Visiting the Forbidden City: All the logistics for this must-see sight

This post may contain affiliate links, which means I earn a small commission — at no extra cost to you — if you make a booking or purchase through them. I only recommend services and products that I personally use, trust, or believe will benefit you. Thank you!

The Forbidden City is of course the biggest and most famous attraction in Beijing. But how does it work? While in general visiting Beijing is much easier than most tourists expect, the popular Palace Museum does require some pre-planning. Hopefully, this post will help you to avoid any mistakes that might impact your visit.

During my three week stay in China the Forbidden City was one of the top destinations on my list as well. Read on to find out what I learned (and get my top tips for a great visit). This post will mainly concentrate on the logistics and practical aspects of a visit. While I will mention some specific sights, this post is not focused on the history or facts about the palace.

What to expect

The Forbidden City is of course the site of the old palace complex which has housed emperors of China for over 500 years until 1924. It has now been renamed the Palace Museum (you will see that name used interchangeably with Forbidden City) and is the most important tourist attraction in Beijing.

Located in the center of Beijing, it covers 72 ha and consists of numerous palace buildings, squares, courtyards, and hallways. In addition to the palace structures, the Palace Museum also has a collection of over 1.8 million paintings, writings, ornaments, and other artwork.

Getting a Ticket for the Forbidden City

Ticket Purchase

This is the most crucial part of your visit. While you may be able to get an entrance ticket after getting to Beijing (or even on the day), chances are good you won’t as admittance is strictly limited. It is highly recommended to buy your tickets ahead of time.

Your main options are:

a) Buy your ticket via regular Chinese channels (e.g. WeChat). I did not try this as it sounded quite challenging (I still haven’t managed to get my WeChat account verified). I would recommend this option if you speak/read Mandarin, are familiar with China, or have someone to help you with it.

b) Prebuy your ticket via an online portal
I bought my ticket on Trip.com for USD 15.20 and would recommend you do the same. While there may be a small upcharge, the tickets are still inexpensive enough to fit in any budget. The online purchase is very easy/fool-proof. It is best to order your ticket at least one or two weeks ahead of time. Tickets are released for sale one week before the date, but can be pre-booked on Trip.com. The app will show them as pending confirmation but hopefully you will get an email about a week before your visit with the confirmation.

c) Join a group tour
On a group tour (I would book this one) the tickets are generally included and you won’t have to worry about them at all. A group tour is of course your best option if you were too late to get your own ticket (say you are already in Beijing and only now realize they are sold out). However, I think a group tour also makes sense in other cases as you will see below.

The Treasure Gallery is a highlight so I recommend getting the combo ticket

When to visit

The Palace Museum is open Tuesday to Sunday (closed Monday) from 8:30 am to 5 pm. Admission time for the morning session is 8:30 am to 12 pm and from 11 am to 3:30 pm for the afternoon session. You can stay as long as you want to (prior to the closing time of 5 pm).

As the number of tickets is strictly limited and the museum is usually sold out, the crowds should not vary too much within the Forbidden City from day to day. However, if you either come early or stay until the end your chances for photos without lots of tourists will be better.

Ticket Choice for Palace Museum

If you opt for prebuying your ticket (no tour), I strongly recommend getting the combo ticket that includes entrance to the watch hall and the treasure hall in addition to general entrance. In my opinion the treasure hall is the best part of the Forbidden City and a must-see so don’t miss out. They were selling separate add-on tickets on the day inside the Palace Museum when I was there but they might get sold out. Why chance missing out?

Don’t get confused: While in general finding your way within the Palace Museum is easy with plenty of bilingual signs, the translations can vary. The Treasure Gallery is also called Treasure Hall and there are various different names for the Clock Gallery, like Clock Museum, Clock Hall, and Gallery of Timepieces!

When buying your ticket you can choose between the morning or afternoon class. In general, I would recommend going in the morning as it will be cooler (if you are there in the summer) but in the end pick what fits best in your itinerary.

All the tickets are real-name tickets. This means you have to provide your passport number when you book and the reservation is tied to your actual passport. Your passport is your ticket. You will not receive a separate ticket and without your passport won’t be able to enter!

