Plan your Beijing tours? Visiting the Forbidden City ( The Palace Museum ) is no doubt one of your travel highlights in Beijing. Before starting your visit, it is quite helpful for you to grab some basic travel tips for visiting the Forbidden City.
Forbidden City
Tip # 01: Try to Avoid Weekends or Chinese Holidays
The Forbidden City is a must see highlight for every first time visitor to Beijing. Be preppared for crowds of people like you visiting this complex. Try to avoid visiting the Forbidden City on weekends or public holidays. On these tourist peak days, the hoards of people are so thick that you could hardly see anything at all. Many tour groups ( most domestic ones) seem to aggregate and move about with their whistles, banners, and colored caps. In many cases, you have to elbow your way to see and take pictures. We also recommend you come hereeither early in the morning or in the later afternoon to beat the crowds, enjoy the Forbidden City as it once was before the masses turn up and ruin your photo opportunity’s. Below are the opening timese for your timing your visit.
Open daily all year.
April 1st – October 31 ( 8:30 – 17:00 )
Last Entry at 16:10
Tickets sold until 16:00
November 1st – March 31 (8:30 – 16:30)
Last Entry at 15:40
Tickets sold until 15:30
April 1st – October 31 ( 8:30 – 17:00 )
Last Entry at 16:10
Tickets sold until 16:00
November 1st – March 31 (8:30 – 16:30)
Last Entry at 15:40
Tickets sold until 15:30
Tip # 02: Choose the Right Entrance
There are two entrances to the Forbidden City - the southern gate ( Meridian Gate – Wumen) and northern gate(Gate of Divine – Shenwu Men). The southern gate is linked to Tiananmen Square to the south. You have to enter Forbidden City from its southern gate and eixt from its northern gate, which is officially set as a one-way south to north travel route.
Below is the admission policy for planning your budget:
The Museum accepts Master Card, Visa, and PayUnion cards for ticket purchase.
The Museum accepts Master Card, Visa, and PayUnion cards for ticket purchase.
Forbidden City entrance fees:
April 1st – October 31st : 60 yuan
November 1st – March 31st : 40 yuan
1. Children under 120 cm in height are free of charge.
2. Special 20 yuan tickets are available for China’s elementary, middle school, and university students (including foreign students studying in Chinese universities) with valid student I.D. or certified letter from school administrator (including students from Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan, excluding graduate and adult education students).
November 1st – March 31st : 40 yuan
1. Children under 120 cm in height are free of charge.
2. Special 20 yuan tickets are available for China’s elementary, middle school, and university students (including foreign students studying in Chinese universities) with valid student I.D. or certified letter from school administrator (including students from Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan, excluding graduate and adult education students).
Enter Forbidden City through its Southern gate ( Meridian Gate – Wumen)
Enter Forbidden City through its Southern Gate
You have to eixt from its northern gate(Gate of Divine – Shenwu Men).
You have to eixt from its northern gate.
Tip # 03: Choose Your Right Transportation
Visitors are highly recommended to use Beijing Transportation - bus, subway and taxi. Please note that taxis are not allowed to stop either at the southern gate or northern gate.
By Bus:
By Bus:
For the southern gate ( Wu men), take bus No.1, 10, 120, 126, 2, 20, 37, 4, 52, 59, 728, 802, or Te 1, to “Tian’an Men East” (Tian’an men dong).
Or take bus No. 1, 10, 22, 37, 4, 5, 52, 728, 802, or Te1, to “Tian’an men West” (Tian’an men xi).
For the nothern gate (Shenwu men), take bus No. 101, 103, 109, 111, 124, 810, 685, 814, 846, or Zhuan 1 (a suttle bus traveling between Qianmen and The Palace Museum).
Or take bus No. 1, 10, 22, 37, 4, 5, 52, 728, 802, or Te1, to “Tian’an men West” (Tian’an men xi).
For the nothern gate (Shenwu men), take bus No. 101, 103, 109, 111, 124, 810, 685, 814, 846, or Zhuan 1 (a suttle bus traveling between Qianmen and The Palace Museum).
