Forbidden City Tour: Explore Beijing's Imperial Palace

Discover the wonders of Beijing’s Tiananmen Square and Forbidden City on a private 2-hour walking tour. Avoid the crowds, learn the stories behind the masterpieces, and enjoy direct entry. Entrance fees, hotel pick-up, and one-way transfer included.

Duration: 3 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Forbidden City-The Palace Museum - Choose from three tour packages for a 2-hour visit to the Forbidden City:
    1: Shared Group Tour: Departs at 9:00 AM or 2:00 PM. Meet at Meridian Gate (Wumen).
    2: Basic Private Tour: Flexible start time. Meet at Meridian Gate.
    3: Private Tour with Round-trip Transfer: Fully customizable 2-hour private tour with…
What's Included
  • Entrance fee to the Forbidden City
  • Professional guide
  • Private Transfer if choose private tour with transfer
What's Not Included
  • Gratuities
  • Transportation fee
  • Additional entrance fee to visit extra museums inside the Forbidden City
  • Meals
Additional Information

Pressed for time in Beijing and finding it difficult to get Forbidden City tickets? Opt for our expertly organized Forbidden City tour and avoid the stress of booking tickets.
We offer both shared group tours and private tour options to cater to various travel preferences.
Select our streamlined 2-hour guided tour to discover the Forbidden City’s main…

Location
Meridian Gate
Jing Shan Qian Jie
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(33 Ratings)
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Alejandro_r
Apr 24, 2026
600 years of history in one place - Incredible place, must-do. Padma was very knowledgeable and so nice. Highly recommend this activity with this company.
Review provided by Viator
Mattias
Apr 21, 2026
Great tour - Great Lucia that you could guide us during our short visit in Beijing. Interesting and informative guide.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Gregsi1341vk
Mar 10, 2026
Very knowledgeable, highly recommend! - I’m so glad I didn’t just buy the admission tickets and visit the forbidden city ourselves . Because the architecture is only half of what makes this place so fascinating. We would have missed out on the real history, stories and details which bring this palace to life. Susan offered that second critical historical component extremely well. Not only does she have almost 20 years experience as a tour guide, but she’s also a native Beijingian. So she was clearly knowledgeable and genuinely passionate about her city. What really set this experience apart was the level of care and flexibility. Both Susan and our driver went completely above and beyond to ensure we had a seamless, stress-free experience! Beyond sharing her deep knowledge of the Forbidden City, they also handled all the transportation logistics—from hotel pickup to even a custom add on visit to the Temple of Heaven after and perfectly timed drop-off at Beijing South railway station. Just a worry-free, educational and fascinating day! Highly recommended! Book it 😀
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Rebecca_r
Jan 31, 2026
Forbidden City - Mina gave us a fantastic, informative tour of the forbidden city. We hit all of the significant highlights, she was very friendly, and we recommend this tour.
Review provided by Viator
Charilaos_s
Dec 31, 2025
family tour of the forbidden city - We had a wonderful tour of the Forbidden City. Our guide, Lily, was excellent . very knowledgeable, friendly, and with excellent English. She showed us everything we needed to see in just two hours, making the tour perfectly paced and very informative without feeling rushed. A great experience and highly recommended!
Review provided by Viator
745souldog
Nov 25, 2025
Amazing tour by May - May went above and beyond! She made our time at the Forbidden City unforgettable and even gave us a city night tour the next day. She was kind, knowledgeable, and caring
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lisa
Nov 12, 2025
Perfect quick tour of Forbidden City - I had a business meeting cancel last minute, so I had a morning to do something. This was the perfect tour and the perfect guide, Anson! He was amazingly knowledgeable, explained everything to me, helped me hit the highlights, showed me where to take the best photos, and got me back in time for my afternoon meetings. I highly recommend the tour and Anson as your guide.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Thegoldencoconut
May 4, 2025
Amazing time with Lucy and driver during holidays in the Forbidden City! - This tour is amazing and quite true to its name, showcasing the highlights of Tiananmen and Forbidden City in 2 hours approximately give or take. Our driver picked us up on time from the hotel lobby that is close to Forbidden City and dropped us off as close as they could to Tiananmen Square and our guide Lucy acted as escort and provided the tour with numerous facts. We learned so much, from architecture to history to modern times about Tiananmen and Forbidden City. It is still the top #1 destination for local Chinese even over the Great Wall! We went during the beginning of Labour holiday in China also so there was a lot of car and foot traffic but we were able to get past the bigger tours due to our small group with guide Lucy and driver. It was very pretty during holiday season. After the tour, the driver dropped us off on time at our hotel. We are so grateful we booked this tour or else we would have been stuck behind with the big tours. After our tour, we used the extra time in the day to do some shopping at Wangfujing St. This tour was 100% worth every penny!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Zachpk800zw
Mar 14, 2024
Would recommend- great way to see Beijing attractions. - Very very good tour. We went with Miko and he is a rockstar. Very knowledgeable, does a great job with photography and he does a nice job both getting you to the forbidden city and Tian’anmen square in addition to talking through all the historical facts about the areas. He is also very knowledgeable about NBA and he speaks incredible English. Very happy with Miko!!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
I8532uwmiked
Jan 19, 2024
Excellent! - Excellent guide. Great stories and insight. Well worth it. Sophie wenrmt at our pace and kept us well informed. Recommend.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $24
up to 15 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).