Forbidden City (The Palace Museum) Ticket Booking
Overview
Mobile ticket
For ticket booking, please provide us with your accurate names and passport numbers. Once the tickets are successfully issued, you can enter the Forbidden City by simply scanning your passport at the entrance. There is no requirement to exchange for paper tickets.
Entrance Instructions:
1. The sole entrance is located at Meridian Gate (the south gate).
2. Upon reaching the site, individual visitors are required to queue up at the designated passages numbered 5 - 8, which can be found on the right-hand side when you are facing the entrance gate.
3. Your passport will be scanned by an automatic machine to retrieve your booking information, allowing you smooth entry to the site.
Time Slots:
Morning entry: 08:30 - 12:00
Afternoon entry: 11:00 - 15:30
Opening Hours:
From April to October: 08:30 - 17:00; Last entry at 16:00.
From November to March: 08:30 - 16:30; Last entry at 15:30.
Additional Info
Wheelchair accessible
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Public transportation options are available nearby
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
There is no need to exchange for a paper ticket. Simply present your passport at the entrance to gain entry.
Free of charge for children under 1.2 meters (3.9 feet), or younger than 6 years old.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What‘s Included
Entrance Ticket
Hotel pick-up and drop-off
Guide service.
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting points
End points
This activity ends back at the meeting point.
What To Expect
Meridian Gate (Wu Men)
The Forbidden City, said to consist of over 9,000 rooms, is the largest and best-preserved royal palace throughout the world. Serving as the seat of power in the Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368 - 1911), it was dwelled by 24 emperors in its history of over 600 years.
Options
Entrance + Treasure Gallery
E-ticket: No need for paper ticket. Simply scan your passport/ ID at the entrance.
Beijing Mini Group Tour
Duration: 10 hours
Great Wall & Summer Palace: One Day Beijing Highlights Tour to Summer Palace and Mutianyu Great Wall
About 12 people, no shopping: Includes: English-speaking tour guide, entrance tickets
Excludes: Meals, Cable car at Mutianyu Great Wall
2-Day Mini Group Beijing Tour
Route: Day 1: Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Mutianyu Great Wall.
Day 2: Temple of Heaven, Hutong, Lama Temple, Summer Palace.
Duration: 2 days
Inclusion: Pick-up & drop-off from your hotel lobby, entrance fees, professional English speaking guide, driver & van
Exclusion: Cable car at Mutianyu Great Wall
About 12 People & No Shopping
Tiananmen Sq. & Forbidden City
Route: Pick up at the meeting point, visit Tiananmen Square and Forbidden City, entrance tickets included.
Duration: 3 hours
Inclusions: Professional English-speaking tour guide, entrance fee.
Meeting Point : Pick up at the Gate of Lao She Teahouse, Qianmen Branch. We do not provide pick-up and drop-off at your hotel.
Notice: The meeting point might be changed. The exact information will be sent to you one day before the trip starts.
Small Group Tour: About 20 pax
Beijing Mini Group Trip
Duration: 10 hours
Great Wall & Forbidden City : One Day Beijing Highlights Tour to Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City and Mutianyu Great Wall
Air-conditioned mini van
About 12 people, no shopping: Includes: English-speaking tour guide, entrance tickets
Excludes: Meals, Cable car at Mutianyu Great Wall
1-Day Beijing Mini Group Tour
Route: Pick-up & drop off at hotel. Visit the Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Mutianyu Great Wall, a short stop at Hutong area.
Duration: 10 hours
Inclusions: English-speaking tour guide, air-conditioned minivan with driver, entrance tickets, pick-up & drop-off from your hotel lobby.
Exclusions: Cable car at Mutianyu Great Wall
About 12 People & No Shopping
Admission Ticket
E-ticket: No need for paper ticket. Simply scan your passport/ ID at the entrance.
Reviews
148 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Not the best experience
mohamadmah11,
Oct 25, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
2.00The tour was disorganized and took too long to enter. The tour says it should take 3 hours in total. But it needed 3 hours to enter. English language of the tour guide was so so. So you could not understand everything she said
Recommend from London
goodg270,
Oct 25, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Booking worked quite smoothly and they had reliable email and WhatsApp contact. English solo visiter here. Forbidden city: Luggage/Back drop was free, your bags get transferred to your choice of exit gate, and the digital audio guide inside was ok but not anything great.
best requirements for a worldwide unique Impression -
reisefreund mitreise,
Oct 23, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00unfogettable - I was here 10 years Ago - during a heavy rain and was completely wer. - and had no fun. this time perfect weather - perfect temparature and an allover unforgettable cultural walk through centuries and millenials. worth seeing it
Fantastic, responsive service.
Aditya Sarkar,
Oct 23, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We used China travel guide to book tickets for the Terracotta Warriors (in Xi'an), the Forbidden Palace, as well as Tiananmen Square. They were incredibly easy to use, the tickets worked perfectly, and they were extremely responsive - both on whatsapp and email, whenever we had queries. I highly recommend their services, especially because some of the booking systems in China may be difficult for foreigners to navigate.
It was a beautiful...
Laura M,
Oct 15, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00It was a wonderful experience, everything went well and the guide was very kind, I highly recommend, if we had faced everything alone it would have been difficult.
Forbidden City Ticket booking
Jsnn4,
Oct 3, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00I booked entrance tickets for Forbidden City and China National Museum with Travel China Guide. All tickets were secured as requested. I always use Travel China Guide for bookings in China for their reliability and convenience. They are always extremely helpful and great with communicating if any issues and offering alternative options.
Excellent help in organizing tickets for "Forbidden City" in Beijing
luisemarias2025,
Oct 2, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Excellent help in organizing tickets by email. Fast, straightforward; very personal. Thanks to Maria Xue!
Peace of mind
missdaisymoo,
Sep 23, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We organised quite a complex itinerary travelling around China and with tickets for trains etc often not released until quite close to the departure date we didn't want to faff with booking all the various tickets ourselves. China Travel Guide has been a real helping hand. We used them to book tickets for attractions and trains. It doesn't cost much more to use this service. There were a couple of times we missed out on our original asks (ie second class train tickets instead of first class, but CTG would always offer alternatives), and a couple of times we needed to remind CTG to ensure our bookings were fulfilled but all in all a good service and we would recommend them and happily use them again. Our tip is just to keep on top of what you're expecting to come through and when. CTG are responsive, easily contactable and very helpful. They made a real difference to our trip planning. Thank you
Very highly recommended
RLC9,
Sep 22, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00This year, we’ve made 4 trips to China, traveling all over the country, for 3 months total. We’ve used TCG for all our many train and attraction tickets, including for the Forbidden City. Their website is easy to use (I think easier than Trip.com’s). When I call, they immediately answer. When I email, they also answer quickly, sometimes within minutes. Everything for us has gone very smoothly. The only minor issues we’ve had are 1) On 2nd class trains, we always request the side with 2 seats, but usually get the side with 3. This is probably out of their control. 2) Once, 2nd class train seats were sold out, so we had to buy 1st class - not a big deal.
Getting the most out of a day trip in Beijing.
patmQ5389YV,
Sep 16, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00With Travel China Guide I was able to book in advance a trip to the Forbidden City in Beijing. I also booked tickets to the two main galleries as well as a ticket into Tiennemen Square. All my tickets were linked to my passport. I only had to present my passport for entry. There were no paper or E tickets. It worked perfectly. I got an email notice with full simple to follow instructions a week before my selected day. All the sites in peak season were packed with people and I would have been lost without my booking with Travel China Guide. Thank you.
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