How to Visit the Forbidden City - An Insider’s Guide

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As you know, the Forbidden City is the largest imperial palace worldwide and contains thousands of buildings. A visit inside can be both eye-opening and challenging. When planning a Forbidden City trip, consider your schedule and physical strength and skip some less-important spots if necessary. Here is an insider's Forbidden City travel guide for you to arrange a tour with different lengths.
 

The six most popular halls line along the central axis from south to north, respectively:

 Hall of Supreme Harmony - The place where the emperor ascended his throne and granted audience to visiting officials and where other important ceremonies were celebrated.

 Hall of Central Harmony - The place where the emperor rested on his way to the Hall of Supreme Harmony and interviewed ministers or officials from the Ministry of Rites; rehearsals for ceremonies were also held here.

 Hall of Preserved Harmony - Imperial banquets were often held here to entertain high officials. Emperors presided the final national examinations to select officials from intellectuals all over the country in this hall.

 Palace of Heavenly Purity - The bedroom and office of emperors. They also gave banquets here.

Inside Hall of Central Harmony

Forbidden City

 Hall of Celestial and Terrestrial Union - Empresses received greetings from other concubines here. It was used to store the emperor and empress's imperial seals.

 Palace of Earthly Tranquility - The empress' bedroom.

Besides the halls, the Treasure Gallery in the Palace of Tranquil Longevity and the Clock and Watch Gallery in the Hall for Ancestry Worship should not be missed.

Now, with the help of Forbidden City map, start your tour from the Meridian Gate - the only entrance to the Forbidden City!
 

Meridian Gate → Gate of Supreme Harmony → Hall of Spreading Righteousness → Hall of Supreme Harmony → Hall of Central Harmony → Hall of Preserved Harmony → Gate of Heavenly Purity → Palace of Heavenly Purity → Hall of Celestial and Terrestrial Union → Palace of Earthly Tranquility → Imperial Garden → Gate of Divine Prowess

For tourists with a tight schedule, this is the most ideal visiting itinerary as it assembles the most magnificent imperial buildings in the Forbidden City.

Gate of Heavenly Purity

Imperial Garden

Meridian Gate → Hall of Literary Glory (Painting Gallery) → Gate of Supreme Harmony → Hall of Supreme Harmony → Hall of Central Harmony → Hall of Preserved Harmony → Hall for Ancestry Worship (Clock and Watch Gallery) → Palace of Heavenly Purity → Hall of Celestial and Terrestrial Union → Palace of Earthly Tranquility → Hall of Mental Cultivation → Six Western Palaces → Imperial Garden → Gate of Divine Prowess
 

Meridian Gate → Hall of Martial Valor (Pottery Gallery) → Gate of Supreme Harmony → Hall of Supreme Harmony → Hall of Central Harmony → Hall of Preserved Harmony → Palace of Heavenly Purity → Hall of Celestial and Terrestrial Union → Palace of Earthly Tranquility → Six Eastern Palaces → Hall of Abstinence → Palace of Tranquil Longevity (Treasure Gallery & Opera Museum) → Gate of Divine Prowess

The two half-day routes are similar, with slight differences in the selected galleries. Tourists can choose either according to personal interest.

Gate of Divine Prowess

Chengguang Gate

Meridian Gate → Hall of Martial Valor (Pottery Gallery) → Hall of Literary Glory (Painting Gallery) → Gate of Supreme Harmony → Hall of Supreme Harmony → Hall of Central Harmony → Hall of Preserved Harmony → Palace of Heavenly Purity → Hall of Celestial and Terrestrial Union → Palace of Earthly Tranquility → Hall of Mental Cultivation → Six Western Palaces → Imperial Garden → Six Eastern Palaces → Hall for Ancestry Worship (Clock and Watch Gallery) → Palace of Tranquil Longevity (Treasure Gallery) → Gate of Divine Prowess

This itinerary gathers all highlights in the Forbidden City. It requires physical strength as you need to take a long walk. You need to take some food for the one-day visit because there are few restaurants inside the Forbidden City and the food is costly.
 

1. Consider booking a guided tour for a better travel experience. It saves you the trouble of booking tickets online and queuing to collect tickets on the spot and helps to make your trip more organized. A knowledgeable Forbidden City guide can ensure you a fun trip even if you do not know much about Chinese history.

2. Jingshan Park opposite to the Gate of Divine Prowess is the best place to have a panoramic view of the imperial palace. Visitors are highly advised to combine your Forbidden City trip with Jingshan Park.

3. After getting out from Gate of Divine Prowess, you can go to the northwest or northeast Corner Towers to take some amazing photos. 

4. Wear comfortable shoes for the long walk.