Forbidden City Small-Group Guided Tour (Up to 15)

Explore Beijing's Forbidden City on a 3–3.5 hour small-group guided tour with bilingual commentary and optional Treasure and Clock Hall access.

Getting started

Meet your professional guide at the designated meeting location before entry and present the passport used for your booking. The guide obtains your Forbidden City tickets, distributes earphones, and organizes the small-group of about 15 people. You then enter via Meridian Gate and begin the south-to-north route that structures every visit through the complex.

What to expect

Forbidden City

This guided tour follows an in-depth south-to-north walking route through the Forbidden City, focusing on key ceremonial, residential, and collection spaces over approximately 3–3.5 hours.

Features

• Your expert Mandarin and English-speaking guide leads a small-group join-in tour of around 15 guests, using earphones so you can clearly follow commentary without needing to stand close at every stop.

• The route begins at Meridian Gate and continues through the Gate of Supreme Harmony, Hall of Supreme Harmony, Hall of Central Harmony, and Hall of Preserving Harmony, where you focus on the main Harmony halls and palaces that defined imperial ceremony.

• Depending on the option selected, you enter the Clock Hall and Clock gallery or walk through the Clock gallery with guided explanations of key treasures from outside, learning how these timepieces fit into palace life.

• According to your chosen variant, you access the Treasure Hall and Treasure gallery or follow a walk-through visit of the Treasure gallery with your guide highlighting important pieces from outside the display areas.

• Residential and ceremonial areas such as Yanxi Palace, Chengqian Palace, Hall of Union, Palace of Earthly Tranquility, Palace of Heavenly Purity, Yongshou Palace, Kunyi Palace, and Chuxiu Palace are included on the itinerary, with your guide adjusting the sequence on the day as needed.

• The tour concludes with a visit to the Imperial Garden, where your guide points out remaining features before you continue north to exit the Forbidden City through Shenwu Gate or Donghua Gate on your own.

Wrapping up

You can choose between three variants: a Guided Tour with Treasure House Access, a Guided Tour with Treasure and Clock Halls, or a Guided Tour, Excluding Inner Hall Access where entry to the inner hall is not included. After the guided portion ends near the northern area, you exit independently from Shenwu Gate or Donghua Gate and can plan the rest of your day from there.