Beijing Forbidden City Tickets and Tours

Booking a Beijing Forbidden City tour gives you the opportunity to explore one of the most iconic historical and cultural sites in China. That's why this is undoubtedly one of the best things to see and do in Beijing. During the visit, you will be able to tour the different sections and courtyards of the imperial palace, while also learning about daily life in the Forbidden City and the rituals, traditions and customs of the ancient Chinese court. It is a tour that will take you directly into past eras of Chinese history.

For a full day you will take this classic tour that includes Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City and the Great Wall of China. During the activity you will also enjoy a scenic bus ride, taste a traditional Chinese lunch and have your own shopping experience at the silk store and traditional Chinese medicine center, so it is definitely one of the best tours in Beijing.

Booking this Beijing Forbidden City tour starts with a visit to Tiananmen Square, which spans over 40 hectares and dates back to 1415, just before moving on to the Forbidden City, which was built in 1406 and has since become a Chinese imperial palace during the Ming and Qing dynasties. Inside you will see a collection of great halls, antiquities and treasures from China's history.

Next, you will visit the Badaling section of the Great Wall of China, one of the best preserved and dating back some 2,000 years. You will be able to walk the wall and appreciate the most stunning panoramic views at altitude. Finally, you can learn all the curiosities about jade at the Longdi Jade Factory.

Details of interest

• Price: 89 euros.
• Duration: 9 hours.
• Means of transport: by air-conditioned luxury vehicle and on foot.

Booking the tour of the Great Wall of China, Forbidden City and Tiananmen, you will be accompanied by an expert guide who will take you first to Tiananmen Square, where you will see the National Museum of China**, the Great Wall of the People, the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall and the Flagpole.

After the tour of the square, you will pass through the south gate to the Forbidden City, which will impress you with its 250 acres of courtyards, palaces, pavilions and gardens.

Once inside you can also explore the most important buildings within the palace, such as the Hall of Union, Hall of Heavenly Purity and Hall of Earthly Tranquility. Your tour will end at the Imperial Garden, then exit the Forbidden City through the North Gate.

Details of interest

• Price: 69 euros.
• Duration: 4 hours.
• Means of transport: On foot.

On this tour your guide will pick you up at your hotel or accommodation site early in the morning, and you will go directly to the Temple of Heaven. There you will see the residents doing morning exercises and practicing Tai Chi, singing and dancing. After exploring the Temple of Heaven, you will continue to Tiananmen Square to see the main gate, Chairman Mao's mausoleum, the Great Hall of the People and the Tiananmen Gate.

Right after that you will go to see the Forbidden City which has been open to the public since 1925 as a public museum. After doing all this sightseeing, you can have a nice lunch at a local restaurant. In the afternoon and after lunch, you will visit the Summer Palace. And to finish the day, you can go to visit the West Bridge of the Water Cube, one of the best places to take pictures of the main buildings of the Olympic Park, which I also recommend you to visit.

Details of interest

• Price: 177 euros.
• Duration: 8 hours.
• Means of transport: by private car.

During two days touring Beijing, you will see several of the city's major attractions, including the Forbidden City, Jingshan Hill, Tiananmen Square, the Great Wall, the Temple of Heaven, and the Summer Palace. For the first day of your trip, your guide will pick you up at your hotel to go straight to Tiananmen Square, and see the Great Hall of the People, the National Museum and Chairman Mao's Mausoleum.

On the same day you will go to the Forbidden City and spend a couple of hours touring the place, and seeing the most important elements of the huge imperial palace. At the end of the first day you will also visit the Temple of Heaven, and go to a local restaurant to enjoy the famous Peking duck, just before closing with a bang by going to one of the best Kung Fu shows in Beijing

For the second day, you will visit the Mutianyu Great Wall in the morning and in the afternoon you will visit the Imperial Garden or Summer Palace, where, among other things, you will see the famous Kunming Lake. You will also pass by the Olympic Park, just before finishing the tour, and going back to your hotel.

