Forbidden City can usually be booked through a travel agent. It might be a bit more expensive but would allow convenient access.
Written 15 April 2024
Hieveryone.
As a foreigner, do I have to book before visiting the place?
And if I book on the official website, can I pay with a non-chinese credit card?
Thank you very much!
Written 4 March 2024
There is no need to book in advance, how long it takes to get in depends on the season.
Written 5 March 2024
Surapong T
Milan, Italy
Are there any restaurants in forbidden city? or can we re-enter after having lunch outside?
Written 29 February 2024
As I recall the only refreshments were in the Tea shop where you can sample the teas before buying, but beware, if you buy any tea. It’s incredibly expensive.
Written 1 March 2024
Due to the processing of my passport to renew my visa to continue my stay for international study has not been completed. Thus, is my student card can be valid?
Written 2 October 2023
Hi, just wondering if this is still close?
Written 1 March 2020
(2/28 1.40pm) Beijing Parks Begin Limiting Access: Though almost every park in Beijing remains open, some have started limiting the number of people entering each day. Chaoyang Park will limit tickets to 20,000 per day to control the park from getting too crowded, the Beijing Youth Daily reported. Meanwhile, tickets to the Summer Palace are no longer being sold on site and must be reserved one day in advance via their WeChat account (search "颐和园" in WeChat).
Written 1 March 2020
They said will be closed for public for nee year and I see reviews from 23-26th, how in world is that possible?
Can you please tell me when will be open again?
Written 2 February 2020
I was there the last day it was open. I would think that it will be announced when the quarentine is lifted.
Written 24 February 2020
It's all outdoors (there are a very small number of rooms you can go in). So we did not notice any restrictions (though it's just common courtesy to avoid using a flash).
Written 21 January 2020
We are after a tour guide for the Forbidden City. We have already bought tickets, just need someone that can explain the history of the place. Does anyone have any recommendations? P.S. We have Wechat so feel free to drop us their wechat or email ids
Written 8 October 2019
The history is available online as being world history. Great place to visit very well restored and maintained.
Written 2 November 2019
We will be there early November any advise?
Written 23 September 2019
Are you part of an organised tour? Difficult to get anywhere without an english speaking guide. It would be much more beneficial to have a guide that can answer your specific questions as the Forbidden City is massive. As for what to wear, obviously depending on the weather but there is a lot of open space with small, sometimes very crowded cover to shade yourselves. Most locals carry umbrellas.
Written 23 September 2019
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