The Lonely Planet information to Beijing’s Forbidden Metropolis

The ghosts of the emperors of China hang-out the 9999 rooms of the world’s largest palace complicated, the Forbidden Metropolis in Beijing. This lavish imperial residence and administrative headquarters was as soon as the hub of an empire stretching for 14.7 million sq km (5.7 million sq miles), protecting huge swaths of japanese and central Asia.   

Till 1924, entry to anybody other than the emperor and authorised courtiers, dignitaries and relations was forbidden on ache of dying. After the final emperor abdicated, this huge complicated of palaces and royal courtyards was became a museum, and it’s the one completely unmissable cease in a metropolis full of must-see sights. 

Pair it with a go to to close by Tiananmen Sq. and also you’ll get a strong sense of China’s historical past, each historical and trendy, and the political, navy and social forces which have formed the world’s third-largest and second most populous nation. 

Get the lowdown on Beijing’s Forbidden Metropolis with our information to one of the best methods to discover this world-class surprise. 

What’s the historical past of the Forbidden Metropolis?

The world’s largest palace was initially constructed between 1406 and 1420 because the official residence of the Ming emperor, Zhu Di, after he moved the imperial capital from Nanjing to Beijing. Greater than 1,000,000 employees toiled to lift its courtyards and pavilions utilizing stone quarried from the mountains round Beijing and timber hauled from throughout China. 

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In 1644, the palace was captured – together with town – by Li Zicheng, founding father of the short-lived Shun dynasty, however he was rapidly changed by the Shunzhi Emperor, founding father of the Qing dynasty, which dominated China till the tip of imperial rule within the early Twentieth century. 

The Forbidden Metropolis was renamed (and repurposed) because the Palace Museum in 1925, only one yr after Puyi, the final emperor, departed the Internal Courtroom – a narrative evocatively advised in Bernardo Bertolucci’s film, The Final Emperor. The Forbidden Metropolis celebrated its 600th anniversary in 2020, and its a hundredth anniversary as a museum in 2025.

When ought to I am going to the Forbidden Metropolis?

The Palace Museum is open from 8:30am to 5pm (till 4:30pm from November to March) day by day besides Monday, and also you’ll be given a timed morning or afternoon entry slot if you guide your ticket. That is to regulate customer numbers – one thing you’ll admire if you enter the palace compound. Attempt to guide a slot earlier within the day as there’s an enormous quantity to see and also you don’t need to rush the expertise. 

The most effective time to go to Beijing is throughout the spring (from April to Might) or the autumn (from September to October). Wandering across the Forbidden Metropolis might be exhausting throughout the scorching, humid summer time, and whereas the palace has a crisp magnificence in winter, it may be icy chilly.

How a lot time ought to I spend on the Forbidden Metropolis?

Though you’ll be able to discover the highlights of the Forbidden Metropolis in a number of hours, there’s lots right here to maintain you occupied for a full day – it’s a actually colossal place. The Forbidden Metropolis covers 72 hectares (180 acres) of chic palaces and pavilions, grand open areas and historic courtyard dwellings, so that you’ll clock up quite a lot of steps as you discover. Be ready to stroll lengthy distances. 

What’s one of the simplest ways to see the Forbidden Metropolis?

The most well-liked solution to enter is from Tiananmen Sq., by way of the Gate of Heavenly Peace with its well-known portrait of Chairman Mao, however to come back this fashion, you’ll want to order a free Tiananmen Sq. ticket by way of the WeChat app and go by means of the sq.’s vigorous safety. 

When you enter the Forbidden Metropolis, you can’t flip round and reenter Tiananmen Sq., so if you happen to plan to go to each websites, begin with Tiananmen and end with the Forbidden Metropolis. You’ll enter the Forbidden Metropolis correct by way of the Meridian Gate to the north of the Gate of Heavenly Peace, after a safety screening. 

It’s extra simple to enter by way of the east facet of the palace on Donghuamen Dajie as you don’t want a Tiananmen reservation. From right here, you may cross the moat and observe it clockwise across the fringe of the compound to go by means of the Meridian Gate.

Very like the Louvre in Paris, you’ll be able to’t see all of the Forbidden Metropolis directly, so deal with the elements that seize your consideration. Many guests get caught up within the drama of the huge ceremonial halls and parade grounds that make up the southern Outer Courtroom, however do not forget that the true thrill comes from exploring the Internal Courtroom – the labyrinth of courtyards and halls protecting the north half of the complicated, that are laid out on a extra human scale. 

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After you go by means of safety, you’ll be able to choose up an audio tour (¥40/US$5.55) earlier than you enter the Outer Courtroom. It’s also possible to guide a private tour information, or go to on a pre-arranged tour with a information who has confirmed language expertise. 

How a lot do tickets value?

Tickets to enter the Forbidden Metropolis should be reserved on-line by way of the Palace Museum web site earlier than you go to, and so they typically promote out upfront; reserving every week forward is a good suggestion. Strive the “ticket grabbing” service on the official web site if the common quota of tickets is booked out.

Reservations are tied to your passport quantity, so that you need not present a bodily or digital ticket, however you have to your passport to enter. Grownup tickets value ¥60 (US$8.30), dropping to ¥40 (US$5.55) from November to March, and there are reductions for the aged and under-18s; kids below six years enter free of charge.

There’s an extra ¥10 (US$1.40) entry payment to go to the Treasure Gallery, and an additional  ¥10 (US$1.40) payment to view the Gallery of Clocks. 

What ought to I eat and drink on the Forbidden Metropolis? 