By Subway ( to south gate ):
Take Line 1 to Tian’an men East or “Tian’an men West” (Tian’an men xi).
Take Line 1 to Tian’an men East or “Tian’an men West” (Tian’an men xi).
Parking:
There is no parking outside the two entrance gates of the Palace Museum. The following public parking lots are located in the vicinity of the Forbidden City:
There is no parking outside the two entrance gates of the Palace Museum. The following public parking lots are located in the vicinity of the Forbidden City:
*Outside the East Prosperity Gate (Donghua men)
*In the back street of Jingshan Park;
*In front of the Front Gate of Beihai Park
Visitors are encouraged to visit the Museum via public transportation.
*In the back street of Jingshan Park;
*In front of the Front Gate of Beihai Park
Visitors are encouraged to visit the Museum via public transportation.
The Transportation at the North Gate of Forbidden City is a bit chaos.
After their visit of Forbidden City and exit from its north gate, most of the visitors want to continue their day trips to other attractions or destinations in Beijing like Jinshan Park ( just opposite the north gate of Forbiden City), Wangfujing Street, Beijing Zoo, Summer Palace, Fragrance Hill, Temple of Heaven, Badaling Great Wall, Beijing Railway Station, Beijing West Railway Station, Beijing South Railway Station…, but some of them are totally bewildered by Jinshan Front Street in front of the north gate of Forbidden City, which is unaccessible and blocked by fences on both sides of the road. And visitors are at a loss on how to take a bus, taxi or subway since there are no buses, no taxis and no subway lines by the north gate of Forbbiden City.
Please check How to Take a Bus or Taxi at the North Gate of Forbidden City for more information.
Taking a rickshaw at the north gate is a rip-off.
Don’t ever take a Rickshaw at the north gate of Forbidden City unless you feel like getting lost and extorted. So if you visit Forbidden City by getting to a wrong gate (north gate), don’t use a local rickshaw to get back to the south gate, just walk to the right gate (south gate). For the same reason, if you exit from the north gate after visiting Forbidden City, don’t use a rickshaw for your next place.
Tip # 04: Well Schedule Your Visiting Time
Tip # 04: Well Schedule Your Visiting Time
The Forbidden City is huge, covering an area of 72 hectares. Normally you should cruise through in two or three hours. Plan this together with Tiananmen Square, Jinshan Park or Beihai park. Please keep in mind that Tickets sold until 15:30(November 1st – March 31); Tickets sold until 16:00(April 01 - October).
Take the Forbidden City home
Tip # 05: Hire a Legal Tour Guide or Audio Guides
The Forbidden City is much worth visiting, but unless you know the history very well, you should use a Beijing Tour Guides. You are not advised to use the tourist guides around the entrance. They are self-employed tour guides. So, try to find a reliable travel agency for your tour guide services or the Recorded guide. The recorded audio guides: these are available for rent walking form south to north. There are numerous signs in English by each building. An actual book would probably better serve you if you want to understand what you are seeing.
Tip # 06: Dress for the Hot Weather
There are very few trees with little shade the Forbbden City. It is super hot during the summer. So if coming here in summer, be ready to bring an umbrella for sun protection, bottles of water, and comfy walking shoes. Check Beijing Climate for more information.
Tip # 7 Wear Comfortable Shoes
There are lots of outdoor areas so you can’t do a lot of hiding from the sun or rain. Wear your most comfortable shoes. It’s a long walk! strollers and wheelchairs are available for free at the tourist guide service at both southern gate and the northern gate.
Tip # 08: Avoid Tour Vendors on the Street
There are some tour vendors at each entrance selling their excursions to the Great Wall. Just ignore all handouts that will be forced upon you. Especially bus tours. They are all too good to be true, and you will be disapointed. See Top 10 Tourist Scams Beijing for more information.
