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Home / Tickets & Shows Booking / Forbidden City (The Palace Museum)
Forbidden City (The Palace Museum) Tickets Booking
From CNY20/US$3 per person
Highlights:
  • Book ticket in advance to guarantee your entry.
  • Enter simply by scanning your passport, no need to collect a paper ticket.
  • A must-visit landmark on travelers’ bucket list.
  • Appreciate exquisite historical collection and splendid palace complex.
Select Date and Tickets:
Entering Time
  • Adult: Age 18-59
  • Entrance Ticket [Apr 1 to Oct 31]
    CNY60
    -
    0
    +
  • Senior: Age 60+
  • Entrance Ticket [Apr 1 to Oct 31]
    CNY30
    -
    0
    +
  • Child: Age 6-17
  • Entrance Ticket
    CNY20
    -
    0
    +
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Recommended Day Tours
Important Notice
Price
1.Free of charge for children under 1.2 meters (3.9 feet), or younger than 6 years old.
2.Minors between 6-18 years old enjoy preferential price of CNY20; and CNY5 each for the Treasure Gallery and Watch Gallery.
3.Seniors elder than 60 years old enjoy half price.
Reservation
1.Tickets are released 7 days in advance. We will book tickets for you as soon as they are available. Please note that there is a possibility that tickets may not be available due to the high demand. In such cases, we will issue a full refund to you.
2.We will try to issue tickets according to your preferred timetables, but it may change based on availability. Therefore, please make sure you are flexible with the morning/ afternoon options.
3.Your valid Passport/ID information is required for booking, and one person can only book one ticket per day.
How to Book and Use
Please present your Passport/ID to verify the booking and enter from Meridian Gate (the south gate).
Opening Hours
April - October: 08:30 - 17:00
November - March: 08:30 - 16:30
It is closed on Mondays, except the Chinese public holidays.
Change & Cancellation
1.Free Change & Cancellation before ticket is issued.
2.After the ticket is issued, we are sorry that we can not accept change or cancellation.
Further Reading:
How to Shorten Your Queuing Time?
There is no skip-the-line entrance to Forbidden City. All visitors need to queue up in the line for a long time to pass the security check of Tiananmen Square, which leads you to Meridian Gate of Forbidden City. But there is a shortcuts if you do not visit Tiananmen Square, that is to walk through Beijing Working People's Culture Palace by spending CNY2 for the admission ticket, which you can buy on site.

Entrance: The East Gate of Beijing Working People's Culture Palace (北京劳动人民文化宫东门)

You will get the detailed walking guidance after your tickets are confirmed.
What to Expect

The Forbidden City, said to consist of over 9,000 rooms, is the largest and best-preserved royal palace throughout the world. Serving as the seat of power in the Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368 - 1911), it was dwelled by 24 emperors in its history of over 600 years.

Wandering around the emperors’ home, you may wonder that you are in a maze of exquisite wood structures because it’s so large. Most walls and doors are painted yellow and red as they are considered as symbols of dignified imperial power and auspiciousness. Among all palaces, the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Palace of Heavenly Purity and the Palace of Earthly Tranquility are the most popular attractions.

Besides the antique buildings, your eyes will be dazzled by abundant curios, like porcelain, Chinese calligraphy, paintings, clocks, and watches. You will imagine how the royal families led a lavish lifestyle upon seeing these articles.

Additional Info
Address:
No. 4, Jingshan Qianjie, Dongcheng District, Beijing
How to get to Forbidden City Beijing
Tourists can only enter through the Meridian Gate, namely the south gate of the Forbidden City.
 By subway:
a. Take Subway Line 1, get off at Tiananmen East Station (Exit A) or Tiananmen West Station (Exit B), find the Tiananmen Tower, and then walk north to the Meridian Gate;
b. Take Subway Line 2, get off at Qianmen Station (Exit A), walk north through the Tiananmen Square, pass the Tiananmen Tower, and then find the Meridian Gate further north.

 By bus:
a. Take Bus 1, 2, 52, 82, 120, Sightseeing Bus Line 2, Tourist Bus Line 1, or Tourist Bus Line 2 and get off at Tiananmen East Station;
b. Take Bus 1, 5, 52, Sightseeing Bus Line 1, Sightseeing Bus Line 2, Tourist Bus Line 1, or Tourist Line 2, and get off at Tiananmen West Station.

Forbidden City Tickets Booking FAQs

How to buy tickets to the Forbidden City Beijing?

1. Highly recommended: Use a ticket agency to help with the booking, which saves time and avoids troubles.
2. Second choice: Book tickets on the official website of the Forbidden City if you could read Chinese or you have a Chinese friend, as the web page is in Chinese only.
3. Not recommended: Buy tickets on spot at the Forbidden City, but there’s possibility that the tickets are sold out.

Do I need to book a ticket to Forbidden City in advance?

Yes, you had better book Forbidden City tickets online in advance. If booking with an agency, you are advised to book as early as possible, especially when you are visiting during public holidays. If you buy through the official website by yourself, the earliest time is 10 days before the visiting date.

Can I buy a ticket on the spot upon arrival?

If you have difficulties in booking Forbidden City Beijing tickets online, you can try to buy it on the spot with the help of the working staff. However, you are not guaranteed to get the ticket because only 80,000 tickets are available per day.

What is the Forbidden City ticket price?

Entrance Ticket: April - October: CNY 60; November - March: CNY 40
Treasure Gallery: CNY 10
Clock and Watch Gallery: CNY 10
* Children and seniors enjoy certain discounts.
  • Customer Reviews
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    4.886 Reviews
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    Christine Ooi
    Australia
    Posted on Apr. 02, 2024
    The booking process is straightforward and easy .
    Ekaterina
    Russia
    Posted on Apr. 02, 2024
    We had a wonderful visit to the Forbidden City thanks to Travel China Guide. The booking was smooth and the support was timely and helpful. The only pity us that we got the daytime slot instead of morning time. Will definitely use the service again. Thank you 😌
    Laura
    United Kingdom
    Posted on Jan. 06, 2024
    Our tickets arrived promptly and overall service from TravelChinaGuide was excellent. Our visit to the Forbidden City lived up to our expectations and the background information on the venue provided by TravelChinaGuide website was very helpful.
    KK Chew
    Malaysia
    Posted on Dec. 28, 2023
    Good job Sunny and team
    Colin
    USA
    Posted on Dec. 05, 2023
    Easy booking. No problems, got right in using our passports.
    Maria Luisa Santori
    Spain
    Posted on Dec. 04, 2023
    Extremely efficient and helpful. I will book everything again with them. Thank you very much !!
    Svenja
    Germany
    Posted on Nov. 23, 2023
    Very easy and efficient.
    Roger living in Beijing
    Argentina
    Posted on May. 10, 2021
    Travel China Guide was very supportive and honest about the Tour we took in the Forbidden City. Since we are Beijing residents we just wanted the tickets, and while other tour operators suggested to use the guided tours, Travel China Guide offered us both the tour and the possibility of buying the tickets only, which suited our budget and necessities. I will definitely use Travel China Guide for another tour in China.
    Bridget
    Australia
    Posted on Apr. 07, 2021
    Easy to navigate on the website and when we got to the Forbidden City our details were in the system.
    Mike
    China
    Posted on Feb. 21, 2021
    Easy use, fast, responsive, and professional. Have used the same agency several times. Would definitely use again.
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