Forbidden City Large-Group Guided Tour

Explore Beijing's Forbidden City in a large-group guided tour with a Mandarin and English-speaking guide, earphones, and gallery options.

Getting started

Meet your guide at the designated meeting location before entering the Forbidden City via Meridian Gate. Present your passport so the guide can obtain your admission ticket and organize the large join-in group of around 30 or more people. Once everyone has their earphones and a brief orientation, you will enter together and begin the south-to-north palace route.

What to expect

Forbidden City

This guided tour follows the required south-to-north visiting route through the Forbidden City palace complex. Over approximately 3 to 3.5 hours, or about 2 to 2.5 hours for the 14:00 session, you move from the central ceremonial axis into key palaces, galleries, and finally the Imperial Garden.

Features

• Your large-group guided tour of the palace complex is led by an expert Mandarin and English-speaking guide, who uses included earphones so you can follow the commentary clearly even in busy areas. The group format is join-in, with around 30+ participants sharing the experience.

• The visit begins at Meridian Gate and continues through the Gate of Supreme Harmony toward the Halls of Harmony, including Hall of Supreme Harmony, Hall of Central Harmony, and Hall of Preserving Harmony, where your guide explains their ceremonial roles from designated viewing areas.

• Depending on the option selected, your guided route includes a walk-through visit of the Treasure gallery, a walk-through visit of the Clock gallery, or both, with key treasures introduced and interpreted from outside the galleries while you make your way through the interior spaces.

• Along the way you pass and hear about sites such as the Nine-dragon wall, Yanxi Palace, Jingren Palace, Chengqian Palace, Hall of Union, Palace of Earthly Tranquility, Palace of Heavenly Purity, Yongshou Palace, Kunyi Palace, and Chuxiu Palace, before concluding in the Imperial Garden.

• Entry to the Forbidden City is included with your booking, and your guide manages ticket collection and access at Meridian Gate so you can focus on the visit. Entry to the Treasure gallery and Clock gallery is included as per the tour variant you select in advance.

• All variants include a visit to Meridian Gate, the Halls of Harmony, and the Imperial Garden, with your guide adjusting the exact sequence according to on-the-day conditions while keeping to the overall south-to-north route through the complex.

Wrapping up

Your guided tour ends at the north side of the Forbidden City near the Imperial Garden, from where you exit via Shenwu Gate or Donghua Gate and make your own way back. You can choose between three variants when booking: Large-Group Guided Tour with No Inner Halls Access, Large-Group Guided Tour with Treasure and Clock Galleries, or Large-Group Guided Tour with Treasure Gallery Only, which differ in whether Treasure gallery and Clock gallery entry is included.