# Forbidden City, Beijing

> The Forbidden City is Beijing's imperial palace, now the Palace Museum. You enter only by the south Meridian Gate and leave by the north. Tickets cost ¥40 from November to March and ¥60 from April to October, booked ahead with your passport. It opens 8:30 Tuesday to Sunday and closes Mondays. Allow 3–4 hours.

Web page: https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/forbidden-city

- City: [Beijing](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing), China
- YesGo score: 61/100 (Yes, go)
- Time on site: 3 h 30 min
- With kids: Fine with kids
- Ticket: ¥40 from 1 November to 31 March, ¥60 from 1 April to 31 October
- Treasure Gallery and Clock Gallery: ¥10 each, added in the same booking
- Concessions: Students (bachelor's level or below) ¥20, over-60s half price — rules for foreign visitors not spelled out
- Children: Under 18 free for Chinese citizens and permanent residents; nothing stated for foreign tourists
- Booking: Advance only, with your passport number, on the museum's official site — no tickets on the day
- Release time: 20:00 Beijing time, 7 days before the visit date
- Time slots: Morning — enter by 12:00; afternoon — enter from 11:00
- Hours: Nov–Mar 8:30–16:30, last entry 15:30; Apr–Oct 8:30–17:00, last entry 16:00
- Closed: Mondays except public holidays; also closed on Chinese New Year's Eve
- Daily cap: 40,000 visitors
- Entry and exit: Enter only by the Meridian Gate (Wumen, south); exit by Shenwumen (north) or Donghuamen (east)
- Payment: The booking site takes WeChat Pay, Alipay and international bank cards
- Metro: Line 1, Tiananmen East or Tiananmen West, then walk through Tiananmen Gate
- Address: 4 Jingshan Qianjie, Dongcheng District (景山前街4号)
- Coordinates: 39.91583, 116.39083
- Facts checked: 04.11.2026

## Key facts

- **1406–1420** — built under the Ming Yongle Emperor (source: English and Russian Wikipedia)
- **24 emperors** — lived here — 14 Ming and 10 Qing (source: English and Russian Wikipedia)
- **72 ha** — inside the walls and moat (source: English and Russian Wikipedia)
- **980 buildings** — survive; the '9,999 rooms' story isn't backed by surveys (source: English and Russian Wikipedia)
- **1925** — the Palace Museum opened, a year after the last emperor, Puyi, was expelled (source: English and Russian Wikipedia)
- **1987** — inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site (source: English and Russian Wikipedia)
- **7.9 m** — height of the palace wall (source: English and Russian Wikipedia)
- **52 m** — width of the moat, which is 6 m deep (source: English and Russian Wikipedia)
- **≈ 30 m** — height of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, China's largest surviving wooden hall (source: English and Russian Wikipedia)
- **40,000** — visitors a day — the museum's cap (source: Palace Museum, official website)

> **No tickets on the day** There is no ticket office at the gate. The Palace Museum sells only named, passport-linked tickets in advance, released at **20:00 Beijing time, 7 days before each date**. Weekends and Chinese holidays go fast. Book as soon as your dates are fixed, and don't plan it for a Monday — the museum is closed.

## Forbidden City tickets: price and how to book with a passport

A ticket costs **¥40 from 1 November to 31 March** and **¥60 from 1 April to 31 October**. The Treasure Gallery and the Clock Gallery are ¥10 each on top, and you add them in the same booking. Everything is sold online in advance on the Palace Museum's own booking site, which has an English version — never on the day.

Pick a date and a slot — morning (enter by 12:00) or afternoon (enter from 11:00) — then type your name and passport number exactly as in the passport. One passport gets one ticket per day, and the date, slot and visitor can't be changed after payment. Refunds are possible until midnight the day before.

The booking site accepts **WeChat Pay, Alipay and international bank cards**, so you don't need a Chinese account to pay. If your date is sold out, try other weekdays — Tuesday to Thursday is usually easier than the weekend. The museum says it hasn't authorised any third party to resell tickets; a guided tour still books in your passport name.

