Hue Imperial City Walking Tour: Citadel & Forbidden City
Description
This Hue walking tour begins at the meeting point in front of Ngo Mon Gate. We will spend approximately 2.5 hours exploring the inner sanctums of the Hue Imperial City and the Forbidden City Hue. * Thai Hoa Palace: The heart of the Imperial City, where major ceremonies and the Emperor's coronation took place. * The Mieu Temple & Hien Lam Cac Pavilion: A solemn area dedicated to the worship of the Nguyen Emperors, offering a glimpse into spiritual traditions. * Forbidden City Hue (Tu Cam Thanh): We move into the private residence of the Royal family. * Kien Trung Palace: one of the highlights of the tour, showcasing the unique blend of European and Asian architecture, recently accessible to visitors. * Thai Binh Lau & Royal Garden: Visit the Emperor's private reading pavilion and enjoy the tranquility of the royal gardens before concluding the tour.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Meet your tour guide at the meeting point, Walk to Ngo Mon gate to discover the symbolic significance of Ngo Mon—the grand gateway used for royal ceremonies and major events during the Nguyen Dynasty.
Step inside the most important hall of the Imperial City, where emperors held grand court sessions and coronations. Admire its elegant architecture and learn about royal rituals.
Marvel at this over-200-year-old pavilion, built to honor the Nguyen emperors. Your guide reveals stories of its cultural significance and surviving original design.
See the impressive bronze urns symbolizing the power and legacy of the Nguyen Dynasty’s nine emperors. Hear the meaning behind the urns.
Visit the ancestral temple dedicated to past Nguyen kings. Discover how royal traditions are preserved in this sacred space.
Chuong Duc Gate is one of the 4 gates of the Imperial City, exclusively for women
The Forbidden Purple City is the name of the third enclosure within the Hue Imperial City, exclusively for the king's family, including his wives and children. Inside the Forbidden Purple City, there are many structures with different functions.
Tour the newly restored Kien Trung Palace, recently reopened after years of careful reconstruction. Experience the grandeur of imperial residence.
Thai Binh Lau (Peaceful Palace) was where the king would read books and enjoy the scenery. It is an extremely beautiful structure.
Thieu Phuong Garden, also known as the Royal Garden, has been restored with extremely eye-catching scenery. It was a place for the king and his family to stroll and enjoy the scenery.
Conclude your walking tour at Hien Nhon Gate, the entrance used by mandarins, offering a final look at the world of Vietnam’s last royal dynasty.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- We do not include entry fee as you may want to buy COMBO TICKET with better value for Citadel and Tombs.
Reviews(351)
Excellent guide very knowledgeable. I highly recommend to anyone interested in learning about the improvement City .
Great tour by Nhienle. Thank you!
Nhien was a very nice and competent tour guide. All our questions could be answered. We had the luxury that no group was formed and we received a private tour at no extra charge. Thank you for not canceling the tour. For us, it was a successful few hours and highly recommended. THANK YOU NHIEN
Very worthwhile getting a guide for the tour, so informative. Our guide Niehn was excellent, very knowledgeable and went out of her way to accommodate special requests and answer all our questions, and gave tips for restaurants and things to do afterwards.
Great tour! Very informative. We had lots of questions and our guide was very knowledgeable. Highly recommend a tour with Nhienle!
Our guide was very friendly a knowledgeable of the monarchy historical traits. I recommend her for her positive attitude towards foreign visitors.
We had guide Nhien and the luck that no one else participated, so a private tour. We got a lot of information and have visited many places of the Citadel and forbidden city, Nhien could answer all our questions and also gave plenty of space to look around for yourself. We had a very nice tour!
Hoa was a fantastic tour guide who provided so much information and history about the palace and the pagoda we visited. She had very good English and was very accommodating to any questions we had. Highly recommend this tour if you’re staying in Hue.
Really loved our walk around the Imperial city Citadel. It has been nearly 30 years since we were last there and a lot has changed. Nhienle was a great guide and really helped us to understand the citadel. Highly recommend this tour if you want to immerse yourself in Hue history!!
Hua was a great guide for the day. She did a major in English and communication was very easy with her. We did the Citadel and Pagoda with her. She gave us all the time to take pictures and was happy to assist. We ended the tour with a 30 minute dragon boat ride. We really enjoyed our time even though it was a very hot day.