Details of interest

• Price: 380 euros.
• Duration: 2 days.
• Means of transportation: private car.

During a three-day tour of Beijing's Forbidden City, you will have the opportunity to see the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Among the sites you will enjoy are: The Great Wall of China, the Forbidden City, the Temple of Heaven, the Beijing Panda House, you will get on a Dragon Boat Cruise at the Summer Palace; and you will take one of the best tours of the Hutongs.

You will also have the opportunity to enjoy an amazing night show such as the acrobatic show, the Peking Opera or a Kungfu show. It is definitely a good plan to do if you visit Beijing for 3 days or more, because it allows you to enjoy your experience in the city to the fullest.

Details of interest

• Price: 445 euros.
• Duration: 3 days.
• Means of transport: private vehicle with all comforts.

On this full day tour of Beijing, you will visit the Great Wall of China and the Forbidden City. You will start the tour by going to Tian'anmen Square to see the imposing buildings surrounding it, including the Heavenly Gate, museums, government buildings and Chairman Mao's Mausoleum.

After the tour of the square, you will enter the Forbidden City, where you can enjoy a collection of grand halls, antiquities and treasures representing the entire history of China. Later you will go directly to the Great Wall at Mutianyu, which is the quietest section of the wall.

Details of interest

• Price: 160 euros.
• Duration: 8 hours.
• Means of transport: private car.

On this half-day tour, you have the opportunity to walk along the Great Wall of China and the Forbidden City. In addition, your tour guide will take you to experience the rich culture and history of Beijing without worrying about the crowds. You will first go to see the Forbidden City in the morning, and your guide will tell you about the lives of the 24 emperors who lived in these spaces.

But you will also have the opportunity to walk through the entire imperial complex, while learning about the history and soaking up the best preserved culture in the world. The entire experience lasts about four to five hours. Throughout your visit to the palace, you will have the opportunity to see the 18 palaces that make up the complex.

Details of interest

• Price: 65 euros.
• Duration: 4 hours.
• Means of transport: by private car and on foot.

This full day tour will take you from Beijing Capital International Airport to the Great Wall of China. All this tour will be done aboard an air-conditioned bus with all the comforts. The section of this monument you will visit will be Mutianyu, which is famous for its beautiful surroundings and its hills covered with forests and fresh mountain air.

For a couple of hours you will tour the wall area which is completely restored. You will also ride the cable car and slide back down. After touring the wall, you will enjoy a Chinese lunch at a nearby restaurant. Right after that you will go to Tiananmen Square to walk around the entire square before going to the Forbidden City to learn about China's nearly 600 years of history. At the end of the tour you will be driven back to the airport.

Interesting details

• Price: 190 euros.
• Duration: 8 hours.
• Means of transport: by private car.

During this full-day tour, you will go to see the Forbidden City and the ruins of the Great Wall in Badaling. In the Forbidden City, your tour guide will show you its less public places, such as the Treasure Gallery and the Palace Clock Museum, where you can discover the imperial riches of the Ming and Qing dynasties. You will see the Nine Dragon Palace Wall, the Heavenly Gate and the Heavenly Palace.

Then you will walk along the ruins of the Great Wall and finish the day enjoying a hearty lunch including traditional lacquered duck. In fact, during the duck tasting you will also learn the culinary secrets of carving and eating duck in the best Beijing style.

Interesting details

• Price: 163 euros.
• Duration: 9.
• Means of transport: by private car.
• Advantages of this option: Professional guide. Transfer to and from the hotel. Lunch is included. Entrance fees to each site you will visit during the tour are also included.
• Disadvantages of this option: Tips are not included.

I recommend taking a guided tour so that you can better understand the history and culture behind this site. Throughout the tour, your professional guide will take you through the different buildings and areas of the Forbidden City. He or she will also explain the importance and significance behind each place, which is something you may not be able to discover on your own.

You will be able to ask your guide as many questions as you want, to better understand the details and stories surrounding the Forbidden City. Also, on a guided tour you can avoid the queues because tour guides usually have preferential access.