Imperial palace of 24 Ming and Qing emperors and the world's largest preserved wooden palace complex.
At a glance
- What it is
- Heritage Site
- Also known as
- 故宫 (Gù Gōng)
- Opening hours
- 8:30 AM – 5 PM
- Time needed
- 3-4 hours
- Best time to visit
- Tue-Sun, 8:30 entry to beat tour groups
- Getting there
- Metro to the door
- English
- English tours available
- Cards accepted
- Cash only
- Entry
- Passport booking required
- Wi-Fi
- Free Wi-Fi
- Address
- 4 Jingshan Front St, Dongcheng District, Beijing · 东城区景山前街4号
See Forbidden Citytickets & tours
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The Forbidden City was the imperial palace from 1420 to 1912, home to 24 emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties. With over 980 surviving buildings across 72 hectares, it's the world's largest preserved wooden architectural complex and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Now operated as the Palace Museum, it houses one of the most important collections of Chinese imperial art. The site is enormous — most visitors walk the central north–south axis (Meridian Gate → Hall of Supreme Harmony → Hall of Central Harmony → Hall of Preserving Harmony → Inner Court → Imperial Garden), which takes about three hours. The west wing has the famous Treasure Gallery (separate 10 RMB ticket) and the east wing the Clocks Gallery. Buy tickets online up to 7 days in advance via the official Palace Museum WeChat mini-program — same-day onsite tickets sell out fast. Closed Mondays except statutory holidays. Bring your physical passport for ID verification at the gate; photocopies are refused.
Highlights
- Meridian Gate (午门)Main southern entrance; arrive at 8:30 to beat queues
- Hall of Supreme Harmony (太和殿)Largest wooden hall in China; emperor's throne room
- Imperial Garden (御花园)Northern garden with ancient cypresses and Qianlong-era pavilions
- Treasure Gallery (珍宝馆)Imperial jewelry and ceremonial objects; 10 RMB extra ticket
- Passport Required (需要护照)Physical ID checked at gate — photocopies are refused
What Chinese travelers actually do here
Distilled from Chinese-language travel notes — the practical tips most English guides miss.
- ▸Tickets are RELEASED 7 days in advance at 8 PM Beijing time on the official Palace Museum website (https://gugong.ktmtech.cn). Daily cap is 80,000; in peak season slots disappear in 4 minutes. Trip.com adds a markup but the booking system is identical — book direct.
- ▸Walk through the Forbidden City from south (Meridian Gate, 午门) to north (Shenwu Gate, 神武门), NOT the reverse. The southern axis is the official ceremonial sequence; entering from the north makes everything feel backwards. You can't re-enter once you've exited the north gate.
- ▸The Treasure Gallery (珍宝馆) at the northeast corner and the Clock Gallery (钟表馆) are skipped by 70% of foreigners — they're the actual ARTIFACT highlights. ¥10 extra ticket each, sold separately at small kiosks. The main throne halls are mostly empty rooms; the Treasure Gallery has the jewelry, ceremonial weapons, and gold-leaf gilded objects you imagined the Forbidden City would have.
- ▸Best photo of the Hall of Supreme Harmony is NOT from the front courtyard (where every tour group stands). Walk to the elevated terrace on the east side and shoot diagonally — you get the dragon-paved imperial path, the bronze cranes, AND the hall in one frame.
- ▸Jingshan Park (景山公园) directly north across the moat is ¥2 entry and has the ONLY elevated view of the Forbidden City rooftops. Climb the hill (5 minutes) and time it for golden hour around 5 PM. This is the photo angle no one inside the museum can get.
- ▸The Forbidden City is closed on Mondays — period. No exceptions. Many tourists assume 'closed' means partial closure; the entire complex is sealed off. Plan around it.
- ▸Skip the official audio guide rental (¥40) — the WeChat-based 'Forbidden City Map' (故宫博物院 official mini-program) is free, has multi-language narration including English, and shows your real-time location on the map. Connect to free Wi-Fi at the gate before going in.
- ▸Best lunch is OUTSIDE the museum complex — cross to Wangfujing or the food street behind Jingshan. Inside the Forbidden City the only food is a ¥80 mediocre cafeteria at the eastern axis. Most experienced visitors do 2 hours, exit, eat properly, then return on the same ticket (re-entry isn't allowed — plan to skip lunch instead).
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Frequently asked questions about Forbidden City
- How long does it take to visit the Forbidden City?
- Plan a minimum of 3 hours for the central north-south axis (Meridian Gate → Three Great Halls → Imperial Garden → Shenwu Gate). Add 1-2 hours for the Treasure Gallery and Clock Gallery on the east wings, plus 30-45 minutes for the western imperial residences. A complete unhurried visit takes 5-6 hours. Doors close to new entrants at 16:00 and the complex fully empties by 17:00.
- Is the Forbidden City open every day?
- No — the Forbidden City is closed every Monday year-round with no exceptions (the entire complex shuts for cleaning and preservation). It also closes on Chinese New Year's Eve. All other public holidays it stays open, but those are also the most crowded days. Plan a Tuesday-through-Sunday visit, ideally a weekday morning, to avoid the heaviest domestic tour-group flow.
- Do I need a passport to buy tickets?
- Yes — the Forbidden City uses real-name ticketing tied to passport ID for international visitors. Book online up to seven days in advance via the official Palace Museum site or the WeChat mini-program 故宫博物院. You must bring the original passport used at booking. Walk-up tickets at Donghuamen (the East Gate) were discontinued in 2024; advance booking is now mandatory for everyone.
- What if tickets are sold out for my date?
- Daily ticket caps sell out fast in spring and autumn — the 40,000-ticket release at 20:00 Beijing time often clears within 30 minutes. Options if sold out: book a guided tour through Trip.com or a local agency (separate inventory), pivot to Jingshan Park across the moat for the elevated rooftop view (¥2 entry), or shift your visit to a less-peak weekday after consulting the rolling 7-day window.
- Can you take photos inside the Forbidden City?
- Outdoor photography is allowed everywhere with no fee, including the famous Hall of Supreme Harmony courtyard. Inside the main halls themselves, photography of throne objects and inner-chamber furnishings is restricted to protect the artifacts — signs and guards enforce this strictly. The Treasure Gallery and Clock Gallery in the east wing allow indoor photography of most exhibits. Tripods and selfie sticks are technically banned but enforcement is loose.
- Is the Forbidden City wheelchair accessible?
- Partially — the central north-south axis (Meridian Gate to Shenwu Gate) is mostly step-free with ramps at major elevation changes between halls. Wheelchair rentals are available free of charge at the Meridian Gate visitor center against a refundable deposit. The east-wing Treasure Gallery and Imperial Garden have a few raised thresholds that need lifting. Pace yourself — the complex measures roughly 1.5 km north-to-south.
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