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Overview
Make your own way to the Beijing Planning Exhibition Hall or Donghuamen to meet your guide and head to the entrance of the Forbidden City.
Enter with your fast-access prebooked ticket in hand. Make your way to a quiet seating area, and learn about the palace and the Ming and Qing dynasties from your guide. Many say that a visit to the Forbidden City is more about the stories than the sightseeing, and your guide will tell all the tales to make your visit complete.
Check out the Meridian Gate, halls of harmony, heavenly purity, earthly tranquility, and unity; and the tree-lined pathways of the Imperial Garden as well as many other significant sights. Read the Itinerary for a full list of attractions that are seen on the tour.
Your experience ends in the grounds of the Imperial Garden but you can spend longer inside the Forbidden City, if you wish.
If you've upgraded, continue to Tiananmen Square, in the geographical heart of the city.
Once of the world’s largest central squares, Tiananmen Square covers a vast amount of open space, measuring in at some 440, 000 square meters (109 acres). To put that in perspective, the square is roughly as large as the whole of Vatican City. Stand amid the history as your guide explains its past and points out its significant buildings.
Operated by
Discover Beijing Tours
Ratings & Reviews
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1168 traveller ratings
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Jay was an amazing guide
Chris27272727, Apr 2025
Jay was an outstanding guide for our visit to the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square. His deep knowledge of historical facts enriched our experience, making every moment educational and fascinating. He expertly guided us to amazing photo spots and even shared hidden gems within the gardens. His passion for the city's history was evident, and it truly enhanced our visit. Highly recommend Jay for anyone wanting an immersive and memorable experience in Beijing!
Amazing guided tour of Forbidden City
oliviacL2070RN, Apr 2025
We booked a combo visit for Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City and we absolutely loved it ! Jay our guide was very knowledgeable. He showed us all the best spots to take pictures with less crowd. His English was excellent and I specify that because we had a tour with another guide and it was difficult to understand him, which made the visit less enjoyable than what we experienced with Jay. The Forbidden City is a real gem that must be seen at least once in a lifetime. Be prepared to walk for 4 hours. That’s a lot and may not be suitable with young kids.
Jay was an excellent guide
kayteeyeo, Apr 2025
Jay was an excellent guide. Super patient and highly knowledgeable. I would wholeheartedly recommend him to be our tour guide again!
Fantastic
sheldonz28, Apr 2025
Mike is a legend ???? very knowledgeable also funny. He communicates efficiently and made the tour very well planned. Highly recommend
Itinerary
Beijing Urban Planning Exhibition Hall
Please note: You must bring actual passport for this tour. This tour have two options
Option 1: Tian'anmen Square and Forbidden City Group Tour
Start time: 10:00am
Meeting point: In front of Beijing Urban Planning Exhibition Hall
Option 2: Forbidden City and Coal Hill Park Group Tour (Tour without Tian'anmen Square)
Start time: 8:00am and 13:00
Meeting point: In front of Donghuamen (East gat of the Forbidden City)
Itinerary: Option 1: Forbidden Cit Tour with Tian'anmen Square
Meet your group in front of Beijing Urban Planning Exhibition Hall, then follow your tour guide to go through travel agency passage to enter Tian'anmen Square (It might close anytime by the government, in that case everyone have to wait the line).
10 minutesTiananmen Square (Tiananmen Guangchang)
Tiananmen Square is the geographical center of Beijing City. It is the largest city square in the world, occupying an area of 440,000 square meters (about 109 acres).Followed by your expert and professional guide, a very informative introduction of the Tian'anmen square and surrounding buildings will be given to your group, as everyone moves along towards to the Forbidden City.
20 minutesForbidden City-The Palace Museum
Once enter the Forbidden City, your guide will find a quite sitting area and introduce you to the palace, making you feel immersed in the history of the Ming and Qing Dynasty. People always say: when visit Forbidden city, 70% is to learn the stories and 30% is to see the palace.During the walking tour, you will stop at different locations to have the "Story time" and gain the insight view to the fascinating culture.This detailed tour to the Forbidden city also including the visit to the important museums to discover the treasures from the Ming and Qing Dynasties.
