Hue Imperial City Walking Tour: Citadel & Forbidden City
Overview
Available languages
2 hours 30 minutes
Mobile ticket
This Hue walking tour begins at the meeting point in front of Ngo Mon Gate. We will spend approximately 2.5 hours exploring the inner sanctums of the Hue Imperial City and the Forbidden City Hue.
* Thai Hoa Palace: The heart of the Imperial City, where major ceremonies and the Emperor's coronation took place.
* The Mieu Temple & Hien Lam Cac Pavilion: A solemn area dedicated to the worship of the Nguyen Emperors, offering a glimpse into spiritual traditions.
* Forbidden City Hue (Tu Cam Thanh): We move into the private residence of the Royal family.
* Kien Trung Palace: one of the highlights of the tour, showcasing the unique blend of European and Asian architecture, recently accessible to visitors.
* Thai Binh Lau & Royal Garden: Visit the Emperor's private reading pavilion and enjoy the tranquility of the royal gardens before concluding the tour.
Additional Info
Wheelchair accessible
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Public transportation options are available nearby
Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
We do not include entry fee as you may want to buy COMBO TICKET with better value for Citadel and Tombs.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
What To Expect
The Noon Gate (Cua Ngo Mon)
Meet your tour guide at the meeting point, Walk to Ngo Mon gate to discover the symbolic significance of Ngo Mon—the grand gateway used for royal ceremonies and major events during the Nguyen Dynasty.
Thai Hoa Palace
Step inside the most important hall of the Imperial City, where emperors held grand court sessions and coronations. Admire its elegant architecture and learn about royal rituals.
What‘s Included
Imperial City entrance ticket (Applied for Private tour option only)
Imperial City entrance fee: 200,000 VND/person (Applied for Group tour Option)
Meals not mention in the option
Tips for guide (optional)
Options
Private Imperial City Tour
Private Tour: *Meet you at the meeting point
*Entrance fee includes
*No hidden fees
Duration: 2 hours 30 minutes
Main sites at Imperial City: *See your guide at the meeting point
Walking (No Vehicle)
Imperial City Sunrise/Sunset
Tea or coffee Experience: Enjoy tea or traditional Hue coffee inside the Imperial City
Private guided sunrise/sunset : *Enjoy coffee or Tea inside Imperial City
*Avoid the heat and crowd
*Included entrance fee
*No hidden fees
Duration: 3 hours
Main site: Imperial City: *See your guide at the meeting point
Walking (No Vehicle)
Group Walking Tour
Group Tour: Small group guided walking tour (Max 8 people)
Entrance fee NOT included
Duration: 2 hours 30 minutes
Imperial and Forbidden City: *Main sites in Hue Imperial City & Forbidden Purple City
*See your guide at the meeting point
Walking (No vehicle)
Family-Friendly Imperial City
Hands-on activities for family: Learn how to make Hue's Kite or the traditional Conical Hat
The entrance fee includes
No hidden fees
Family-Friendly Imperial City
Duration: 2 hours 30 minutes: Flexible, approx. 2.5 hours
Imperial City: *See your guide at the meeting point
Walking (No Vehicle)
Imperial City + Royal Cuisine
Royal cuisine lunch or dinner : Enjoy the royal cuisine (Menu will be confirmed after Booking)
Private Tour: The ticket and meal are included
No hidden fees
Duration: 3 hours 30 minutes
Royal cuisine: Lunch or Dinner
Imperial city and Meal
Walking and Taxi: *See your guide at the meeting point
*Taking a Taxi to the restaurant after the Imperial walking tour
Private Imperial City & Pagoda
Imperial city & Boat trip: Taking a Taxi to go to Thien Mu Pagoda after Imperial City, enjoy the boat trip on Perfume River back to the center.
Private Tour
Imperial City, Pagoda : Imperial City, then moving to Thien Mu pagoda and going back city center by dragon boat.
Boat and Taxi
Reviews
274 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Fi was very knowledgeable, friendly, interesting and entertaining.
Curiosity32324095988,,Jan 9, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Fi was very knowledgeable, entertaining, informative and friendly. The Imperial Palace was very impressive and well worth visiting.
What a great tour this is!!
869d nt,,Jan 8, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Just got back from the Imperial City tour and honestly, it was way better than I expected. The place is stunning, full of history, and walking through it felt like stepping back in time. But what really made it special was our guide, Hung. Super friendly, funny, and knew so much—it felt like exploring with a friend who happened to know everything. If you’re in Hue, don’t miss this tour. Go with Hung if you can!
Not to be missed
7pierom,,Jan 6, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Citadel really very nice. Beyond all expectations. Our guide Hung was excellent, explaining the history of the site with sympathy and always knowing how to answer our questions.
Beautiful experience
rogallrbsg,,Jan 5, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Nice walk through the old imperial city with expert explanations of my very nice guide. The good weather made the tour even more pleasant. Finally, a good coffee at sunset, an all-round successful afternoon.
Visit the Imperial City
Isabelle M,,Jan 4, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Visit in English, very interesting and detailed by our guide Au that we recommend. A site to discover absolutely.
Great tour
Sally R,,Jan 4, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Great tour - thanks to Au who was an encyclopedia of knowledge about the imperial city and Vietnamese history. I learned a lot and the tour added richness to the experience. Thank you!
Ha is an exceptional guide
25Claire,,Jan 3, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We spent a most wonderful morning with Ha. She has a wealth of knowledge about the Imperial City and is clearly passionate about her home of Hue. We learnt so many things about the dynasty and architecture that we would not have learned for doing this on our own. Her personalised approach had her remember all of our names and tailor the tour to our needs.
Imperial city
Global116541,,Dec 29, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Nhi was our guide and she was fabulous. A very friendly and soft spoken person who answered all our questions. She is so knowledgeable and her English is great. I couldn’t recommend her highly enough. Great experience.
Background knowledge presented in a charming manner
elkel563,,Dec 28, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Even if the weather wasn't so friendly, we spent a wonderful time with Nhien. Our tour changed into a family tour😊. We learned things that went far beyond the history of the place, about Vietnamese culture of the past and present. Highly recommended. Thank you, Nhien!
Imperial city - guide recommended
Asya O,,Dec 23, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00Florence was so good - very knowledgeable and showed and shared spaces that tourists normally do not venture to. If you think of visiting imperial city, I cannot recommend enough taking the tour. You can get lost and not understand much without someone guiding you through it. This was a time well spent in Hue
Related Experiences
Operated by Vietnam Legacy Tours