Do I need to book Forbidden City tickets in advance?

Yes. The Palace Museum uses a real-name reservation system with a daily visitor cap. Tickets typically sell out 1–7 days ahead in peak season.

What is the entrance fee for the Forbidden City?

Standard admission is 60 RMB in peak season (April–October) and 40 RMB in off-season (November–March). Source: en.dpm.org.cn.

Which gate should I use to enter?

Enter through the Meridian Gate (Wumen) at the south. Exit through the Gate of Divine Prowess (Shenwumen) at the north or the East Prosperity Gate.

Is the Forbidden City open on Mondays?

No. The museum is closed every Monday except on national holidays. Plan around it.

Forbidden City Palace Museum Tickets & Tours 2026 — Visitor Guide

Address	4 Jingshan Front Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing
Peak season ticket	60 RMB (1 Apr – 31 Oct)
Off-season ticket	40 RMB (1 Nov – 31 Mar)
Opening hours	8:30 – 17:00 (peak) · 8:30 – 16:30 (off-season). Last entry one hour before closing.
Closed	Every Monday (except national holidays)
Reservation	Real-name booking required, daily visitor cap applies
Entry gate	Meridian Gate (Wumen) — south side only
Suggested time	3–4 hours (half day); 6+ hours for a deep dive

What the Forbidden City actually is — and why people queue for it

The Forbidden City — formally the Palace Museum (故宫博物院, Gùgōng Bówùyuàn) — was the seat of Chinese imperial power from 1420 to 1912. Twenty-four emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties lived, ruled and intrigued inside its 720,000 m² walled enclosure. Today it is the world's largest preserved wooden palace complex, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1987, and one of the most-visited museums on Earth, with annual visitor numbers regularly exceeding 17 million.

It also happens to be one of the easier landmarks in Beijing to get wrong as a tourist. The complex is enormous, the ticketing system is digital-only and real-name, photography rules vary by hall, and the south-to-north walking path is one-directional. This guide is built around the questions visitors actually ask us — what to book, when to go, which gate to use, and which halls and gardens are worth the extra walk.

A quick orientation

Layout: a 961 m long rectangle on a north-south axis, surrounded by a 52 m wide moat and 10 m high walls.
Two halves: the Outer Court in the south (ceremonial, state business) and the Inner Court in the north (private quarters of emperor and family).
Buildings: roughly 980 structures and about 8,700 rooms by traditional count.
Collection: over 1.86 million catalogued objects, of which only a small fraction is on display at any one time.

In practical terms, you cannot see everything in one visit. A normal ticket gets you onto the central axis and through the main outer halls, the Inner Court palaces, and the Imperial Garden at the north end. Special exhibitions — the Treasure Gallery and the Clock Gallery inside the eastern Palace of Tranquil Longevity area — usually require small extra fees.

Tickets, prices and how the reservation system works

The Palace Museum sells e-tickets only. There is no paper ticket window for general admission. Each ticket is tied to one government ID or passport — the system is called real-name reservation, and the entry gate scans both your QR code and your document. If the name does not match, you are turned away.

Official prices, current at the time of publishing:

Peak season (1 Apr – 31 Oct): 60 RMB adult full ticket.
Off-season (1 Nov – 31 Mar): 40 RMB adult full ticket.
Treasure Gallery: +10 RMB. Clock Gallery: +10 RMB.
Half price: students with valid ID, seniors 60+ (in some periods free), children 6–18.
Free: children under 6 or under 1.2 m height, with an accompanying ticketed adult.

Source: en.dpm.org.cn. We update these figures when the museum announces changes; verify on the official site or on the booking page before your visit.

Booking — the part most visitors get wrong

The official channel is the Palace Museum WeChat mini-program and website, which requires a Chinese phone number for SMS verification. This is the single biggest pain point for foreign visitors. Workarounds:

Book via a licensed partner platform. Klook, Trip.com and similar handle the real-name registration in English and email you a QR code. Slightly more expensive than the bare ticket, but it works in five minutes from a hotel lobby.
Have your Chinese-speaking guide book on your behalf. Tour operators are used to this.
Visit the foreign passport counter at Wumen Gate on the day, if same-day inventory remains. This is rare in spring and summer — do not rely on it.

