Forbidden City - The Palace Museum
The Forbidden City (Chinese: 故宫; pinyin: Gùgōng) is a palace complex in central Beijing, China. It houses the Palace Museum, and was the former Chinese imperial palace from the Ming dynasty to the end of the Qing dynasty (the years 1420 to 1912). The Forbidden City served as the home of emperors and their households and was the ceremonial and political center of Chinese government for almost 500 years.
Constructed from 1406 to 1420, the complex consists of 980 buildings and covers 72 hectares (over 180 acres). The palace exemplifies traditional Chinese palatial architecture, and has influenced cultural and architectural developments in East Asia and elsewhere. The Forbidden City was declared a World Heritage Site in 1987, and is listed by UNESCO as the largest collection of preserved ancient wooden structures in the world.
Since 1925, the Forbidden City has been under the charge of the Palace Museum, whose extensive collection of artwork and artifacts were built upon the imperial collections of the Ming and Qing dynasties. Part of the museum's former collection is now in the National Palace Museum in Taipei. Both museums descend from the same institution, but were split after the Chinese Civil War. Since 2012, the Forbidden City has seen an average of 15 million visitors annually, and received more than 16 million visitors in 2016 and 2017.
Opening Hours
Important Info
Regulations
Directions
Admissions
Opening Hours
- OPEN Tuesday - Sunday; CLOSED Mondays (except for national holidays) *The Palace Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday all year round and on national holidays that fall on Mondays, except for the eve of the Spring Festival.
- The Palace Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday all year round and on national holidays that fall on Mondays, except for the eve of the Spring Festival.
- There may be temporary closures which cannot always be scheduled in advance, since they are frequently caused by unforeseen circumstances. The management of the Museum would like to apologize for any inconvenience caused.
| Seasons | Opening Hours | Stop Entry | Stop Ticketing |
| High Season April 1st - October 31st | 8:30-17:00 | 16:10 | 16:00 |
| Low Season November 1st - March 31st | 8:30-16:00 | 15:40 | 15:30 |
Important Info
- Forbidden City (The Palace Museum) has daily quota of 80,000 visitors daily, and now require both individual visitors and tourist groups book tickets in advance online, Foreign visitors are required to provide passport numbers during the online booking.
- Show passports to get access. The tickets is E-tickets, so there is no paper ticket needed to enter the Forbidden City.Please bring your passport with you when entering the Forbidden City(The Palace Museum)
- You will get instant confirmation from us via email after successful booking and payments. Please make sure to enter your correct email address.
- You could change your date for free by click "view booking" button. Free cancellation up to 12 hours in advance. No refund if the cancelation made within 12hours prior to departure.
Regulations
- Smoking is strictly forbidden inside the Palace Museum.
- Scratching surfaces and graffiti are strictly prohibited.
- Please watch your personal belongings.
- No pets.
- Photography Policy：
1. Photography is permitted for private, non-commercial use outdoors throughout the Forbidden City, except for sites or areas with "No Photography" signs.
2. Visitors are not permitted to take photographs inside halls with original interior decoration whether on the central axis or the west route.
3. The use of tripods and flash is prohibited in both special and permanent exhibitions.
4. Works of art on loan from other institutions, domestic and abroad, may not be photographed.
5. Photography is prohibited in some of the gift shops as indicated.
6. For special photography, please contact the Director's Office (Fax: (8610)8500-7415, gugong@dpm.org.cn).
7. The Museum reserves the right to make any necessary adjustments to its photography policy.
Directions
Getting to Forbidden City (The Palace Museum)
Entrance:
Wumen (Meridian Gate) -South Gate of the Forbidden City(The Palace Museum)
Walking Direction:
Tian'anmen-Duanmen-Wumen(Entrance)
Metro:
Tian'anmen West（天安门西） or Tian'anmen East（天安门东） Line 1
Public Bus:
Tian'anmen West（天安门西）of Bus Line：1、5、52、99, Night Line1, Seghtseeing Line 1,2
Tian'anmen East (天安门东） of Bus Line: 1、120、2、52、59、82、99, Night Line1、2、17, Sightseeing Line1、2
Admissions
High Season(April 1st – October 31st)
| High Season | Main Entrance | Treasure Gallery | Hall of Clocks |
| Adults (19-59) | $8.99 | $1.59 | $1.59 |
| Seniors(60+) | $5.99 | $0.99 | $0.99 |
| Teenagers(7-18) | $4.99 | $0.99 | $0.99 |
| Chindren(0-6) | Free | Free | Free |
Low Season(November 1st – March 31st)
| Low Season | Main Entrance | Treasure Gallery | Hall of Clocks |
| Adults (19-59) | $6.99 | $1.59 | $1.59 |
| Seniors(60+) | $4.99 | $0.99 | $0.99 |
| Teenagers(7-18) | $4.99 | $0.99 | $0.99 |
| Chindren(0-6) | Free | Free | Free |
Beijing Tickets & Tours
Jingshan Park Tickets $0.99 p.p.
Jingshan Park Tickets
Summer Palace Tickets $5.99 p.p.
Summer Palace Tickets
Temple of Heaven Tickets $6.99 p.p.
Templf of Heaven Tickets
Half Day Guided In-depth Forbidden City Heritage Walking Tour $49 p.p.
In this 600-year-old Forbidden City with 9,999½ forbidden imperial chambers, today NOWHERE is closed and NO secret is kept from you.
One day Small Group Highlight of Beijing Tour $108 p.p.
Visit the world’s largest urban square in the center of Beijing city. Skip the line at the magnificent imperial palaces of Forbidden City.
Half Day Great Wall Hiking at Mutianyu Great Wall $89 p.p.
Visit the world’s largest urban square in the center of Beijing city where the famous portrait of Chairman Mao hanging there.
