Private Beijing Walking Tour of the Forbidden City with 7 Options
Description
As Beijing’s most iconic landmark, the Forbidden City is a must-visit highlight—and we offer tailored flexible packages to match your travel style: guided walking tours, all-inclusive trips with round-trip private transfers, bundles featuring authentic Hutong lunch, plus in-depth tours covering the palace’s museums, Jingshan Park and combo visits to the Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace & the Great Wall. Most importantly, all our packages include admission tickets, taking the hassle out of the Forbidden City’s strict ticketing policies and solving your ticket-buying troubles completely. Our private walking tour lets you experience the palace’s true essence along the imperial central axis, following the emperors’ footsteps from Tiananmen Square through Meridian Gate. Your dedicated guide brings royal stories to life at every key spot, helping you skip crowds and fully immerse in the grandeur of red walls, golden roofs and timeless imperial legacy.
Tour Options
Itinerary
We offer 8 distinct options for this tour—feel free to choose based on your preferences: Option 1: 4-Hour Private Forbidden City Tour ( Transportation fees to the attractions are at your own expense) Option 2: 4-Hour Private Forbidden City Tour (Including Round-Trip Private Car Transfer) Option 3: 6-Hour Tian'anmen Square & Forbidden City Tour (Including Chinese Lunch and Private Transfer) Option 4: 6-Hour In-Depth Tian'anmen Square & Forbidden City Tour (Self-Paid Transportation) Transportation fees are at your own expense. You will visit key attractions of the Forbidden City, as well as the Treasure Gallery and Clock Gallery. If you do not wish to visit the museums, you can choose to go to Jingshan Park instead where you can overlook the core buildings of Beijing’s central axis and enjoy a panoramic view of the Forbidden City—an ideal spot for photography and understanding Beijing’s urban layout.
Our first stop is Tiananmen Square. Please be aware that the Square may be temporarily closed without prior notice due to official events. In the event of such a closure, our team will promptly adjust the itinerary. We will guide you on a walk around the perimeter of the Square, providing in-depth commentary to ensure you gain comprehensive insights into this iconic landmark. Your tour guide will share relevant historical context as you view the following significant buildings from the outside: the National Museum of China, the Great Hall of the People, Chairman Mao's Memorial Hall, the Monument to the People's Heroes, and the Flagpole.
Follow your tour guide to enter the Forbidden City from its South Gate - the Meridian Gate. Situated at the core of Beijing's central axis, the Forbidden City served as the imperial palace for the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1912) dynasties, housing 24 emperors in total. Renowned for its symmetrical palace complex and architectural features of red walls and yellow tiles, it now operates as the Palace Museum, home to over one million cultural relics. It is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Your tour covers this route: Start by entering through the Meridian Gate, then head north along the central axis to visit key buildings like the Hall of Supreme Harmony, Hall of Central Harmony, Hall of Preserving Harmony, Palace of Heavenly Purity, and Hall of Union. After that, we’ll explore 1-2 courtyards in the Six Eastern Palaces or Six Western Palaces (e.g., the Palace of Eternal Spring in the Six Eastern Palaces). Finally, we’ll end the tour at the Imperial Garden. During the whole tour, 70% of our time will be focused on historical introductions. You may find the rooms look similar at first glance, but the different uses of each room and the stories behind them can only be uncovered by the guide.
Specific End Arrangements for 4 Tour Options Option 1: 4-Hour Private Forbidden City Tour (Transportation Fees at Your Own Expense) Upon concluding your tour at the Imperial Garden, you can choose to explore more of the Palace on your own, or arranging your own transportation. Option 2: 4-Hour Private Forbidden City Tour (Including Round-Trip Private Car Transfer) Our driver will provide transportation back to your hotel. Option 3: 6-Hour Tiananmen Square & Forbidden City Tour (Including Chinese Lunch and Private Transfer) Our driver will pick you up and take you to the Hutong neighborhoods. After enjoying your lunch or dinner, you will be returned to your hotel. Option 4: 6-Hour In-Depth Tiananmen Square & Forbidden City Tour (Self-Paid Transportation) You have the option to explore two museums within the Forbidden City or ascend Jingshan Park for a panoramic view of the Forbidden City. Please note that this tour concludes without hotel drop-off.
In addition to our Forbidden City-focused tours, we offer four more combo options, tailored to help you explore iconic Beijing attractions in one go: 1. Option 5: Temple of Heaven, Tiananmen Square & Forbidden City 2. Option 6: Temple of Heaven, Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City & Summer Palace 3. Option 7: Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City & Great Wall (Badaling or Mutianyu Great Wall, optional) 4. Option 8: Temple of Heaven, Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City & Summer Palace (four must-see downtown attractions) All the above combo options include: All admission tickets, professional guide service and round-trip transportation. Excluded: Lunch and cable car tickets (if applicable).
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Hotel pick up including hotels within the 4th ring road of Beijing city, out of this range will have extra cost
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
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
- Your passport name and number are required at time of booking (for all participants)
- Please don't forget to bring your passport, you may be refused entry without it.
