# Palace Museum (Forbidden City) (故宫博物院)

Beijing, Beijing Municipality · North China, China · Guidebook rating: 5/5
Canonical: https://cnatrip.com/en/places/palace-museum-forbidden-city
Language: en

## Key facts

- **Admission:** Peak season ¥60; off-season ¥40; Treasure Gallery ¥10; Clock Gallery ¥10
- **Opening hours:** 8:30–16:30 (off-season); 8:30–17:00 (peak season). Closed on Mondays. Entry stops 50 minutes before closing
- **Time needed:** 3–6 hours
- **Getting there:** Near Tiananmen Square West (bus stop), Tiananmen Square East (bus stop), Tiananmen East (subway station)
- **Good for:** History & Culture, Architecture, Hiking & Outdoors, Photography

## About Palace Museum (Forbidden City)

Pass through the Tiananmen Gate archway and walk north along the brick-paved road, and you will be awed by a vast, towering complex of buildings. Yes, you are entering the former Forbidden City.
The Forbidden City is the largest and best-preserved palace complex in the world. It measures 753 metres from east to west and 961 metres from north to south, covering 720,000 square metres, with 9,999½ rooms in total. Twenty-four emperors lived here. Together with Versailles, Buckingham Palace, the White House and the Kremlin, it is counted among the world's five great palaces.
The palaces of the Forbidden City are arranged along a north–south central axis and extend outward to either side, with a straight north–south alignment and strict bilateral symmetry. The rigorous symmetry of its architecture creates an unwavering sense of authority and a distinctive rhythm that cannot be imitated.
The Forbidden City can broadly be divided into two parts. The south was the zone of political activity, known as the Outer Court, while the north was the living quarters, known as the Inner Court. The three great halls of the Outer Court, the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Hall of Central Harmony and the Hall of Preserving Harmony, are the most captivating buildings in the Forbidden City. The Inner Court was where the emperor conducted daily affairs and where he and his consorts lived.
The Palace Museum houses precious artworks from China's many dynasties, numbering in the millions by some counts and accounting for more than one-sixth of the nation's total cultural relics, many of them unique national treasures. Pausing before these dazzling treasures, you can still sense the opulence of imperial life and the weathered sense of history it has left behind.

## Tips from the guidebook

- Grandeur and Refinement
- Touring the Forbidden City is first and foremost about experiencing its vast, commanding presence, but take time to appreciate its architectural artistry as well. The buildings are constructed of timber frames with yellow glazed-tile roofs and white marble-and-stone bases, decorated with gilded, brilliantly coloured paintwork. Both the materials and the construction techniques are exceptionally refined.

---
Source: China Self-Guided Travel 2025 (《中国自助游》, Tianjin Science & Technology Press, Aug 2024), p. 1617. Prices, hours and transport details are as printed in the August 2024 edition and may have changed. Always confirm with the venue before you travel.
Site: China Trip (https://cnatrip.com) — independent China travel guide in 13 languages.