Castles · Tour
Bring the Passport, Look for the Panda Flag, and 70% of It Is Stories
Ratings collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
BeijingDepartures run through the day, and at booking you choose whether to add Tian'anmen Square or go straight to the Forbidden City. The tour lasts 2 to 3 hours and all entry tickets are included, which in Beijing is the part that goes wrong most often: the ticketing procedure is handled for you. The guides have been doing this for more than 15 years. The local saying is that visiting the Forbidden City is 70 per cent stories and 30 per cent palace, and the tour is built that way: the buildings are enormous but silent, and what fills them is what the guide tells you. When the guided part ends you can stay inside and walk the palace at your own pace. One requirement: bring your actual valid passport.
What's included
- If you choose 2 Hour Forbidden City Tour, you will only visit Forbidden City
- Group tour includes a professional guide
- Fobiddden city entrance fee
- If you choose the Tian'anmen Square option entry ticket is included
Itinerary
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Xi Cheng Qu, Qian Men Xi Da Jie, Beiping Traditional Business Msm., 正阳市场3号楼
China, Bei Jing Shi, Xi Cheng Qu, Qian Men Xi Da Jie, 正阳市场3号楼 邮政编码: 100031
Look for the panda bear flag. 7:30 am, 9:30 am and 11:30 am departures: the Tian'anmen Square and Forbidden City tour. By taxi: the Laoshe Teahouse, 请带我去前门老舍茶馆. By subway: line 2 to Qianmen Station, exit C, then 300 metres along Qianmen West Street.
Dong Cheng Qu, Nan Chi Zi Da Jie, 53号内院
China, Bei Jing Shi, Dong Cheng Qu, Nan Chi Zi Da Jie, 53号内院 邮政编码: 100006
Facing the Meridian Gate, on your right, by the east entrance of the square. 1. From Tian'anmen Square: you have to reserve entry to the square yourself, and the security queue can take 1 to 3 hours. Not recommended. 2. By taxi: Donghuamen (东华门-景山前街4号), then a 15-minute walk along the moat. 3. By subway: line 8 to Jinyu Hutong, then 25 minutes or more on foot.
Beijing
There are two packages, with different meeting points and times. Check carefully which one you have booked. You must bring your actual valid passport. Option 1: Tian'anmen Square and Forbidden City group tour. Start times 7:30 am, 9:30 am and 11:30 am. Meet in front of the Laoshe Teahouse. Option 2: 2-hour Forbidden City group tour. Start times 8:30 am, 10:30 am, 12:30 pm and 2:00 pm. Meet at the Meridian Gate, the main entrance of the Forbidden City.
Tiananmen Square
Option 1 starts at Tian'anmen Square, the geographical centre of Beijing and the largest city square in the world at 440,000 square metres. The guide covers the square and the buildings around it as the group walks towards the Forbidden City. Note: in peak season the security checks at Tian'anmen are strict, and the wait can be long. If it looks like more than an hour, the guide may suggest a bus ride past the square instead, because an hour spent queueing is an hour taken off the Forbidden City. That change is only made if most of the group agrees.
The Palace Museum
Inside the Forbidden City the guide finds a quiet place to sit and sets out the ground: the Ming and the Qing, and how the palace worked. The walk then stops at different points for what the guide calls story time. The tour also takes in the museums inside the complex, where the Ming and Qing treasures are kept.
Hall of Great Harmony (Taihe Dian)
The route passes the main buildings and the east and west chambers; the itinerary lists them in full. The courtyards and halls are walked with the guide, who covers the history as you go.
Hall of Preserving Harmony (Baohedian)
Including the Hall of Supreme Harmony, used for the grand imperial ceremonies; the Hall of Central Harmony, where the emperor rested and prepared before a ritual; and the Hall of Preserving Harmony, used for royal banquets and for the imperial examination.
Palace of Heavenly Purity
Then the living quarters: the Palace of Heavenly Purity, which was the emperor's bedroom and office, the Hall of Union, a symbolic hall for the imperial couple, and the Palace of Earthly Tranquillity, the empress's residence. The guide supplies the stories behind each of them.
The Imperial Garden of The Palace Museum
Option 2 covers the Forbidden City only. It includes the entry ticket and the guide, and lasts about 2 hours. Arrive on time: latecomers cannot join.
Xi Cheng Qu, 景山景山西街44号南门
The tour ends at the north gate of the Forbidden City.
Not included
- Hotel pick up and drop-off
- Gratuites
- Meals
Good to know
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
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- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
- Your passport name and number are required at time of booking (for all participants)
- Please don't forget to bring your passport, you may be refused entry without it.
- 0-3 Years old infant is free, children have to purchase tickets as well
- Tian'anmen Square might close without advance notice due to government activity, if this happens you will skip the Square
- Tour departs punctually. Please arrive 10 minutes early. Once the tour left, you are unable to join the tour, and this tour is not refundable.
- Chinese citizens, including customers from Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan, need to reserve the tickets for the Palace Museum 7 days in advance. Once the tickets for the Palace Museum are sold out, it will be impossible to participate in this itinerary. In addition, according to the regulations of the Palace Museum, Chinese citizens can only choose to reserve tickets with their ID cards. Therefore, when making a reservation, it is necessary to submit the Chinese name and ID card number, and on the day of the tour, the submitted ID document must be presented to join the tour group.
- In case of peak travel seasons and when all the tickets reserved online for the scenic area are sold out, tourists are required to go to the ticket office of the scenic area by themselves under the guidance of the tour guide to handle the purchase of paper tickets on-site. Please be informed.
- Since this is a small - group itinerary, your punctual arrival at the meeting point is essential for a seamless travel experience. Tiananmen Square and the Palace Museum have strict regulations and procedures. If you are late, it may unfortunately prevent you from joining the tour and entering the Palace Museum. Due to the unique nature of the itinerary arrangements, in the event that lateness causes you to miss the tour, we regret that we will not be able to process a refund. We highly recommend that you communicate with your hotel in advance to accurately confirm the travel time from the hotel to the meeting point and make sufficient preparations. This way, you can embark on your journey with ease and enjoy every moment of it.
- In Peak season, the security checks at Tiananmen Square are particularly stringent. If the waiting time exceeds one hour, we recommend considering a bus ride that passes by the square. Given the sweltering heat, waiting in line for an extended period increases the risk of heat - related illnesses. Additionally, spending too much time at the square could detract from your experience at the iconic Forbidden City, which is a highlight of our tour. We will only proceed with this alternative if the majority of the group is in agreement. Please keep this in mind as we plan our visit.
- This tour is not recommended for travelers with physical/visual impairments or mobility restrictions due to varied terrain (underground passages, stairs) and the length of the tour. Please note that this tour covers 4 hours of walking.
- Up to 15 travelers per booking.
- Mobile or paper ticket accepted
- Guiding available in: en.
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