Forbidden City (Palace Museum)
Ticket Booking & Visitor Guide

1. About the Forbidden City: what you need to know

The Forbidden City — also known as the Purple Forbidden City — was the imperial residence of 24 emperors across the Ming and Qing dynasties. Construction began in 1406 (the 4th year of the Yongle reign) and finished 14 years later in 1420 — exactly six centuries ago. In Chinese, "Zi" (purple) refers to Ziwei, the celestial pole star, symbolising the heaven-mandated emperor; "Jin" (forbidden) meant commoners stop here. Today its official name is the Palace Museum — a world-class museum open to everyone, with a collection of more than 1.86 million artefacts.

By the numbers: the complex covers 720,000 sqm with about 150,000 sqm of floor space and a famously rounded count of "9,999.5 rooms" (the actual surviving count is 8,728). It is the largest, most complete wooden palace complex in the world. UNESCO inscribed it as a World Heritage Site in 1987.

For visitors, this is not a "30-minute photo stop." If you want to walk the central axis plus the Clock Gallery and Treasure Gallery, allow 4 hours minimum — a slow full day is entirely justified. Below we cover everything in the order you'll actually use it: buy ticket → enter → choose a route → avoid the pitfalls.

2. Ticket Prices & How to Buy

Since 2011 the Forbidden City has required real-name online reservation for all visitors — there are no on-site ticket windows. Whether you are a mainland Chinese citizen or a Hong Kong/Macau/Taiwan/foreign visitor, you must reserve online in advance and enter using the original ID document used to book.

1. Price overview (2026 standard)

Ticket type	Peak (Apr–Oct)	Off-peak (Nov–Mar)	Notes
Adult basic admission	¥ 60	¥ 40	Includes central axis and Six Eastern/Western Palaces
Treasure Gallery (add-on)	¥ 10	¥ 10	Located in the Palace of Tranquil Longevity
Clock Gallery (add-on)	¥ 10	¥ 10	Located in the Hall of Ancestry Worship
Children (under 6 or under 1.2 m)	Free	Free	Adult must accompany; reservation still required
Student / 60+	¥ 20–30	¥ 20	Valid student ID / national ID required

Booking through Klook or a similar platform usually includes a digital audio guide, refund/change protection, and 24/7 customer service. For overseas visitors travelling on a passport — or anyone unfamiliar with the official Chinese reservation system — this is by far the easiest route.

2. Where should I book?

• Palace Museum official site / WeChat: face value, but requires a mainland Chinese mobile number and real-name verification. Tickets release for 7 days out at 20:00 daily and sell out in seconds during peak season.
• Klook and other third-party platforms: book with a passport or travel permit, get an instant e-voucher, optional audio guide, optional combo passes, with some packages bundling Tian'anmen Square or Qianmen pickup.

Wherever you book, your name must match the ID exactly — otherwise you cannot enter at the gate, and refunds are not possible.

3. Opening Hours & Closures

• Peak season (Apr 1 – Oct 31): 8:30 – 17:00, last entry 16:10.
• Off-peak (Nov 1 – Mar 31): 8:30 – 16:30, last entry 15:40.
• Closed every Monday, except for public holidays and the July–August summer peak.
• Closed all day on Lunar New Year's Eve.

Tip: pick the morning slot (8:30–11:00) when booking. Afternoon entries feel rushed, and the Treasure Gallery starts clearing at 16:00.

4. Recommended Routes (half-day / full-day)

The Forbidden City has only one entry (the Meridian Gate, Wumen) and one exit (the Gate of Divine Prowess, Shenwumen) — no doubling back. Plan your route once, properly: anything you skip cannot be revisited the same day.

Route A: Classic Central Axis (≈ 3 hours)

1. Meridian Gate (security check) → the upper level usually hosts a major temporary exhibition.
2. Gate of Supreme Harmony → Hall of Supreme Harmony: the throne hall, where emperors were enthroned, married, and granted titles.
3. Hall of Central Harmony → Hall of Preserving Harmony: don't miss the giant carved dragon stone behind it — the largest single piece of stone in the complex.
4. Gate of Heavenly Purity → Palace of Heavenly Purity → Hall of Union → Palace of Earthly Tranquility: the emperor's and empress's three rear palaces.
5. Imperial Garden: the Pavilion of Imperial Peace, the rockery — beautiful for ginkgo photos in autumn.
6. Exit through the Gate of Divine Prowess; directly opposite is Jingshan Park — climbing the Wanchun Pavilion gives the best panoramic view of the Forbidden City. Strongly recommended.

