Beijing Forbidden City Tickets and Tours

A tour of the Forbidden City in Beijing gives you the opportunity to explore one of the most iconic historical and cultural sites in China, which is 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 learning about the history and culture of the ancient Chinese dynasty.

You will see the architecture of the city, its statues, historical treasures, and the impressive decoration of the complex, 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.

Your private tour guide will pick you up at your hotel or accommodation in Beijing, and from there you will go straight to Tiananmen Square, where you can see the National Museum of China, the Great Wall of the People, Chairman Mao Memorial Hall and the Flagpole, just to name a few of the things you can see in Tiananmen Square. During the tour, your guide will give you detailed explanations about each of these sites.

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: You will have to pay around 69 euros to enjoy this tour.
• Duration: It will take you about four hours to complete the experience.
• Means of transportation: The entire tour is completed on foot.
• Advantages of this option: You will be accompanied at all times by a professional guide. This is a private tour. It includes the entrance fee to the Forbidden City and all the halls to visit.
• Disadvantages of this option: Transportation to the Forbidden City and transfer back to the hotel is not included. Tips and personal expenses are not included.

This tour is an excellent opportunity to see the city illuminated at night, because it is also one of the best bike tours in Beijing. Your guide will take you through the narrow streets of the city, but will also tell you interesting facts at each stop along the way. You'll love seeing and photographing the illuminated city skyline as you cycle through Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City.

That's right, in the middle of this night tour you will have the opportunity to see the Forbidden City, which has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1987. Inside you will be able to see the largest collection of preserved ancient wooden structures in the world, so it's a must-see experience that you should also include in your list of things to see and do in Beijing at night.

Details of interest

• Price: You will pay from €190 per person to participate in this tour.
• Duration: The tour lasts around 3 hours.
• Means of transport: The whole tour is completed by bicycle.
• Advantages of this option: You will be accompanied by a professional guide. Bicycle rental is included in the price. You will also be offered bottled mineral water during the whole experience.
• Disadvantages of this option: Tips are not included. Also not included is the transfer to and from the hotel or lodging site.

You will spend a full day doing this classic tour that includes Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace and the Temple of Heaven. 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 this is definitely one of the best tours in Beijing.

Your tour will start at Tiananmen Square, which spans over 40 hectares and dates back to 1415, just before continuing to the Forbidden City, which was built in 1406 and since then became 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.

Details of interest

• Price: You will pay around 70 euros per person.
• Duration: This tour lasts around 9 hours.
• Means of transportation: It is completed by private bus and another part on foot.
• Advantages of this option: The transfer to and from your hotel or accommodation is included. The tour is done aboard an air-conditioned coach. You will be accompanied by an expert guide. Chinese style lunch is included. Entrance fees to the different temples you will visit are included.
• Disadvantages of this option: Tips and personal expenses are not included.

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: You will have to pay from 177 euros per person to enjoy this experience.
• Duration: It will take you about 8 hours to complete the tour.
• Means of transportation: The entire tour is completed by private car.
• Advantages of this option: The round trip from and to the hotel or accommodation site is included. Transportation in an air-conditioned vehicle is included. A boat ride inside the Summer Palace is included, only between April and October. You will be accompanied by a guide. You will be offered a local lunch and bottled water. Entrance fees to the different sites to be visited are included.
• Disadvantages of this option: Tips are not included. Personal expenses are not included.

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 to see the Great Hall of the People, the National Museum and the Mausoleum of Chairman Mao.

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: You will have to pay around 380 euros per person to enjoy this experience.
• Duration: It will take about 2 days to complete this activity.
• Means of transportation: The trip will be completed by private car.
• Advantages of this option: Entrance to the cable car and the Great Wall slide are included. Local food and lunch will be provided. The company of an authorized guide is included.
• Disadvantages of this option: Hotel accommodation is not included. Tips are not included. Personal expenses are not included.

During a three-day tour of Beijing's Forbidden City, you will have the opportunity to experience 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: You will have to pay about 445 euros per person to enjoy this experience.
• Duration: The whole tour will take about 3 days to complete.
• Means of transportation: You will go aboard a private vehicle with all the comforts.
• Advantages of this option: One dinner, three lunches and bottled water are included throughout the tour. You will always be accompanied by a qualified local guide. The transfer to and from the hotel or lodging site is included.
• Disadvantages of this option: Tips and personal expenses are not included. Lodging is also not included.

On this full-day Beijing tour, you will go to see 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: You will pay approximately 160 euros per person.
• Duration: It will take you about 8 hours to complete the experience.
• Means of transportation: The entire tour is completed by private car.
• Advantages of this option: You will be accompanied by a professional guide. The transfer to and from the hotel or lodging site is included. You will be offered bottled water throughout the trip. Entrance to all the places to be visited during the tour is included.
• Disadvantages of this option: Tips are not included. Lunch and personal expenses are not included.

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 around 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: You will have to pay around 65 euros per person.
• Duration: It will take you about 4 hours to complete the tour.
• Means of transport: You will complete the tour partly on foot and partly by private car.
• Advantages of this option: You will be accompanied by a professional guide throughout the tour. Transfer to and from your hotel or lodging is included. Entrance fees to all the places of interest that you will visit during the tour are included.
• Disadvantages of this option: Tips are not included. Food and beverages are not included.

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 taken back to the airport.

Interesting details

• Price: You will have to pay around 190 euros to participate in this experience.
• Duration: It will take you about 8 hours to complete the tour.
• Means of transportation: The entire tour is completed by private car.
• Advantages of this option: Cable car or toboggan ticket to the Great Wall is included. Authentic local lunch is included, as well as the company of the private guide. Round trip transfer to and from the airport is included. Entrance fees to all sites to be visited during the tour are included.
• Disadvantages of this option: Tips and souvenirs are not included. Personal expenses are not included.

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: You will have to pay around 163 euros per person to enjoy this experience.
• Duration: The whole tour lasts about 9 hours.
• Means of transportation: The tour is completed by private car.
• Advantages of this option: You will be accompanied by a professional guide. The transfer to and from the hotel or lodging site is included. 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.