Tip # 09: Hail a Taxi on the Road
Please note that taxis are not allowed to stop either at the nothern gate or south gate. Some people approaching you for taxi service after you finish your visit at the Forbidden City, may be black taxi drivers. Just avoid them and hail a taxi on the road. Vehicle Drivers.
Taxis are not allowed to stop at the nothern gate (Shenwu men) according to the local traffic regulations, Visitors exiting from the northern gate need to walk further either east or west to hail a taxi or take a bus.
Any questions, just drop line.
We took a taxi to the Forbidden City. I was surprised that he dropped us at the Northern Gate – your post says specifically that they are not allowed to. However, I say a long line of taxis on either side of the road and reasoned this was okay. Wrong. You cannot enter by the North Gate – which your post says specifically you can. That means a greater than 1.5 km walk to the South Gate.
After just starting the walk we decided to take two pedal rickshaws – big mistake. After a meandering route through some very unattractive Hutongs we were dropped at least 500m from the Southern Gate (with no clear directions even how to find the entrance) and were charged an exhorbitant fee.
After touring the City, guess what? We’re back at the Northern Gate. Guess what (as your site correctly suggests)? All of the taxis there are black and want an exorbitant rate to take us back to our hotel. Here we go again – a 1.5 km walk to the Subway station at the Southern Gate.
So although the Forbidden City is a wonderful place to visit, the experience was spoiled by deception and inconvenience.
I will be in Beijing next week and would like a more extensive tour of The Forbidden City, not just the usual 2-3 hour tour.
What would you suggest?
You may wander in Forbidden City within the business hours in a day.
Open daily all year.
April 1st – October 31 ( 8:30 – 17:00 )
Last Entry at 16:10
Tickets sold until 16:00
November 1st – March 31 (8:30 – 16:30)
Last Entry at 15:40
Tickets sold until 15:30
Fleck, sorry for our misleading information that has caused you so much trouble. Now the northern gate is only for exiting, no longer for entering, a one-way travel route from south gate to north gate which was offially set on July 2, 2011. This one way travel route is aimed at avoiding possible “collision ” between two huge crowds of travelers moving from south gate and north gate, specially during holiday season.
I would like an extensive and detailed visit to the Clock collection in the Forbidden City. Can that be arranged? Can one photograph the clocks in the collection or on display? Who needs to be contacted to do this sort of thing/ Thanks, Dave
The Clock Collection Hall is located within the Forbidden City. You first buy an entrance ticket for the Forbidden City. Then you walk to the Hall of Clock Collection, then you buy the entrance ticket for the Hall of Clock Collection on the spot. You can spend inside the hall as long as you can within the opening hours. You can take pictures inside the clock collection hall.
We shall be visiting in mid August. Is it possible to get a good guide at the Fobidden City to take us around? How much will he/she charge?
Yes, English speaking tour guide are available inside Fordden City. The price for hiring a tour guide: CNY 200 per hour. Please don’t use the tour guides from outside Forbidden City, who may be not registered tour guides.
Or you may use Audio Guides offered by the Forbidden City for a small money. Have a nice trip!
What will be the temperature like in November? Will it be too cold? Going to Beijing in November..
Hello Evitha,
It is ok to visit Beijing in November. Please check the daily temperature by looking into the Historical Weather Data for November by visiting the page below:
http://www.tour-beijing.com/blog/beijing-travel/beijing-weather/beijing-in-november/ . Have a nice trip to Beijing in November!
Can I rent a wheelchair at the south gate and then return it at the north gate to avoid backtracking as it looks like a very long walk ?
Hello Joe,
Basically, you can rent a wheelchair at the south gate and return them at the north gate. The use of a wheelchair is free, but you have to pay RMB 500 as a deposit at the south gate and you get the money back at the north gate.
One annoying thing about renting a wheelchair is that you cannot reserve your wheelchair at the south gate in advance. You have to go there by yourself. If you are lucky, you will have the chance to rent a wheelchair. Nobody knows how many wheelchairs are available and how many people are going to rent. Good Luck!