Route B: Eastern Deep Dive (+ 1.5–2 hours)

After the Hall of Preserving Harmony, turn right into the Six Eastern Palaces and the Palace of Tranquil Longevity:

• Clock Gallery (Hall of Ancestry Worship): a stunning collection of British, Swiss and Cantonese mechanical clocks. Live winding demonstrations daily at 11:00 and 14:00.
• Treasure Gallery (Palace of Tranquil Longevity): gold-and-pearl regalia, the empress's phoenix crown, and Qianlong's "Gold Cup of Eternal Stability."
• Nine-Dragon Wall, Hall of Imperial Supremacy, Pavilion of Pleasant Sounds: the largest Qing-dynasty stage, three storeys tall, designed for "Heaven, Earth, Human" performances on three levels at once.

Route C: Western Highlights (+ 1 hour)

From the Hall of Preserving Harmony, turn left into the Palace of Compassion and Tranquillity area — the dowager residences built by Yongzheng and Qianlong for their mothers, now the Sculpture and Furniture galleries. Quiet, uncrowded, a peaceful counterpoint to the main axis.

5. Best Time to Visit

Beijing has four distinct seasons, and the Forbidden City changes character with each:

• Spring (Mar–May): crab-apple blossoms in the Imperial Garden, 10–22 °C — the most pleasant season, and the most crowded.
• Summer (Jun–Aug): often above 35 °C, plus school-holiday crowds. Take the 8:30 first wave and clear the central axis before 11:00.
• Autumn (Sep–Nov): clear skies, with the late-October to early-November ginkgo and red leaves at peak — the two weeks photographers wait all year for.
• Winter (Dec–Feb): fewest crowds, lowest prices, and red walls under snow are spectacular. Beijing usually gets 2–3 snowfalls a year — watch the forecast and book ahead.

6. How to Get There

Subway

• Line 1, Tian'anmen East, Exit A: walk along the north side of Tian'anmen Square through the Upright Gate to the Meridian Gate (~15 min).
• Line 1, Tian'anmen West, Exit B: also walks to the Meridian Gate.
• After exiting via the Gate of Divine Prowess, the closest stations are Line 8 Nanluoguxiang (~1.2 km) or Line 5 Dongsi.

Taxi / ride-hailing

Note: private vehicles cannot stop along Chang'an Avenue near Tian'anmen. Drop pin at "Beichizi Street South Entrance" or "Nanheyan Street," then walk to the Meridian Gate.

7. Insider Tips & Pitfalls to Avoid

1. Don't sprint to the Hall of Supreme Harmony as soon as you enter. Take the temporary exhibition on top of the Meridian Gate first, then walk down the axis — the experience is completely different.
2. Bring water. There are only two convenience stores inside, and the queue at each runs 10+ minutes.
3. No selfie sticks or tripods. Security will ask you to leave them at storage.
4. Ignore unofficial "guides" at the gate. Use the official app's audio guide, or buy a Klook ticket with the audio guide included.
5. Plan toilet stops. The closest are near the Palace of Heavenly Purity and the Palace of Tranquil Longevity; the Three Great Halls area has almost none.
6. When you spot a quiet stretch of red wall, shoot it immediately. The west alley of the Palace of Compassion and the East Tongzi Lane are the best photo spots — emptiest after 14:00 on weekdays.

8. FAQ

9. Combine With Other Activities

Once you've finished the Forbidden City, these nearby spots are easy add-ons for the same day or the next:

• Jingshan Park: directly opposite the Gate of Divine Prowess. ¥30 to climb the hill — the only high vantage over the Forbidden City.
• Beihai Park: west of Jingshan. Row a boat past the White Pagoda — a classic Beijing summer afternoon.
• Nanluoguxiang + Shichahai: 15-minute walk. Old Beijing hutong meets bar street.
• Tian'anmen Square: south of the Meridian Gate. Note it now requires a separate reservation and security check — don't leave it to the end.

10. Why Book Through Us

tickets.bj.cn is an independent travel information portal — we don't sell tickets directly. We work with the global travel-tech leader Klook, who handles all transactions, customer service, and refunds. That means you get:

• Skip-the-line instant confirmation, scan-and-enter;
• Multi-currency checkout and best-price guarantee;
• 24/7 customer support;
• Free cancellation up to 24 hours before for most items.

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