Tickets are released seven days in advance at 20:00 Beijing time. In peak weeks (May, October National Day, Spring Festival) the daily 40,000-ticket allocation can be claimed within minutes.

Opening hours and the days to avoid

Hours are simple but the closures are easy to miss:

Peak season: 8:30 – 17:00. Ticket sales close at 16:00; last entry 16:10.
Off-season: 8:30 – 16:30. Last entry 15:40.
Closed every Monday except on national holidays. On a public-holiday Monday, the following Tuesday usually closes instead.
Lunar New Year and 1 October see hard caps and queue lines from 7:00 outside Tiananmen.

Our recommendation, after years of watching visitor flow at the gates: arrive at opening time, walk fast through the central halls, and double back to the side palaces by 10:30 when the tour-group wave hits. A 13:00 entry on a sunny day in May means you will be photographing roof tiles over other people's heads.

Entering — gates, security and the path

One-way only:

Enter via the Meridian Gate (Wumen, 午门) on the south side. This is the only entrance.
Exit via the Gate of Divine Prowess (Shenwumen, 神武门) at the north, or the East Prosperity Gate (Donghuamen).

You cannot return south through the main axis once you have walked north. Plan accordingly — do not leave a backpack with a friend "by the entrance" and expect to meet there later. Security is airport-style: liquids, lighters, and large camera tripods are restricted.

The "secret" of side entries

There is no genuinely secret entrance, but two practical tips most visitors miss:

The foreign passport lane at Wumen is usually shorter than the Chinese-ID lane.
For exit, Donghuamen (East) drops you near Wangfujing for lunch; Shenwumen (North) is your move if you want to climb Jingshan Park for the famous bird's-eye photo.

The buildings to prioritise on a half-day visit

If you have three to four hours, walk the central axis and add two side detours:

Hall of Supreme Harmony (Taihedian, 太和殿) — the largest wooden hall in China, throne room for coronations.
Hall of Central Harmony and Hall of Preserving Harmony — the two smaller axis halls.
Palace of Heavenly Purity (Qianqinggong) — the emperor's official residence.
Imperial Garden (Yuhuayuan) at the north end — rockeries, ancient cypresses, and a moment of green before exiting.
Side detour 1: the Treasure Gallery in the eastern Palace of Tranquil Longevity — jade, gold, and the famous Nine Dragon Screen.
Side detour 2: the Clock Gallery — European mechanical clocks gifted to the Qing emperors.

Read more in our dedicated pages: Hall of Supreme Harmony and Imperial Garden.

Honest tips from someone who walks it often

"After my third visit I stopped trying to 'see everything'. Pick three halls and a side gallery, sit on a stone bench for ten minutes in the Imperial Garden, and let the place be quiet. That is the visit worth remembering." — Editor's note

Wear flat shoes. You will walk 4–6 km on uneven stone.
Bring water. Stalls inside are limited and pricey.
Use the museum's free Wi-Fi and the official app for English audio.
Restrooms at the Outer Court are usually busy — there are quieter ones near the Imperial Garden.
Photography: outdoor courts are fine; some interiors prohibit flash or any photos. Watch for signs.

Combining the visit with nearby sights

The Forbidden City sits at the centre of historical Beijing, so a one-day plan often pairs naturally with:

Tiananmen Square — directly south, separated by a short walk under Tiananmen Gate (also requires advance booking).
Jingshan Park — directly north across the street; the hill gives the postcard view of the golden roofs.
Beihai Park — five minutes west; lake, white pagoda, and a lighter pace.
Wangfujing — east; food, shopping, hotels.

Frequently asked questions

Can I buy a ticket on the day at the gate?

In theory yes, only at the foreign-passport counter at Wumen, but inventory is unreliable. In peak season you should assume no.

Do children need a ticket?

Children under 6 years or shorter than 1.2 m enter free with a ticketed adult, but they still need a reservation record under the real-name system. Older children pay half.

Is there a guided tour in English?

Yes — official audio guides are available at Wumen, and licensed human guides can be hired at the gate or pre-booked through tour platforms.

How much time is realistic?

Half a day for a focused visit. A full day if you add both gallery extras and a slow lunch.

Are wheelchairs allowed?

Yes. Wheelchair-accessible routes follow the central axis. Steeper side detours, especially the Treasure Gallery, are partially accessible only.