Independent travel guide
Forbidden City
故宫博物院Gùgōng Bówùyuàn
The Palace Museum rewards a one-way plan built around the central ceremonial axis plus one side route. Enter at Meridian Gate, choose either the Treasure Gallery or quieter eastern/western courts, and finish at the Imperial Garden before exiting north.
Paid admission · Checked 2026-08-02
Verified ticket prices
Official pricesAdult ¥60 peak / ¥40 off-season; galleries extra
Adult admission
¥60 peak · ¥40 off-seasonTreasure Gallery
¥10Gallery of Clocks
¥10- Peak season is Apr 1–Oct 31. No same-day tickets; the official channel opens advance inventory.
- The official face value is authoritative; platform prices include reservation or service value.
Reservation required
How to book
Official multilingual Palace Museum ticket site: email sign-in, passport booking and international-card payment.
Book when the official window opens; high-demand dates can fill quickly.
Booking steps
- 1
Open the linked English or multilingual official booking page and select the visit date and ticket type.
- 2
Register with email when requested and enter the passport name and number exactly as printed.
- 3
Pay with a supported international card or listed payment method, then save the confirmation.
Bring the original passport used in the booking and the saved confirmation or platform voucher.
If the recommended route is sold out, compare the official channel and other verified international products; never substitute a Chinese ID number.
Imported official reservation note
No same-day tickets. Palace tickets and the Treasures Hall / Clock Gallery tickets open for booking 7 days ahead at 20:00 (official mini-program), valid only on the visit day. Daily morning/afternoon slots: morning bookings must check in by 12:00, afternoon bookings by the afternoon deadline. Mainland visitors book with an ID only; non-mainland visitors can book with a passport, HK/Macau residents' travel passes, Taiwan residents' travel passes, HK/Macau/Taiwan residence permits or foreigner permanent-residence IDs. One ticket per document per visit day. Some specials (e.g. the Wuying Hall ceramics show) need separate booking. Unused tickets refundable before 24:00 the day before; three no-shows within 180 days block booking for 60 days.
Research checked 2026-08-12About 3.5–5 hours (half a day).
How to visit
The Meridian Gate (south gate) is the only entrance, with one-way south-to-north visiting. You can reach the Meridian Gate via East/West Tongzihe Road (this route avoids Tiananmen Square security when visiting only the palace). Exits are the Gate of Divine Prowess (north gate) or Donghuamen Gate (east gate).
Exit through the Gate of Divine Prowess and continue to Jingshan Park.
- 1Stop 1Meridian Gate
Pass ticket check; you can first climb the Meridian Gate tower to see permanent exhibitions such as the 'Palace Museum Centenary' show, then descend to the square.
- 2Stop 2Gate of Supreme Harmony Square and Hall of Supreme Harmony
First grand hall on the central axis; Wenhua Hall to the east of the square and the Wuying Hall ceramics gallery to the west. Wuying Hall was temporarily closed for maintenance in June–July 2026.
- 3Stop 3Hall of Central Harmony and Hall of Preserving Harmony
The final three grand halls of the central axis; the great carved stone behind the Hall of Preserving Harmony.
- 4Stop 4Palace of Heavenly Purity, Hall of Union and Palace of Earthly Tranquility
The rear three palaces form the Inner Court core; you can pick one of the east/west six palaces to visit.
- 5Stop 5Ningshou Palace area
Treasure Gallery, ¥10 ticket; includes the Nine Dragon Wall, Changyin Pavilion and Zhenfei Well.
- 6Stop 6Hall for Ancestral Worship (Fengxian Hall)
Clock Gallery, ¥10 ticket, featuring the Qing-dynasty clock collection.
- 7Stop 7The Imperial Garden
Duixiu Hill and Qin'an Hall—the final stop before exiting through the Gate of Divine Prowess.
Best time
On weekdays, enter through the Meridian Gate as early as possible after opening (around 8:30) to avoid the post-11am queue peak; or enter 13:00–14:00 when crowds are lighter but visiting time is shorter.
Imported official opening note
Peak (Apr 1–Oct 31): open 08:30, entry stops 16:00, close 17:00 (Treasures/Clock galleries stop at 16:10). Off-season (Nov 1–Mar 31): open 08:30, entry stops 15:30, close 16:30 (galleries stop at 15:40). Closed all day Mondays except statutory holidays.
Research checked 2026-08-12Foreigner notes
Supported: non-mainland visitors can book a real-name slot with a passport in the official mini-program and show the original passport at the gate; entry checks use facial recognition to speed up identity verification (matched in real time, no face data stored).
Booking is done through the official 'Palace Museum' WeChat mini-program. WeChat registration usually needs a phone number (overseas numbers can register too), but the booking document can be a passport and a mainland China phone number is not mandatory.
Payments inside the mini-program are mainly via WeChat Pay. Whether international cards can pay directly is not officially stated—bind WeChat Pay or prepare Alipay in advance. On-site ticket-service windows (Meridian/end-gate area, peak 08:30–16:00, off-peak 08:30–15:30) can handle ticketing matters.
The official site offers English, Japanese, French, Spanish, Russian and more; major signage on site includes English. Talks are mainly in Chinese; audio guides and the official app (including the English 'Palace Museum' app) can be rented/used.
A first visit becomes rushed if it attempts the central axis, both palace wings and every paid gallery. Choose one side according to objects, architecture or crowd tolerance.
Avoid these mistakes
Entering at the wrong gate and being turned away. The Meridian Gate (south gate) is the only entrance; the Gate of Divine Prowess and Donghuamen Gate are exits only. To reach the Meridian Gate without the Forbidden City alone you can use East/West Tongzihe Road and skip Tiananmen Square security.
Continue nearby
Jingshan Park1–1.5 hoursTian'anmen Square1–2 hoursBeihai Park2-3 hours (about 3 hours if you climb the White Dagoba; about 2 hours for the lakeside only)Beijing seasonal itinerary guideBeijing itinerary and seasonal travel guide for a 4–5 days first visit.Beijing food guideIncludes spice, ingredient, allergen and ordering notes for independent travelers.Beijing Travel Guide & MapBeijing travel guide and interactive map for independent travelers.
Sources and evidence
Published by China Trip Primer · Read the editorial and verification methodology
Items to reconfirm
- The ¥60/40 ticket price comes from earlier hard data and long-term official public info, not displayed directly on the cached ticketing page this time. — Open the bookingticket.dpm.org.cn booking page or mini-program ticket calendar to confirm the same-day fare.
- No official statement on whether international bank cards can pay directly in the Palace Museum mini-program. — Test the registration/booking flow with a passport before travelling, or call 400-950-1925.
- Some halls (e.g. the Wuying Hall ceramics gallery) may close temporarily for conservation works; the open scope depends on the same-day notice. — Check the opening notices on dpm.org.cn before travelling.
Official
OfficialRecommended visiting routesPublisher · The Palace Museum
Used forOne-way entry, recommended routes and principal halls
Verified 2026-07-29OfficialPalace Museum online booking (booking notice / individual booking notice)Publisher · The Palace MuseumUsed forUsed to verify the imported ticketing, booking, opening-hours or visitor-guidance fields.
Verified 2026-08-12OfficialPalace Museum official website — visitor guide, opening hours and noticesPublisher · The Palace MuseumUsed forUsed to verify the imported ticketing, booking, opening-hours or visitor-guidance fields.
Verified 2026-08-12Professional guide
Community experience
Venue-specific official pages are used where available. City-level official references provide context and are not booking confirmation; editorial and community sources are used only for route choices, pacing and first-hand experience.
故宫博物院景山前街4号