Getting to the Entrance of the Forbidden City

The Forbidden City looks impressive even from outside

Finding the Palace Museum

My hotel, Youfang Hotel, was very close so I just walked. Your exact route to the Forbidden City will depend on where you are coming from so your best bet is to check on AMap. In general, the metro stations Tian’anmen West or Tian’anmen East are recommended. Public transit in Beijing is easy and affordable so you should not have any problems (check out my post for more info on how to find your way in Beijing).

Getting from the Metro to the palace entrance

I was a bit stressed about getting to the Palace Museum as I did not manage to make reservations for Tian’anmen Square. Information on whether you can cross the Square to get to the Forbidden City was a bit sparse. I did read that there were other ways to get to the entrance so decided to just chance it: Walk towards the entrance area and see what would happen.

As it turns out finding the “side entrance” is easy. So I did not get to Tian’anmen Square and can’t tell you if I would have been able to cross in order to get to the palace entrance. But I can tell you that there is no need to worry about getting in without an access ticket for the square.

As you get close to the Forbidden City you have to pass passport and security checks

If you walk towards a corner of the Palace Museum area (in my case it was the Southeastern corner) you get to a security checkpoint. Here they looked at my passport (no scanning, just a quick visual inspection) and did a short bag check.

At this point they did not check the ticket yet. So if you don’t have tickets and just want to have a quick look at the palace from up close you should not have any issue getting there. This is more a security perimeter than an entrance. My ticket did not get checked until right at the Meridian Gate.

I followed the sign so I am not sure if I could have taken a detour to Tian’anmen Square here

After the check-point you can’t really go wrong anymore. Just follow the crowds and the signs. I walked along the Southern edge until there was a big sign towards the Palace Museum where I turned right. Looking back, I kind of wish I had continued straight as this probably led to Tian’anmen Square (and there is a good chance my Palace Museum Ticket would have let me in). But I can’t say for sure as I just followed instructions.

If you forgot to bring water I would recommend to buy some along this road

From there I (and loads of other people) walked North along the Eastern Wall of the Forbidden City. All along this street there are plenty of small shops selling souvenirs, drinks, food etc. It might be a good idea to get some water there if you didn’t bring any with you. It was a fairly long walk but the path is clearly marked and there are plenty of tourists on the same path so no chance to get lost!

There is a steady stream of tourists – no chance of getting lost

Entrance of Palace Museum

The lines at the actual entrance were long but moved quickly

Eventually I did get to the actual entrance. Make sure you go towards the lines for individual visitors (not tours). I got there around 8:50 am and it was quite busy. There was a line for people with special needs, an accessible line and several regular lines. While the lines were pretty long, they moved fast. So no need to stress.

I waited less than 20 minutes. Here there was another security check and they scanned your passport. Your passport serves as your ticket so make sure to bring it or you won’t be able to enter!

The Palace Museum is extremely popular with Chinese tourists

The Palace Museum is very popular and there was a big crowd right after entering. However, the number of tickets is limited and the area is massive. So don’t worry about the crush at the beginning, as you get further into the complex visitors spread out more. Even on a busy morning I found plenty of courtyards and corners that were almost empty.

Should you get the audio Guide?

I didn’t love the audio guide and would pass on it next time

Next to the entrance they were renting out audio guides (40 RMB). At first I walked by as there was a bit of a line and I was nervous about how to pay (at that point I still hadn’t mastered Alipay). But a little further into the palace there was a second kiosk renting audio guides and no lines so I went ahead and got one.

The good news: Paying via cash was no issue. The bad news: I didn’t really love the audio guide.

The audio guide consists of a small plastic device (the regular Mandarin ones are red, I got a yellow English version) and earphones. The idea is that the device will automatically recognize when you are at one of the main points of interest and will start giving you the relevant information. There is no way to influence this though (aside of pausing) and I was told no back-tracking/repeating.

My main issue was that usually the device would start the audio as soon as I got somewhat close to a building. The squares are big so by the time I got to the actual building (and made my way to the front of the crowd) and could look inside, the audio was long done. It was also a bit difficult to know which of the surrounding buildings it was referring to. And finally it didn’t always activate or only randomly.

There were plenty of English-language signs on the grounds

My conclusion: I would not recommend getting the (English) audio guide. I had heard beforehand that there is not much English on signs etc. but actually all main buildings had bilingual signs so you could read up on what you were looking at.