- 0-3 Years old infant is free, children have to purchase tickets as well
- Chinese citizens, including customers from Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan, need to reserve the tickets for the Palace Museum 7 days in advance. Once the tickets for the Palace Museum are sold out, it will be impossible to participate in this itinerary. In addition, according to the regulations of the Palace Museum, Chinese citizens can only choose to reserve tickets with their ID cards. Therefore, when making a reservation, it is necessary to submit the Chinese name and ID card number, and on the day of the tour, the submitted ID document must be presented to join the tour group.
- In Peak season, the security checks at Tiananmen Square are particularly stringent. If the waiting time exceeds one hour, we recommend considering skip the square. Given the sweltering heat, waiting in line for an extended period increases the risk of heat - related illnesses. Additionally, spending too much time at the square could detract from your experience at the iconic Forbidden City, which is a highlight of our tour. Please keep this in mind as we plan our visit.
- Tiananmen Square is a complimentary attraction, functioning as a tourist landmark and a political activity center. In case the square visit is unavailable due to political reasons or other unforeseen factors, no refund shall be issued for this part, given its free admission nature.
- Chinese citizens (including Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan) need to book this tour 7 days in advance. By regulation, please submit Chinese name & ID number when reserving and present the ID on the tour day to join the group
Reviews(709)
Our Beijing tour booked through Viator exceeded all expectations. The itinerary was exceptionally well organized, allowing us to experience China's rich history and culture while making the most of our time. What made the experience outstanding was our guide, Lily. She was incredibly knowledgeable, professional, and passionate about Beijing's history and culture. Her engaging storytelling brought each site to life, and she was always happy to answer questions and share fascinating historical insights. Lily was also attentive to our group's needs, ensuring that everyone was comfortable and that the tour ran smoothly from start to finish.
We booked a private (couples) tour and had a great time with our guide (Aurora). We had initially thought to go ourselves but are grateful we booked a tour guide to help us navigate there (and around the grounds), translate where necessary and explain the history of the palace museum in great detail. This made the experience much more seamless and less stressful. Whilst it's more expensive to book a private tour, we were able to explore the grounds at our own pace which we also really appreciated. Thank you Aurora and team!
Went with my wife and son. Leo, our tour guide, was extremely knowledgeable. And patient with our son on a very hot day! Plan accordingly- the security lines are no joke. Leo knew how best to navigate them. Recommended!
We really enjoyed learning about the history and culture of China from our guide, Lucy. She was friendly, knowledgeable, and made the Forbidden City tour engaging and informative. One tip for future travelers: be sure to compare prices before purchasing optional add-ons through the tour company. We purchased tickets to the Chinese acrobatic show through Lucy's company for 380 RMB each because we were told the 280 RMB seats might not offer a good view. However, when we arrived, the theater was mostly empty, and it appeared that virtually every seat had an excellent view. In hindsight, we would have chosen the 280 RMB tickets or booked online ourselves and saved some money. This didn't take away from an otherwise excellent tour, but I hope this information helps future visitors make a more informed decision about the optional show tickets.
Our tour was supposed to include Tiananmen Square, but our guide only drove by it so “we could take pictures”. We wanted to experience it, not just take a picture. Our guide was very knowledgeable and gave excellent information about The Forbidden City but the tour felt too rushed. Our tour was supposed to be 4-6 hours and ours was about 4.
Mina Li did a great job showing us around Tianmen square, the forbidden city and the temple of heaven. She is very knowledgable about the history of each of the locations and speaks English exceptionally well. Highly recommend using her for tours in Beijing. The driver and transportation was also seamless and prompt.
Shortly after i booked this tour, i received communications from the tour operator about documents needed to complete booking. My questions about the tour was also met with prompt responses. Communication from our tour guide as to when/where we were met was received a day before the tour. Our English speaking tour guide Mina Li was very knowledgeable and maneuvered us thru the Forbidden city and Heavenly palace smoothly. Having a private tour guide was great. We learned so much on this tour. . I would definitely book through Viators again… the guides and drivers used were top notch….Thank you for a worry free tour!
Of course you should go here when you are in Beijing, because it is of course a dream to walk through the Forbidden City. And make no mistake: a lot of them do that to you. You can of course hire a guide who will make you understand which buildings are there and what function they had. If you're going through it yourself, like we are, prepare well. Most buildings are closed, because the wooden floors and contents absolutely cannot handle the amount of visitors. Of course, that is a great pity. We expected to go through the city under supervision, but it turned out not to be so. So we don't feel satisfied that we've seen everything... There are a few signs with a map on them, but no or hardly any information about the function or history can be found at the buildings themselves. There are of course several gates through which you can enter. The main gate on the side of Tiananmen Square is the most chosen and there is a huge queue for that. Choose another one that is much quieter. There is also a garden with rocks and old trees.
We had a great experience exploring the Forbidden City with Cindy. She was very knowledgeable and created an enjoyable experience for my father and I. She also got us into the Forbidden City quickly, which was helpful because the line can take 2 hours. We highly recommend this tour.
Padma and driver were excellent!!! It was a very nice and pleasant experience! Thank you Padma, driver, and Viator !