You possibly can’t depart and reenter if you happen to really feel peckish. Thankfully, there are a number of locations to eat contained in the grounds. The best (ahem) possibility is the cafe set contained in the Bingjiao icehouse, a part of a historic courtyard residence within the Palace of Tranquility and Compassion within the western part of the compound. 

What are the Forbidden Metropolis’s must-sees?

Except you’ve all day, it is best to deal with the grand buildings of the Outer Courtroom, and only one or two sections of the Internal Courtroom – all are fascinating and the Treasure Galley is a selected spotlight. With a full day, you’ll be able to delve deeper into the mysteries of the Internal Courtroom, and get a stronger sense of the structured lives of its imperial residents.

The Outer Courtroom

The Outer Courtroom is dominated by the Three Nice Halls – marvels of medieval Chinese language structure rising above huge cobbled courtyards, designed to carry 1000’s of dignitaries and their sedan-chair bearers, guards and servants. Remember to admire the ornate, bannistered stone stairways main as much as the halls, and the painted timbers supporting their sweeping, multi-tiered roofs. 

The Corridor of Supreme Concord is a very powerful and largest construction within the Forbidden Metropolis. It was used for key state events, such because the emperor’s birthday, coronations and the nomination of navy leaders. Contained in the corridor is a richly adorned Dragon Throne, from the place the emperor would preside over trembling officers.

Behind the Corridor of Supreme Concord is the sq. Corridor of Central Concord, which was used because the emperor’s transit lounge. Right here, he would make last-minute preparations, rehearse speeches and obtain ministers. The third of the Nice Halls is the Corridor of Preserving Concord, used for banquets and later for the official examinations used to pick out officers of state.

Palace of Compassion and Tranquillity

Past the buildings of the outer court docket lie the extra intimate areas of the Internal Courtroom, the place the imperial households and their attendants lived a lifetime of gilded luxurious, away from prying eyes. To the west of the Three Nice Halls is the Palace of Compassion and Tranquillity, added in 1536, the place the empresses and consorts of deceased emperors have been obliged to reside, as they weren’t permitted to serve the brand new emperor. 

The primary corridor has a wonderful exhibit of Buddhist statuary, whereas the adjoining Palace of Longevity and Well being shows the interval furnishings of the Empress Dowager Chongqing (1736–77). Instantly south is the Backyard of the Palace of Compassion and Tranquillity, initially reserved for the imperial widows and consorts.

Treasure Gallery

To the east of the Corridor of Preserving Concord, and entered with a separate admission payment, is the intensive Palace of Tranquil Longevity, also referred to as the Treasure Gallery, which the Qianlong Emperor in-built 1771 in preparation for a retirement that he by no means truly took. It includes a sequence of atmospheric halls, gardens and courtyard buildings that show high-quality reveals from the Palace Museum assortment.

Highlights embody the gorgeous 9 Dragon Display screen, with glazed tiles depicting 9 writhing dragons – symbols of energy, luck and longevity – and the Belvedere of Cheerful Melodies, a three-storey picket opera home from 1776. Earlier than you go to the Treasure Gallery, you’ll want to drop by the Gallery of Clocks (additionally accessed with a separate entry payment), with its assortment of vintage timepieces, and the Corridor of Abstinence, the place the emperor would purify himself earlier than vital rituals.

Central Halls

The core configuration of the Outer Courtroom is echoed by the following group of buildings alongside the Forbidden Metropolis’s central axis – the Central Halls, reached by means of the Gate of Heavenly Purity. Although smaller in scale, these pavilions have been extra vital when it comes to actual energy, which in China historically lies on the again door. It was right here that lots of a very powerful choices of state have been made. 

The primary construction is the Palace of Heavenly Purity, a residence of Ming and early Qing emperors, and later an viewers corridor for receiving overseas envoys and excessive officers. Instantly behind it’s the Corridor of Union, which comprises a clepsydra – a water clock made in 1745 with 5 bronze vessels and a calibrated scale. 

On the rear of this part of the compound, the Palace of Earthly Tranquillity was the imperial couple’s bridal chamber and the place the Empress dominated the Internal Courtroom. Past lies the Imperial Backyard, a serene, pavilion-dotted area the place the Imperial household may loosen up in privateness. 

Japanese & Western Palaces

A dozen smaller palace courtyards misinform the east and west of the Central Halls. It was in these self-contained abodes that almost all of China’s emperors lived their day-to-day lives, and lots of the buildings, notably these to the west, are decked out with unique imperial furnishings.

The six japanese palaces have been the personal quarters of imperial consorts and their sons throughout Qing instances. Exhibitions right here show a treasure trove of cultural relics, from ceramics and jade to musical devices and ceremonial bronze vessels. Essentially the most uncommon is the Palace of Prolonging Happiness (aka Yanxi Palace), which options an unfinished Twentieth-century western-style constructing with an intricately carved white marble facade.

The six western palaces embody the Palace of Gathered Class, which comprises images and artifacts regarding the final emperor, Puyi, who lived right here as a toddler ruler. The Palace of Earthly Honour, with its interval interiors, was the place Empress Dowager Cixi obtained courtiers on her fiftieth birthday. 

As a younger consort, the Empress Dowager lived within the Palace of Gathered Class to the north. On the head of the western palaces is the Corridor of Psychological Cultivation, used as a residence and workplace by a succession of emperors. 

Is the Forbidden Metropolis accessible? 

Many elements of the Forbidden Metropolis are accessible for wheelchair customers and people with restricted mobility, with ramps, particular step-free routes and wheelchairs out there for rent, however the interiors of many buildings can solely be accessed by way of steps or throughout raised thresholds. 

This text was tailored from Lonely Planet’s China guidebook, printed in August 2025.