Our Forbidden City private tour walks you across Tiananmen Square, in through the Meridian Gate and north through the great halls of the Palace Museum with your own English-speaking guide, then up Jingshan Park for the view back over the golden roofs. It is a long half day that suits first-time visitors, families and grandparents.
Price on request — send us your dates and group size for a written quote.
- Duration: a long half day, hotel to hotel; longer if you add the Treasure and Clock galleries
- Group: private, just your group with your own guide and driver
- Pick-up: your hotel in central Beijing (within the 4th Ring Road)
- Walking level: moderate; flat stone courtyards, a few thresholds and steps, one short climb at Jingshan
- Best for: first visits to Beijing, history lovers, families with children, seniors
Itinerary
Early morning: Tiananmen Square
Your guide and driver meet you in the hotel lobby after an early breakfast. The Palace Museum has no car park of its own, so your driver drops you by the square and collects you again at Jingshan at the end.
Tiananmen Square is 880 m long and 500 m wide, with the National Museum on its east side and the Great Hall of the People on its west. Entry is free, but the square has its own real-name reservation, separate from the museum ticket. As of November 2026, dates open 1 to 7 days ahead, new dates are added daily at noon, and you can enter only on the date booked. Bring your passport for the security check, and leave lighters and drones at the hotel.
Mid-morning: the Meridian Gate and the three great halls
From the square you walk north through Tiananmen, the Gate of Heavenly Peace, and Duanmen to the Meridian Gate, the only entrance to the Forbidden City. Show the same passport your ticket was booked with; facial-recognition devices help confirm it at the gate. Inside, the route runs one way, south to north, through a walled rectangle 961 m long and 753 m wide, ringed by a 52 m moat.
Your guide leads you past the Gate of Supreme Harmony, closed for restoration since August 2026 with a marked route around it, to the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Hall of Central Harmony and the Hall of Preserving Harmony, the ceremonial heart of the palace. Built between 1406 and 1420 under the Ming Yongle emperor, the palace was home to 14 Ming and 10 Qing emperors over 505 years. The museum’s own two-hour route follows this same central line, from the Meridian Gate through these halls and the inner court to the north gate.
Late morning: the inner court and the Imperial Garden
North of the three great halls, the inner court, where the emperors lived, begins with the Palace of Heavenly Purity, the Hall of Union and the Palace of Earthly Tranquility. If you have the energy, step into the side courtyards of the Six Eastern Palaces; the Palace of Prolonged Happiness there has been closed since a museum notice of 4 November 2026, so we check which halls are open before your day. You finish in the Imperial Garden, then leave by the Gate of Divine Prowess, the north gate. Most groups spend about three hours inside.
Two galleries need extra tickets on top of the entrance ticket: the Treasure Gallery, in the Palace of Tranquil Longevity area, and the Gallery of Clocks. Each costs CNY 10 (about US$1.50) as of November 2026, and both are released with the entrance tickets, so tell us when you book if you want them. The Hall of Martial Valor has been closed for restoration since 19 October 2026 and is still shut as of November 2026, so it is not on the route.
Early afternoon: the view from Jingshan Park
The north gate faces Jingshan Park across the street. A walk of about 15 minutes brings you to Wanchun Pavilion, the highest point on Beijing’s central axis, and your guide picks the gentlest path for your group. From here the Forbidden City’s golden roofs stretch south in rows, and the White Dagoba of Beihai rises to the west. Your driver meets you at the park, and you head for lunch at a place your guide suggests, or straight back to your hotel.
The Palace Museum is closed on Mondays, except on national public holidays. If your Beijing days include a Monday, we plan the Forbidden City for another day and use the Monday for sights that stay open.
What’s included
- English-speaking guide
- Forbidden City (Palace Museum) entrance reservation and ticket
- Jingshan Park entrance ticket
- Private car or van with driver for your group
- Hotel pick-up and drop-off in central Beijing
Not included
- Treasure Gallery and Clock Gallery extra tickets
- Lunch
- Personal expenses and tips
Pace, wheelchairs, photo rules and opening hours
Your guide walks at your speed, so you can stay as long as you like in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, or skip a side courtyard when knees need a rest. There are no shopping stops. Wheelchairs and strollers may be brought into the museum, and accessible passages are marked on its facilities map, so tell us about any mobility needs and we plan the route around them.
