Tiananmen Sq & Forbidden City/ Palace Museum Private Tour
Overview
Available languages
Mobile ticket
Come and join this half-day Beijing tour to Tiananmen Square and Forbidden City, let a professional tour guide who provides in-depth commentary and shows you the best photo ops make you learn and experience the most in the trip. With us, enjoy a pure sightseeing without any shopping stops. Benefit from our worry-free ticket booking and fast entry priority.
- Wander through Tiananmen Square and witness famous monumental structures
- Admire resplendent palaces of the dynastic era in UNESCO-listed Forbidden City
Additional Info
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Public transportation options are available nearby
Specialized infant seats are available
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Tickets to the Forbidden City require a real-name reservation 7 days in advance and are easily sold out, so you are advised to book the tour as early as possible. Otherwise, international travelers will need to line up at the entrance to buy tickets.
Please provide the correct passport information for booking the real-name tickets. Make sure to carry the same identification when travelling; otherwise, you’ll be refused entry by the scenic areas.
Visitors from China Mainland, Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan must book at least 7 days in advance, and the name to reserve their tickets online should be in Chinese characters.
Note: For bookings made before May 14, this is a join-in group tour. Hotel pickup excluded.
What To Expect
Beijing
At the appointed time in the morning around 08:30, your private guide will pick you up from your hotel lobby and then accompany you to take a taxi or subway to the Tiananmen Square.
Tiananmen Square
Let’s take a leisurely stroll on Tiananmen Square while admiring the brilliant landmark buildings around. Note: To pass through the security check quickly, especially during holidays, we suggest you carry only your passport and bottled water to go through the no-bag passage.
Options
Tiananmen Sq. & Forbidden City
Route: Pick up at your hotel, visit Tiananmen Square and Forbidden City, drop off at your hotel Duration: 4 hours Includes: Professional English-speaking tour guide, entrance fee, public transport fee. Private Tour & No Shopping Note: For bookings made before May 14, this is a join-in group tour. No hotel pickup included. Pickup included
Great Wall & Forbidden City
Classic Route: 1 Day Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City/Palace Museum, Buffet Lunch, Mutianyu Great Wall. Duration: 11 hours All-inclusive: Hotel pickup & drop-off, tickets, Great Wall 2-way cable car or chairlift+toboggan, buffet lunch, guide & driver's services. Best Value Mini Group: Skip the crowded big groups and connect with like-minded travelers, while enjoying an intimate experience with personal care. Pickup included
What‘s Included
Private English speaking tour guide
Entrance fee to the Forbidden City
Public transport fee
Private driver
Gratuities to the guide
Meals
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Reviews
278 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Trip.com and contract tour guides suck.
JUNYA M,May 14, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
2.00I didn't need a guide, but I had no choice but to pay a high price to sign up for a guided tour in English, because it was very difficult to get into the free Tiananmen Square and book the National Palace Museum on my own. The guide didn't show up at the meeting place at all, but showed up about 20 minutes late for the meeting time. On the way, he called me once, but of course he couldn't speak the language and the call was cut off. I didn't know what to do, so I thought about it, because the meeting place was the hotel, so I asked the front desk staff at the hotel to call me at the phone number they called, and I had them talk to the guide, who assured me that they would come to the meeting place. What does it mean to have a non-speaking guide arrive late to the meeting place in a non-speaking country? It's unthinkable in Japan, and if you do this, you'll be in trouble. They were also not released near the exit of the National Palace Museum, and were directed to tip what they were doing. Also, I was unable to go because my reservation at another facility that I had booked for no reason was cancelled the day before. If you had told me sooner, I would have gone the day before. Even if I'm only refunded the money, I might never get a chance to go again. Trip.com and the guides suck.
Great half day tour
Tina Q,May 4, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00We really enjoyed the tour with our guide Helen. Tiananamen Square and the Forbidden Coty were incredible and we learned loads from Helen who was great :)
Michael was an excellent...
Caroline D,Apr 28, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Michael was an excellent tour guide. He provided so much information about the historic context and cultural significance of the buildings and features around Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. He also gave us a recommendation for dinner that was delicious. We would highly recommend this tour.
PERFECT!!
luciem486,Apr 24, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00The experience was perfect and Helen is really available and nice
Excellent tour from Rocky
Jack D,Apr 23, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Enjoyable and informative tour by our terrific guide Rocky. He was even kind enough to take some excellent photos.
Excellent tour of Forbidden City
Ali M,Apr 14, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Jessica was an excellent guide. She took us to many interesting sites and explained the facts in an engaging fashion
Rushed, waste of money
Shannon A,Apr 2, 2026
- Review from Viator
2.00Very rushed. Our tour guide Michael kept running off had to race to keep up. We had limited opportunities to look around. Tiananmen square he gave us an overview of why communism is great and so is Stalin's year plan. Then we had 20 miinutes to run around the square on our own while he waited for us to come back. In the Forbidden city, he kept running off and then getting annoyed that we couldn't keep up because we were trying to look around. Thankfully, we didn't include the great wall part of the tour so we left the group and had the opportunity to explore the Forbidden city on our own and redo all the areas Michael made us rush through. This tour was a waste of money. Very little was said about the places we visited.
Great Tour
Sarah F,Apr 1, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Michael Ren was an awesome tour guide who was both enthusiastic and kind. He provided us with lots of historical knowledge and made the tour very enjoyable.
Easy and fun day
Mark B,Apr 1, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00Having a guide made the whole day easy. From pick up, tickets, entry, tour, lunch,+++, all day. We spent just enough time at each location that I felt good about the visit. I now understand the layout of the areas and can do longer visits next time I am in Beijing.
The easiest way to do the Forbidden City
priyanwadag2023,Mar 31, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We had a wonderful experience visiting the Forbidden City in Beijing. We didn’t want to wander aimlessly and with the language barrier, it can be difficult to fully understand what you’re seeing, so we decided to go with a tour. It was absolutely worth it. From the very beginning our guide Helen stood out. She went out of her way to find us at the meeting point and gave clear practical instructions on what to carry so we could move through security smoothly. Somehow, she got us through incredibly fast while we saw many other groups stuck in long queues. During the tour, she brought the Forbidden City to life by blending history with modern context in a way that felt natural and engaging. It never felt like a memorised script, which made the experience much more enjoyable. She also made sure we had time to take photos along the way. I would have personally loved a bit more time, but given that it’s a group tour and we covered a lot of ground the pacing made sense. What stood out the most was how she handled a small mishap on our end. I accidentally left my phone charger on the bus and Helen went completely out of her way to send it to the Great Wall (our next day stop) and leave it at a restaurant for us to collect. She was incredibly kind about it and didn’t make us feel like it was an inconvenience at all. Overall, it was a very knowledge filled, thoughtful and enjoyable experience. I would definitely recommend this tour, and if you can, ask specifically for Helen.
Related Experiences
Operated by Travel China Guide