Forbidden City Private Walking Tour with Optional Sights
Description
This private tours includes the Forbidden city with the optional sights. If you select only the Forbidden city tour then the tour contains 4 hours If you select it with others you it has optional sights that will continue to go. your professional English speaking tour guide will meet you at the designated hotel in downtown area or set meeting point and walk to visit the biggest city center square in the world - Tiananmen Square then walk to the largest Imperial Palace to understand the emperors in the Ming & Qing Dynasty. You also can learn more Chinese history from your guide. Highlights: - Visit the biggest square in the world: Tiananmen square; - Efficient way to visit the Forbidden City beating the crowd; - See the valuable exhibits and visit less-know halls of the palace; -Optional other important highlights in Beijing such as Temple of Heaven or Summer Palace If you only choose the Forbidden City Ticket service there is just Ticket Service. No Tour NO Pick-Up
Tour Options
Itinerary
Depart at your own hotel or meet at the specific area called the Lash Tea house at Qianmen Branch near the Tian'anmen Square and walk to the Tian’anmen Square (after all the security check) with our certificated Tour Guide. You are going to see the ancient Qianmen Gate, the Monument to the People’s heroes and the Great Hall of the people from outside and your tour guide will share with you the history and stories behind all the mentioned architectures.
We’ll spend 2 hours wandering around this amazing example of Imperial architecture and learning about the history of the palace. There is another option: Booking entrance ticket with us. Please bring your valid passport to visit and go to the spot on your own. Forbidden City was the imperial palace from the Ming and Qing Dynasties. For around 500 years , it served as the home of emperors and their households, as well as the ceremonial and political center of Chinese government The tour route : Forbidden City is divided into two parts. The southern section, or the Outer Court was where the emperor exercised his supreme power over the nation. The northern section, or the Inner Court was where he lived with his royal family. You can take the central route or East Route or West Route depending your own interests or even visiting the Treasure house on the East route. After the tour, taking the public transportation back to your hotel on your own.
This is option that has the tour with Forbidden city. & Temple of Heaven. After you finish the Forbidden you can continue go with our tour guide to take a didi or subway from the Forbidden city to the Temple of Heaven which used to be a place for worshiping for the God of Heaven in the Ming & Qing Dynasty. Nowadays it turns to a huge park where the locals use the grand space to do some Taiji or practice and you will see amazing ancient architectures and also understand how the emperors used to worship their ancestors and all the Gods.
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Our tour guide will pick you up at the hotel within 4th ring road at the downtown area or at the designated meeting place like the Lash Tea house at Qianmen Branch near the Square if you live far away from the downtown area or come from the airport. Then you will take the public transportation or taxi on your own cost or just walk to the Tian'anmen Square. Please book the tour one week before the travel date, otherwise we cannot guarantee that you will be able to get the tickets to the Forbidden City. If you book only for the Forbidden city ticket there is no pick up service and it's just ticket service then.
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Dress code is smart casual
- Please note: Forbidden City is closed every Monday, except the Chinese public holidays
- Chinese citizens need to book the tour one week in advance
- Tian'anmen square might be closed due to the political activities without announcement and if this is the case we will replace with Jinshan Park but there is no refund due to it is free anyway
- Not recommended clients have walking problems for entering the Square
Reviews(463)
We had a fantastic tour of the Forbidden City in Beijing with Marcus. He was friendly, knowledgeable, and very professional. Marcus made the visit enjoyable and easy to follow, while also adapting the tour to our interests. .
This is a must when visiting Beijing. We were in line for tiannmen square first and this line is extremely long. I mean like 4 to 5 blocks long. I would get there early and go on a weekend. Another option is to drive around tiannmen square and take pictures without entering it. And then just wait in line for forbidden city which is a lot shorter.
A beautiful day in the company of Luciano, our guide, who explained the history of the Forbidden City to us in Italian. Despite the heat, the walk was pleasant and smooth, adapting to our pace; he told us the local legends and explained the various symbols present on the structures. There was no shortage of off-topic chatter about China and cultural differences. Furthermore, every request of ours — between breaks and restrooms — was always fulfilled.
Beautiful day in the company of Luciano, our guide, who explained the history of the Forbidden City to us in Italian. Despite the heat, the walk was pleasant and fluid, adapting to our pace; he told us the legends of the place and explained the various symbols present on the structures. There was no lack of some off-topic chatter about China and cultural differences. Furthermore, every request of ours — between breaks and restrooms — was always fulfilled.
Very interesting, with an experimented guide. Difficult to do it in August with a heavy sun. No privileged access to avoid the crowd.
We traveled with a multi-generational group — two octogenarians and two children — and Justin handled it beautifully. He was endlessly patient, constantly balancing the needs of the youngest and oldest members of our group, and pushed my parent's wheelchair the entire way without ever seeming rushed or put out. It was summer, and the heat wore down the kids and grandparents faster than the rest of us. Justin made sure they were safely settled in a shaded rest area while the rest of the group continued on to see more of the history, which we thoroughly enjoyed. At some point during the day he sprained his ankle, but insisted on finishing the tour anyway. He got everyone seated at the restaurant before he'd even think about leaving, and made sure our driver knew exactly where to find us for the return trip — all without ever letting the pain show. If you're booking a Catherine Lu tour in Beijing, ask for Justin.
Vivian was lovely, really insightful tour guide! Getting to skip the queue for being part of a group was worth the ticket price itself!
No regrets booking this tour. Due to our limited time in Beijing, it was the best decision to get a guide to see and experience as much of the city as possible. Billy was an excellent guide, by our side through strict security, leading us to best photo ops and taking our photos too! His expert knowledge of history inspired a deep appreciation and respect for this country and its people❣️
Access to Tiananmen Square can be quite intimidating with the numerous security checks. Having a guide to facilitate entry and choose the one with the shortest line is a plus. Same for the inside of the Forbidden City, which is so large that you don't know what to see and how to find the interesting and less crowded spots. Tony was perfect for that. From the meeting point to the very interesting explanations, the guidance was perfect in excellent French.
TONY was a fantastic guide!!! Our initial guide wasn’t able to make our scheduled morning tour (not their fault, weather/city flooding limited their commute) and I was impressed with the prompt communication / how the company handled the issue. They offered a morning group tour instead or an afternoon private tour with another group that had the same issue (we chose this option). My elderly mother loved his stories and he was good about finding spots for her to sit and rest. Tony was so efficient at navigating buying tickets and all the security checkpoints so it wasn’t stressful for us at all. Forbidden city is so huge that we were happy to have a guide to lead us around. Highly recommend!