Students up to bachelor's level pay ¥20 and over-60s pay half. The museum spells out free entry for under-18s only for Chinese citizens and permanent residents, so book a ticket for each child on their own passport and check the price at checkout.

## Forbidden City opening hours and Monday closure

From 1 November to 31 March the museum is open **8:30–16:30**, last entry 15:30. From 1 April to 31 October it's **8:30–17:00**, last entry 16:00. The Treasure Gallery and Clock Gallery stop admitting at 15:40 in winter and 16:10 in summer. It's closed every Monday.

When a Monday is a Chinese public holiday, the museum opens. The one fixed exception runs the other way: it's closed on Chinese New Year's Eve whatever the day. Occasional unplanned closures are announced on the official website.

Take a morning slot and be at the Meridian Gate for **8:30**. For the first half hour the vast courtyard in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony is close to empty; by ten the tour groups arrive. Avoid weekends and the early-May and early-October holiday weeks if you can.

## How to get to the Forbidden City

1. Take **Line 1** to **Tiananmen East** or **Tiananmen West**. From Wangfujing (Line 8 interchange) it's one stop west.
2. Come up on the north side of Chang'an Avenue, by the gate with Mao's portrait; guides recommend Exit B at Tiananmen East. Expect a bag check and passport check on the way in.
3. Walk north through the central arch of **Tiananmen Gate**, then Duanmen Gate. In 10–15 minutes you reach the **Meridian Gate**, the museum's only entrance.
4. From Capital Airport (PEK): Airport Express to **Beixinqiao**, Line 5 south to **Dongdan**, then Line 1 two stops west to Tiananmen East.
5. From Daxing Airport (PKX): Daxing Airport Express to **Caoqiao**, Line 10 to **Gongzhufen**, then Line 1 east to Tiananmen West.
6. You'll come out at Shenwumen, the north gate, where there's no metro. The nearest stations are Shichahai and Nanluoguxiang on Line 8 — cross Jingshan Park on the way.

## What to see inside: the route from south to north

- **Meridian Gate** (Wumen) — the great south gate and the only way in. Passports and tickets are checked here.
- **Inner Golden Water River** — a curving canal crossed by five marble bridges, just inside.
- **Hall of Supreme Harmony** — around 30 m tall on a triple marble terrace, the largest surviving wooden hall in China. You look in at the Dragon Throne from the doorway.
- **Halls of Central and Preserving Harmony** — behind it. North of the second, a carved dragon ramp cut from a single stone 16.57 m long.
- **Inner Court** — the Palace of Heavenly Purity, Hall of Union and Palace of Earthly Tranquility, where the imperial family lived.
- **Imperial Garden** — a compact garden by the north gate with a rockery, pavilions and ancient trees.
- **Treasure Gallery** (¥10) — the Palace of Tranquil Longevity on the east side, entered past the glazed Nine-Dragon Screen.
- **Clock Gallery** (¥10) — in the Hall for Ancestral Worship: mechanical clocks made for and given to the Qing emperors.
- Leave by **Shenwumen** and cross the road to [Jingshan Park](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/jingshan-park) for the view back over the roofs.

## How long do you need, and is it worth it?

The central axis from the Meridian Gate to the Imperial Garden takes **about 2 hours**. Add the Treasure Gallery, Clock Gallery and a few side courtyards and it's **3–4 hours**. You could spend a whole day, but most people run out of energy before the palace runs out of halls.

Is it worth it? Yes — it's the single sight that defines Beijing, and nothing else in China matches its scale. The only way it fails you is if you can't get a ticket; in that case climb Jingshan for the view from above and try again for another day.

Plan for distance: it's about a kilometre in a straight line from entrance to exit, and several kilometres with the side courts, mostly on stone paving and steps. There's very little shade in the big courtyards, so bring water in summer and a warm layer in winter.

