Castles · Tour
Central, East or West Route, and a Ticket-Only Option with No Tour
A private walking tour with an English-speaking guide, four hours if you take the Forbidden City on its own, longer if you add one of the optional sights. The guide meets you at your hotel downtown or at a set meeting point, and the walk starts at Tian'anmen Square, the largest city-centre square in the world, before going on into the palace and the emperors of the Ming and the Qing. What this itinerary adds is choice inside the walls: the valuable exhibits, and the halls most groups walk past. The Temple of Heaven or the Summer Palace can be added on. One thing to read carefully before booking. There is also a ticket-only option. That is exactly what it says: an entry ticket, with no guide and no pickup.
What's included
- Reserve entry to the Tian'anmen Square
- Private guide service fee (4 hours)
- Entrance ticket to the Forbidden City
- If you book only Forbidden City Ticket there is NO Tour Service
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- Urber between Forbidden city to other sights (If Forbidden city W other sights option selection)
Itinerary
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Tiananmen Square
Start at your hotel, or meet at the Laoshe Tea House, Qianmen branch, near Tian'anmen Square, and walk into the square with the guide once security has been cleared. From outside you see the old Qianmen Gate, the Monument to the People's Heroes and the Great Hall of the People, with the history of each.
The Palace Museum
Two hours walking the palace and its history. There is also the option of booking the entrance ticket alone and going in on your own: bring your valid passport. The Forbidden City was the imperial palace of the Ming and the Qing. For around 500 years it housed the emperors and their households, and it was the ceremonial and political centre of the Chinese state. The route: the palace divides in two. The southern half, the Outer Court, is where the emperor governed. The northern half, the Inner Court, is where he lived with his family. You can take the central route, the east route or the west route depending on what interests you, and the Treasure House is on the east route. Afterwards you make your own way back by public transport.
Temple of Heaven
This applies to the option combining the Forbidden City with the Temple of Heaven. After the palace, the guide takes you by Didi or subway to the Temple of Heaven, where the emperors of the Ming and Qing worshipped the god of heaven. It is now a large park, and the locals use the space for taiji and other practice, which happens around the old buildings rather than behind a rope.
Not included
- Transportation to the Forbidden City (If the Option for T Square W Forbidden city 4 hour Tour)
- Meals (lunch & dinner)
- Gratuity (for good service)
- Transportation (hotel drop off)
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- Hotel Pick-up within 4th ring road (transportation to the Tian'anmen Square probably costs $50)
Good to know
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
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- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Dress code is smart casual
- Please note: Forbidden City is closed every Monday, except the Chinese public holidays
- Chinese citizens need to book the tour one week in advance
- Tian'anmen square might be closed due to the political activities without announcement and if this is the case we will replace with Jinshan Park but there is no refund due to it is free anyway
- Not recommended clients have walking problems for entering the Square
- Up to 15 travelers per booking.
- Mobile or paper ticket accepted
- Guiding available in: de, en, it, fr, es.
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