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Forbidden City Tour: Explore 18 Palaces in 4 Hours
4.9
522 Ratings
Dong Cheng Qu
This exceptional small group tour of the Forbidden City offers the opportunity to explore 18 palaces. In just 4 hours, participants will gain a comprehensive understanding of the Forbidden City’s appearance and the rich culture it embodies. As the Forbidden City now restricts daily ticket sales, this tour ensures hassle-free access to tickets.
This exceptional small group tour of the Forbidden City offers the opportunity to explore 18 palaces. In just 4 hours, participants will gain a comprehensive understanding of the Forbidden City’s appearance and the rich culture it embodies. As the Forbidden City now restricts daily ticket sales, this tour ensures hassle-free access to tickets.
Duration:
4 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Forbidden City-The Palace Museum - Participants can either join the tour at the specified meeting point or opt for a convenient morning pickup from their hotel lobby in Beijing. Travel comfortably with a guide to the Forbidden City, a premier landmark in Beijing. Bypass the long queues with pre-booked tickets and gain direct entry to explore the…
- Forbidden City-The Palace Museum - Participants can either join the tour at the specified meeting point or opt for a convenient morning pickup from their hotel lobby in Beijing. Travel comfortably with a guide to the Forbidden City, a premier landmark in Beijing. Bypass the long queues with pre-booked tickets and gain direct entry to explore the world’s largest and most well-preserved imperial complex.
Known as the Palace Museum, it boasts approximately 10,000 rooms and served as the residence for 24 emperors during the Ming and Qing dynasties over a span of 500 years. Discover its rich history with insights from a professional guide, covering 18 palaces in total—refer to the itinerary for complete details.
The tour concludes inside the Forbidden City; participants are responsible for their own return transfer to the hotel.
Important Notes: Due to limited ticket availability, all travelers must provide full names and passport numbers at the time of booking. It is essential to bring the original passport on the day of the tour.
- Meridian Gate (Wu Men) - Pass by
- Gate of Great Harmony (Taihe Men) - Pass by
- Hall of Great Harmony (Taihe Dian) - Pass by
- Palace of Heavenly Purity - Pass by
- Gate of Heavenly Purity - Pass by
- Palace of Earthly Tranquility - Pass by
- Hall of Union - Pass by
- The Imperial Garden of The Palace Museum - Pass by
- Gate of Divine Prowess - Pass by
What's Included
- Forbidden City entrance ticket
- Hotel pickup (optional)
- Professional historian guide
- Local taxes
- Forbidden City entrance ticket
- Hotel pickup (optional)
- Professional historian guide
- Local taxes
What's Not Included
- Gratuities
- Hotel drop-off
- Food and drinks
- Gratuities
- Hotel drop-off
- Food and drinks
Additional Information
- Passport name, number is required at time of booking for all participants, Please make sure to carry the same valid ID document throughout your trip, otherwise you may be denied entry to the scenic spots.
- Please note that Chinese nationals including visitors from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan must book tickets 7 days in advance for the Forbidden City….
- Passport name, number is required at time of booking for all participants, Please make sure to carry the same valid ID document throughout your trip, otherwise you may be denied entry to the scenic spots.
- Please note that Chinese nationals including visitors from Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan must book tickets 7 days in advance for the Forbidden City. We cannot accept any bookings made within 7 days of the visit date.
- Forbidden City tickets require real-name reservation 168 hours (7 days) in advance and often sell out quickly. We highly recommend you book your tour as early as possible. Otherwise, international visitors may need to queue at the entrance to purchase tickets on site.
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
Location
Grand Hotel Beijing
东长安街
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.9
(522 Ratings)
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Anacarolinaa791
Mar 31, 2026
Forbidden City - Pretty nice walk, we managed to get with few people and when we left it was already quite full.
Our guide Sofia explained everything to us!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Sendmeh
Mar 19, 2026
Fantastic Guide for the Forbidden City! - "If you're visiting the Forbidden City, do yourself a favor and book Sally as your guide. The site is huge and can be overwhelming, but she brought the history to life with fascinating details and stories I would have completely missed on my own. She was super patient, knew exactly how to pace the tour, and made the whole day seamless. Thanks for a great experience, Sally!" – Tak from Australia
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Shona
Mar 18, 2026
Great tour thank you Sally - Sally was a wonderful guide. Very knowledgeable, friendly and great English. Definitely recommend getting a guide.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rodrigoa986
Feb 24, 2026
Maggie is wonderful. - Maggie was a great guide who took us throughout the city forbidden an area little visited by tourists of the area of concubines and replicas of Los, royal palaces, funda great experience
Review provided by Tripadvisor
294ashac
Feb 15, 2026
A wonderful highly recommended tour - We had a brilliant time with Maggie who was accommodating and truly knowledgeable. She answered all the questions about the Forbidden City and more whenever asked about the history of the place. We had a perfect balance of everything and she is truly humorous and helpful as a person. We’ll definitely keep in touch with her. Thanks Maggie!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
T2680ogleog
Feb 6, 2026
Great tour on a very cold day - Comprehensive tour. Maggie did a good job 👍
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lenaf1018
Jan 31, 2026
Forbidden city tour - Guide Maggie - I went to the palace museum/forbidden city, our tour guide was Maggie and she was absolutely brilliant.
Maggie messaged us the night before on watts-app, gave us information on what we needed to bring/how to dress beforehand for the weather. Maggie was fun, detailed, accommodating, easy to engage with and had great English.
It really enhanced our experience walking through the palace with her explanations as we understood why things were and what each detail meant.
At the end of the tour she walked my partner and I to a Beijing duck restaurant as we had wanted to find a good and it was near by.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Arvinian_a
Jan 5, 2026
Forbidden City Tours - Sofia was our tour guide and we had a great experience visiting Forbidden city for the first time. We had a small group of 4 and we liked that she presented the history of Forbidden City.
Review provided by Viator
C9965pjsamb
Dec 28, 2025
The perfect tour - A perfect tour!
Maggie is a fantastic tour guide!
The half day Forbidden City and Tian’anmen Square tour was amazing. She met us at the hotel lobby and even called us the evening before to confirm that we had our passports and pick up time.
The tour was perfectly delivered. The pace was just right, our family never felt rushed nor bored!
Highly recommend Lily Tours and Maggie as a tour guide !!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
A5808dhalexp
Dec 16, 2025
forbidden city - great tour guide 👍 better to get tour guide for forbidden city so you don’t have to deal with any confusion getting tickets. tour guide will also explain history of forbidden city
Review provided by Tripadvisor
