|
More Beijing Tours |
Forbidden City -- General introduction
![]() |
| Our Tour Group in front of Hall of Supreme Harmony |
Now known as the Palace Museum, it is to the north of Tiananmen Square. Rectangular in shape, it is the world's largest palace complex and covers 74 hectares. Surrounded by a 52-meter-wide moat and a 10-meter-high wall are more than 8,700 rooms. The wall has a gate on each side. Opposite the Tiananmen Gate, to the north is the Gate of Divine Might (Shenwumen), which faces Jingshan Park. The distance between these two gates is 960 meters, while the distance between the east and west gates is 750 meters. There are unique and delicately structured towers on each of the four corners of the curtain wall. These afford views over both the palace and the city outside.
The Forbidden City is divided into two parts. The southern section, or the Outer Court was where the emperor exercised his supreme power over the nation. The northern section, or the Inner Court was where he lived with his royal family. Until 1924 when the last emperor of China was driven from the Inner Court, fourteen emperors of the Ming dynasty and ten emperors of the Qing dynasty had reigned here. Having been the imperial palace for some five centuries, it houses numerous rare treasures and curiosities. Listed by UNESCO as a World Cultural Heritage Site in 1987, the Palace Museum is now one of the most popular tourist attractions world-wide.
|
|
![]() |
| Click the map to enlarge it, or go for more Maps of Forbidden City |
Since yellow is the symbol of the royal family, it is the dominant color in the Forbidden City. Roofs are built with yellow glazed tiles; decorations in the palace are painted yellow; even the bricks on the ground are made yellow by a special process. However, there is one exception. Wenyuange, the royal library, has a black roof. The reason is that it was believed black represented water then and could extinguish fire.
Nowadays, the Forbidden City, or the Palace Museum is open to tourists from home and abroad. Splendid painted decoration on these royal architectural wonders, the grand and deluxe halls, with their surprisingly magnificent treasures will certainly satisfy 'modern civilians'.
You may start your tour by following our virtual guide.
Special Notes:
The Forbidden City may restrain the number of passengers in peak holidays, such as the May Day, National Day Holiday in the first week of October and summer holiday. The number is limited up to 80,000/day during those periods, half-and-half for group and individual visitors. Some areas inside the Forbidden City may be closed at the same time. Please refer to the latest notice issued before the holidays.
During the National Day Holiday (Oct 1~7, 2011), the Forbidden City will limit the number of visitors up to 80,000 per day. While the 40,000 entrance tickets will be issued on the spot at the ticket windows of the Forbidden City, the other 40,000 tickets can be purchased online since September 20, 2011. The online booking service is only available to Chinese travelers with valid second-generation ID cards.
From July 2, 2011, the ticket office at the Gate of Divine Might (north gate) is closed. The Forbidden City carries out unidirectional itinerary. Visitors can only enter through the Meridian Gate (south gate) and leave from the Gate of Divine Might.
| Admission Fee: | CNY 40 (Nov. 1 to the next Mar. 31); CNY 60 (Apr. 1 to Oct. 31) CNY 10 for the Treasure Gallery; CNY 10 for the Clock and Watch Gallery |
| Opening Hours: | 8:30 to 16:30 (Nov. 1 - the next Mar. 31); tickets not available after 15:30 and last entry at 15:40. 8:30 to 17:00 (Apr. 1- Oct.31); tickets not available after 16:00 and last entry at 16:10. |
| Recommended Time for a Visit: | 3-4 hours |
| Subway: | Subway Line 1: get off at Tiananmen West or Tiananmen East Station, walk north through the Tiananmen Tower (Gate of Heavenly Peace), and then you'll find the Meridian Gate (south gate) of the Forbidden City. Subway Line 2: get off at Qianmen Station and walk north through the Tiananmen Tower. |
| Bus Routes: | Take bus 101, 103, 109, 124, 202, 685 or 814 and get off at Gugong (Forbidden City) Station. Take bus 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 52, 120 or 802 and get off at Tiananmen Xi or Tiananmen Dong Station, walk north through the Tiananmen Tower (Gate of Heavenly Peace), and then you'll find the Meridian Gate (south gate) of the Forbidden City. Take bus 9, 17, 44, 48, 59, 66, 803, 808, 特4, 特7 or Tuanjiehu Special Line and get off at Qianmen, Qianmen Xi, or Qianmen Dong Station, and walk north through Tiananmen Square and you'll find the Forbidden City in front of you. |
Days Inn Forbidden City, Beijing






Copyright © 1998-2012 TravelChinaGuide.com, All rights reserved.