Photography is allowed outdoors for personal use, but not inside halls that keep their original interiors, and flash and tripods are not allowed in the exhibitions. Opening hours follow two seasons, as of November 2026: from 1 November to 31 March the museum opens 8:30 to 16:30 with last entry at 15:30, and from 1 April to 31 October it opens 8:30 to 17:00 with last entry at 16:00. Autumn brings clear, mild days, and in winter the first snow, usually in late November or December, settles on the golden roofs.
Tell us your dates, group size and what you would like to see. We reply with a day-by-day plan and a written quote.
How we reserve your Palace Museum tickets
- Message us with your dates, the number of travelers and their ages, and whether you would like the Treasure or Clock galleries.
- We send a written day-by-day plan and a quote.
- You confirm in writing; payment details are in your booking agreement. We then ask for each traveler’s passport details for the reservations.
The Palace Museum does not authorize any third-party agent to sell its tickets. We reserve your entry through our licensed travel agency’s group booking, using each guest’s passport details with your consent, and your guide is booked on the same order. Tickets open at 20:00 Beijing time, seven days before the visit date, and the museum sells no same-day tickets, so book your trip with us early. Each ticket is tied to one passport, one date and one morning or afternoon session, and cannot be changed once issued, so please send names and passport numbers exactly as printed. The official pages do not confirm senior or child concessions for foreign passports, so we don’t promise a discount: bring your passport and ask at the visitor service desk whether any concession applies. Our Forbidden City tickets guide explains the rules in more detail, and the full process is on our how to book page.
Tell us your dates, group size and what you would like to see. We reply with a day-by-day plan and a written quote.
More on the palace and Tiananmen Square
Read our Forbidden City guide for the halls, galleries and seasons, and our Tiananmen Square guide for the reservation and the flag-raising ceremony. You can also browse all private Beijing tours.
Frequently asked questions
How far ahead do Forbidden City tickets open?
As of November 2026, Palace Museum tickets are released at 20:00 Beijing time, seven days before the visit date, and there are no same-day tickets. That is why we ask you to confirm your trip early, so we can reserve as soon as your date opens.
Is the Forbidden City open on Mondays?
No. The Palace Museum is closed on Mondays, except on national public holidays. If your stay includes a Monday, we plan this tour for another day and use the Monday for the Temple of Heaven, the Summer Palace grounds or the hutongs.
Why do you need our passport details?
Every Forbidden City ticket is booked in a real name. Foreign visitors book with their passport number and show the same original passport at the Meridian Gate. The museum allows licensed agencies to book only through a group booking with each traveler's consent.
How much walking is involved?
The route runs one way from the Meridian Gate in the south to the Gate of Divine Prowess in the north, mostly on flat stone courtyards with some steps and thresholds. Most groups spend about three hours inside, and the walk up Jingshan takes about 15 minutes.
Are the Treasure Gallery and Clock Gallery included?
No. They need extra tickets on top of the entrance ticket, each CNY 10 (about US$1.50) as of November 2026. They are released at the same time as the entrance tickets, so tell us when you book and we add them to your plan.
Can we bring a wheelchair or a stroller?
Yes. Wheelchairs and strollers may be brought into the Palace Museum, and accessible passages are marked on its facilities map. At Jingshan the main path from the south gate is the gentlest way up, though one traveler reports steps on the final stretch, so a stroller may need lifting there. Tell us about mobility needs and we plan the route around them.
Are there discounts for seniors or children?
The official pages do not confirm senior or child concessions for foreign passports, and free entry for under-18s is written for Chinese citizens and permanent residents. We don't promise a discount. Bring your passport and ask at the visitor service desk whether any concession applies.
Facts checked: 5 November 2026. Ticket prices, opening hours and entry rules can change; we re-check before every booking.