30 minutesAdmission IncludedHall of Preserving Harmony (Baohedian)
You will visit important buildings such as the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Hall of Central Harmony and Hall of Preserving Harmony.
20 minutesAdmission IncludedPalace of Heavenly Purity
Then continue to check out the living quarters in the palace: Hall of Union, Hall Heavenly Purity, and Hall of Earthly Tranquillity.
20 minutesAdmission IncludedHall of Great Harmony (Taihe Dian)
You'll be walking pass the most notable buildings during the tour as well as the west and east chambers. Check the Itinerary for the full list of sights.
Stroll around the courtyards and halls of the Forbidden city with your tour guide, and learn the histories and stories about this massive palace. You will visit these buildings inside the Forbidden City.
Hall of Great Harmony where the emperor handle states affairs.
20 minutesAdmission IncludedThe Imperial Garden of The Palace Museum
Your tour will end at the Imperial Garden in the north, then you can decide to explore more of the Palace on your own, or going to the next destination. Your guide will give suggestions for you on where to go and how to get to the next place.
20 minutesAdmission IncludedJingshan Park
If you choose option 2, after the Forbidden city. Dive into Beijing's rich history with a short hike in Jingshan Park, climb up to the the summit of Jingshan Hill with your tour guide, enjoy panoramic views of Beijing's cityscape, including an unparalleled view of the Forbidden City. For option 2, your tour will end here.
30 minutes
Experience
Highlights
Inclusions
- If you choose the Coal Hill Park option then entry ticket is included
- Professional guide
- Fobiddden city entrance fee
- If you choose the Tian'anmen Square option entry ticket is included
Exclusions
- Hotel pick up and drop-off
- Gratuites
- If you choose option: Tian'anmen Square and Forbidden City, you will not visit Coal Hill Park
- If you choose Forbidden City and Coal Hill Park option, you will not visit Tian'anmen Square
Additional Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
- Your passport name and number are required at time of booking (for all participants)
- Please don't forget to bring your passport, you may be refused entry without it.
- 0-3 Years old infant is free, children have to purchase tickets as well
- Tian'anmen Square might close without advance notice due to government activity, if this happens you will skip the Square
- Tour departs punctually. Please arrive 10 minutes early. Once the tour left, you are unable to join the tour, and this tour is not refundable.
- Chinese citizens, including customers from Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan, need to reserve the tickets for the Palace Museum 7 days in advance. Once the tickets for the Palace Museum are sold out, it will be impossible to participate in this itinerary. In addition, according to the regulations of the Palace Museum, Chinese citizens can only choose to reserve tickets with their ID cards. Therefore, when making a reservation, it is necessary to submit the Chinese name and ID card number, and on the day of the tour, the submitted ID document must be presented to join the tour group.
- In case of peak travel seasons and when all the tickets reserved online for the scenic area are sold out, tourists are required to go to the ticket office of the scenic area by themselves under the guidance of the tour guide to handle the purchase of paper tickets on-site. Please be informed.
- Since this is a small - group itinerary, your punctual arrival at the meeting point is essential for a seamless travel experience. Tiananmen Square and the Palace Museum have strict regulations and procedures. If you are late, it may unfortunately prevent you from joining the tour and entering the Palace Museum. Due to the unique nature of the itinerary arrangements, in the event that lateness causes you to miss the tour, we regret that we will not be able to process a refund. We highly recommend that you communicate with your hotel in advance to accurately confirm the travel time from the hotel to the meeting point and make sufficient preparations. This way, you can embark on your journey with ease and enjoy every moment of it.
- This tour is not recommended for travelers with physical/visual impairments or mobility restrictions due to varied terrain (underground passages, stairs) and the length of the tour. Please note that this tour covers 4 hours of walking.
- This tour is not recommended for travelers with physical/visual impairments or mobility restrictions due to varied terrain (underground passages, stairs) and the length of the tour. Please note that this tour covers 4 hours of walking.
Guide Languages
English
Cancellation Policy
A full refund will apply if you cancel more than 24 hours before the activity start time.
No refund is possible if you cancel less than 24 hours before the activity start time.