My Trip.com tickets came with an audio guide. I did not use this as I forgot to bring my headphones but this might work better as you can presumably choose what to listen to when (and without having to pay extra). Another option might be to download an audio guide beforehand if you have a provider you like.

Practical Amenities at the Palace Museum

There are stores and food stalls scattered around the grounds

Restrooms

There are plenty of restrooms sprinkled all over the Forbidden City. You won’t have a hard time finding one. You may however have to navigate squat toilets… Enough said.

Food and Drink

As mentioned before, I once again came without any water and it was very hot. There were no stores etc. in the first couple of courtyards (or I did not see them) so I was getting a bit concerned. However, fairly soon I did find a vending machine. While I wasn’t able to use it as it required Alipay/WeChat, it did direct you to buy drinks in the nearby shop.

During the rest of my visit I came across a fairly large number of various shops for souvenirs, drinks, snacks etc. So you won’t lack anything (as long as you brought money).

I bought an ice cream – mango this time. These sculpted bars are so pretty (though I do think the taste is just okay). They are quite popular and I saw many people buying and eating them.

Benches and Seats

A definite plus at the Palace Museum: There are many, many benches, chairs, and seats all over the Forbidden City. You will have no problems to find a place to rest, relax, have a snack etc. And while some were in the sun, there were plenty with shade.

Palace Museum: Tour or Solo Visit

Why a tour may be the way to go

This will likely come as a big surprise to you if you have read more posts on my blog. Generally, I am a big proponent of touring individually and only recommend tours if visiting a sight is too complicated logistically to do on your own.

Now, as you can see from what I already wrote, the Forbidden City can easily be done independently. No Mandarin is necessary and all instructions are clear. It is easy to get to, tickets can be prebought online, logistics are easy… and still I would recommend to seriously consider going on a tour.

Why? The Forbidden City is just SO HUGE and the amount of walking involved is immense. Not only does the Palace Museum cover a lot of area, but the set-up with small courtyards, high walls, and mazelike paths means that you will walk much further than you would in a more open space (kind of like a mouse in a maze).

On a tour you will get information that will make the various buildings look less interchangeable. But even better, you will visit the most important sights in the most efficient way. And at this specific attraction it might be worth the price.

Honestly, if I visit again I would book a tour (ideally one that gives you some time at the end to wander around on your own if you still have energy).

My recommendation

Visit the Forbidden City on your own if:

• You hate tours
• Are on a strict budget
• Know loads about the palace and what you want to see and do
• Know nothing about it and don’t care but just want to experience the vibe

Visit the Forbidden City with a tour:

• If you missed out on getting a ticket
• If you enjoy tours
• If your budget isn’t tight
• If you want to learn more about what you are seeing
• If you want to see the highlights without getting exhausted
• If you have more than the Forbidden City planned for the day

Just to give you an idea: I was at the Forbidden City (from entering the security check-point to leaving through the gate) for a good 4.5 hours. At that point I was too exhausted to keep going but there was lots I did not see. I did not see anything on the Western side and barely looked at any of the concubine courtyards although they had been close to the top of my list of things to see!

Some highlights you should not miss

As mentioned in the beginning, I won’t go into detail about what to do and see as there was so much and I am not an expert. To be honest, I got fairly overwhelmed by the heat and the sheer size of the palace and parts of it are a bit of a blur. There were so many courtyards, halls, plazas, corridors, and paths that it is hard to keep them straight.

However, I will list my personal favorites that I think are must visits:

The Main Courtyards and Halls

These are of course on everyone’s list and there is no way to miss them. As soon as you walk in you will pass through one courtyard after another with large palace buildings. If you watch C-Dramas, this will all look quite familiar to you.

Treasure Gallery

Okay, here I had a completely wrong idea. I thought this was a smaller exhibit (say a building) with gold and jewelry, similar to the Crown Jewels in London. And that is partly true. After getting through the ticket check you get to a courtyard with halls to the left and right which show ornaments, gold, and jewelry.

I loved these “fake” flowers

However, the Treasure Gallery is basically a whole wing of the palace and includes a number of courtyards and sights. It was easily my favorite part of the Forbidden City – do not miss out and plan in enough time to see all of it.

