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
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)
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
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)
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
Reviews
263 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
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
Great depth of knowledge
Navigate324868,,Dec 23, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Nhien was an excellent guide. Very knowledgeable and I would recommend her. She was able to paint a picture of what it would have been like living there for the various residents all through the ages.
Great Enjoyable Tour
7September,,Dec 23, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Thanks to the great knowledge of Ms Hoa were were able to enjoy the tour with lots of good information and a very pleasant afternoon. Ms Hoa's amazing knowledge not only walk us around but entertained us with lots of helpful presentation and answered all the questions. We truly enjoyed our time with this tour which we highly recommend.
Informative and welcoming
740megano,,Dec 22, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
4.00Nhien was so great! Really informative and answered all our questions. Just the right amount of time to look around without it been a full day. Nhien was great at recommending other places to go and really informative of the history of the buildings and culture. She also took loads of pictures for us that was really kind.
Great walking tour of the imperial city of Hue
Y5241UGchristianes,,Dec 20, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Nhien just led us through the imperial ancient city of Hue. It was a very informative and entertaining tour. Nhien has a great living way of explaining everything. Thank you Christiane and Mathias
The walking tour was insightful, fascinating, and captivating. Walking the palace and citadel grounds was a wonderful
Matt H,,Dec 19, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Very informative and leisurely. Ha was a fantastic guide and could tell you anything you wanted to know about the various temples and living spaces
Great Imperial City Tour
zinniax2018,,Dec 18, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Nhien was a wonderful tour guide! We were lucky to be the only two on the tour so got a private tour of the imperial city. Nhien was very knowledgeable about the history and told us many stories and answered our questions. She also offered to take many photos for us. Highly recommend — we had a wonderful time.
An amazingly educational tour from Hoa!
Tom H,,Dec 15, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00A really interesting trip and Hoa was so knowledgeable! We booked a group tour but ended up having a private tour! We feel much more educated, thank you so much!
Stunning Historical Tour
Nicky M,,Dec 13, 2025
- Review from Viator
5.00Sue was an incredible tour guide! Very insightful and well executed. Highly recommend this tour!! Great for photo taking and to learn so much about Vietnam’s complex history
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Operated by Vietnam Legacy Tours