## What is the Forbidden City?

The Forbidden City was the palace of China's emperors from its completion in 1420 until 1924 — 24 emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties ruled from here. Since 1925 it has been the **Palace Museum**, and in 1987 it became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Its Chinese name, **Zijincheng**, means roughly 'Purple Forbidden City': 'purple' points to the North Star, around which the heavens — like the empire around the emperor — were thought to turn. Today Chinese speakers call it **Gugong**, 'the former palace', and that is the name on signs, tickets and taxi apps.

It's a walled rectangle of 72 hectares behind a 7.9 m wall and a 52 m-wide moat, holding 980 surviving buildings. Almost every roof is yellow, the emperor's colour. The famous '9,999 rooms' is folklore; surveys don't support it.

## Before you go

Tick off what's ready — your ticks are saved in this browser.

- [ ] Booking for my date — not a Monday
- [ ] Name and passport number match my passport exactly
- [ ] Original passport with me, not a photo or copy
- [ ] Treasure Gallery and Clock Gallery added to the booking
- [ ] I know my slot — morning means in by 12:00
- [ ] Screenshot of the booking in case the signal is weak
- [ ] Comfortable shoes and water for 3–4 hours on foot

## Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven or Summer Palace?

|  | Forbidden City | Temple of Heaven | Summer Palace |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| What it is | Imperial palace, now a museum | Park with imperial altars | Lakeside imperial retreat |
| Ticket, Nov–Mar | ¥40 | ¥10, ¥28 with halls | ¥20 |
| Ticket, Apr–Oct | ¥60 | ¥15, ¥34 with halls | ¥30 |
| Booking | Passport, no sales on the day | Passport, 1–7 days ahead | Passport, 1–7 days ahead |
| Mondays | Closed | Halls closed | Paid sights closed Nov–Mar |
| Time needed | 3–4 hours | About 2 hours | Half a day |

With one day in Beijing, the Forbidden City comes first. The Temple of Heaven is cheaper, easier to book and lovely early in the morning. The Summer Palace deserves its own half day in the north-west.

## Beijing's palaces compared

Palaces and imperial residences in Beijing rated by YesGo.

- [Forbidden City](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/forbidden-city) — YesGo score 61/100 (Yes, go) · 3 h 30 min · ¥40 Nov–Mar, ¥60 Apr–Oct
- [Tiananmen Gate](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/tiananmen-gate) — YesGo score 49/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · ¥15, concession ¥5, booking only
- [Lama Temple (Yonghe Temple)](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/lama-temple) — YesGo score 36/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · ≈ ¥25, booked in WeChat
- [Old Summer Palace (Yuanmingyuan)](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/old-summer-palace) — YesGo score 34/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h 30 min · ¥10, ¥25 with the ruins
- [Summer Palace](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/beijing-summer-palace) — YesGo score 33/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 3 h 30 min · ¥20–30, ¥50–60 through ticket
- [Prince Gong's Mansion](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/prince-gong-mansion) — YesGo score 33/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · ¥40, book ahead with passport

## Tiananmen, the Forbidden City and the view from above

The square in the morning, the palace from opening time, then Jingshan hill and Beihai lake on the way out. Add it to your route and YesGo works out the timings and walks.

1. [Tiananmen Square](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/tiananmen-square) — YesGo score 68/100 (Yes, go) · 45 min · Free, passport booking
2. [Forbidden City](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/forbidden-city) — YesGo score 61/100 (Yes, go) · 3 h 30 min · ¥40 Nov–Mar, ¥60 Apr–Oct
3. [Jingshan Park](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/jingshan-park) — YesGo score 37/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · ¥2, ¥10 during exhibitions
4. [Beihai Park](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/beihai-park) — YesGo score 33/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h · ¥5–10, ¥15–20 with the island

> **Best photo spots** The classic shots are from outside. Jingshan hill, opposite the north exit, shows the whole axis of golden roofs. The north-east and north-west corner towers look best across the moat — turn right or left out of Shenwumen. Photos are fine inside, but no flash and no tripods.

## Don't confuse

The Palace Museum in Beijing and the National Palace Museum in Taipei are separate museums — part of the collection was shipped to Taiwan in 1948. A Forbidden City ticket doesn't cover the Tiananmen Gate tower or the square reservation. There's no dress code: it's a museum, not a temple.