One of my favorite things was the opera building

Clock Gallery

While the name is similar, the Clock Gallery is much less important than the Treasure Gallery. It is much smaller, basically a building with a small museum of various clocks. Not an absolute must-see but still pretty interesting, especially if you are interested in clocks.

Side-Courts of Concubines

Now I am mentioning this here as I THINK it is one of the main attractions but to be honest I mostly just rushed by. At that point my feet were hurting, I was hot, and just kind of done with the whole thing. Ideally, don’t wait until the end if you have an interest in this part.

Gardens

All the stone of the courtyards and the colored wood of the majestic buildings can get to be a bit much so the gardens towards the back made for a nice change. They were a highlight but of course can not compare to some of the other, much bigger parks and gardens in Beijing.

Here you will also find a number of souvenir shops as well as food and drink. And plenty of exhausted tourists. Definitely a good place to visit towards the end of your tour of the Forbidden City.

Leaving the Forbidden City

I left the Forbidden City through the North Gate. I believe the visitor flow is always from the South to the North Gate. Here in the back you will find many places to rest, shops, and restrooms.

Next to the exit gate was a small stall to return your audio guide. There was no line – while I did not love the guide itself, the process for renting and returning was quite straightforward.

When you leave the Forbidden City through the Gate of Divine Prowess (Northern Gate) you can see Jingshan Park with its famous view right before you. Originally, I had considered visiting this park to complete my tour of the Forbidden City but I was way too exhausted so I skipped it and came back on another day.

Instead I followed the crowd along the street to the East/right. This entire street was lined with various buses, both public transit and tour buses. There were a lot of vendors trying to sell tours, tickets, rides etc. However, they mostly ignored me and concentrated on locals, presumably due to the language barrier. A rare case in which being a foreign tourist made it less likely to be hassled/scammed!

Possible Additions to a Forbidden City Visit

As mentioned above, Jingshan Park with its viewpoint is right across the street from the Palace Museum and absolutely worth a visit! Personally, I think touring the park and climbing up the hill is a bit much after the Forbidden City but if you have lots of energy it would make a great ending as you will have a wonderful bird’s eye view of the entire palace complex.

Of course, the most popular addition to a visit of the Palace Museum is Tian’anmen Square. Unfortunately, I never managed to go there (booking a free ticket via WeChat proved my undoing) so can’t really comment. However, most tours include the square with the Forbidden City.

Just to the West of the Forbidden City you will find Beihai Park and (a bit further north) Shichahai Area. Both are absolutely worth a visit!

Personally, I would probably make my way to Wangfujing Pedestrian Street somewhat to the Southeast. This wide pedestrian street is very modern and lined with malls and shops. It isn’t very long so doesn’t require as much walking and it makes a nice change after so much history.

As far as I can tell Wangfujing Snack Street (which you will find recommended in many older blogs) is a thing of the past. There is a smaller version along the main pedestrian street. In addition, there are large food courts with a vast choice of different restaurants and food stalls inside the malls. And there are even more restaurants and food stalls along Donghuamen Ave!

Top Tips to make your visit to the Palace Museum enjoyable

1. Wear decent shoes
2. Prepare for the weather (sunscreen, hat, umbrella etc.)
3. Consider taking a tour
4. Skip the official audio guide
5. Prebuy your tickets ahead of time
6. Get the combo ticket
7. Make sure to bring your passport as it is your ticket
8. Get there early
9. Make sure to visit the Treasure Gallery
10. Hydrate properly

Conclusion

The Forbidden City is a massive attraction that should be on everyone’s list during a trip to Beijing. However, it requires a bit of logistical planning. You definitely should prebook/buy your tickets to avoid missing out on Beijing’s biggest attraction.

Due to the size, I recommend to either plan out where to go and what to see or to join a group tour. Unless of course you just want to take a quick walk-through to get a feel for the vibe.

Overall, I had a great time but I wish I had approached the visit a bit more strategically – either with a tour or by planning ahead. The Palace Museum is massive and in June it was quite hot so I did not see all I would have liked to. For me, the Forbidden City definitely needs a second visit!

I receive a fee when you get a quote from World Nomads using this link. I do not represent World Nomads or SafetyWing. This is not a recommendation to buy travel insurance.