## Tips

- Set an alarm for 19:55 Beijing time a week before your visit — tickets drop at 20:00.
- Take a morning slot and arrive at 8:30: the first half hour at the Hall of Supreme Harmony is the calmest.
- Add the Treasure Gallery when you book — it's quieter than the main axis and has the Nine-Dragon Screen.
- The route is one-way: you can't walk back out through the Meridian Gate, so don't arrange pick-ups there.
- Out at Shenwumen, cross the road and climb Jingshan — ¥2 and no booking needed.
- Do [Tiananmen Square](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/tiananmen-square) first thing — it's right on the way to the entrance.
- Google Maps doesn't work in China without roaming or a VPN; download an offline map before you go.
- Ignore friendly strangers offering a 'shortcut' or a tea house near the gates — follow the signs.

## Questions

### How much are Forbidden City tickets?

¥40 from 1 November to 31 March and ¥60 from 1 April to 31 October. The Treasure Gallery and the Clock Gallery cost ¥10 each extra.

### How do foreigners book Forbidden City tickets?

Online in advance on the Palace Museum's official booking site, which has an English version. Enter your name and passport number; pay by WeChat Pay, Alipay or international card. Tickets release at 20:00 Beijing time, 7 days ahead.

### Can I buy tickets at the gate?

No. The museum doesn't sell tickets on the day. If your date is sold out, try nearby weekdays or a guided tour.

### What are the Forbidden City opening hours?

November–March 8:30–16:30, last entry 15:30; April–October 8:30–17:00, last entry 16:00. Closed Mondays except Chinese public holidays.

### Is the Forbidden City open on Monday?

No, it closes every Monday unless it's a public holiday. It's also closed on Chinese New Year's Eve.

### Which gate is the entrance?

Only the Meridian Gate (Wumen) in the south, reached from Tiananmen. You exit by Shenwumen in the north or Donghuamen in the east, and can't re-enter.

### How long do you need at the Forbidden City?

About 2 hours for the central axis and 3–4 hours with the Treasure Gallery and Clock Gallery. Add time for security at weekends.

### Is the Forbidden City worth visiting?

Yes — it's Beijing's essential sight. Book early, go in the morning, and finish with the view from Jingshan Park across the road.

### Which metro station is closest?

Tiananmen East or Tiananmen West on Line 1, then a 10–15 minute walk north through Tiananmen Gate to the Meridian Gate.

### Do I need my passport on the day?

Yes, the original passport used for booking. It's checked against your ticket at the Meridian Gate.

## How we checked

Prices, hours, the Monday closure, the daily cap, booking rules, slots, entry and exit come from three official Palace Museum websites, which agree. Guides quote caps of 30,000–50,000; we use the official 40,000. The museum describes student and senior concessions and free entry for under-18s for Chinese citizens and permanent residents, but says nothing about foreign tourists, so those rows are marked checking. Payment methods come from the booking site. Exit B at Tiananmen East is from a travel guide. History figures are checked against English and Russian Wikipedia; the ramp length is from English Wikipedia only.

## Sources

- Palace Museum, official website (intl.dpm.org.cn, Visit) — hours, prices, Monday closure, 40,000 daily cap, passport booking, address
- Palace Museum, visitor notice (www.dpm.org.cn) — concessions, Treasure Gallery and Clock Gallery, entry by Wumen, exit by Shenwumen and Donghuamen
- Palace Museum booking system (bookingticket.dpm.org.cn, ticket.dpm.org.cn) — 20:00 release 7 days ahead, time slots, refunds, payment methods
- English and Russian Wikipedia: Forbidden City, Запретный город; Wikidata Q80290
- Visit Beijing (official Beijing tourism portal) — metro, gates, corner towers
- Wanderin China — Exit B at Tiananmen East
- Beijing Municipal Government and Visit Beijing — Temple of Heaven and Summer Palace prices for comparison

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