Forbidden City Ticket/The Palace Museum or Others Tickets
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September 2026
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Adults
Age 13 and over
Children
Age 12 and under
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Free cancellation up to 24 hours before. Same price on Viator, Outty earns a commission.
Traveler rating
4.5/5
Based on 12 traveler reviews. Ratings and reviews provided by Viator and Tripadvisor.
Quick answer
Is Forbidden City Ticket/The Palace Museum or Others Tickets worth booking?
Forbidden City Ticket/The Palace Museum or Others Tickets is a 2-hour experience in Beijing, China, from $5 per person. It scores 67 out of 100 on the Outty Ranking, which we label “Solid Choice”, based on a 4.5/5 rating across 12 reviews. Cancellation is free up to 24 hours before the start time. Same-day spots are currently showing.
- Outty Ranking
- 67 / 100
- Rating
- 4.5/5 (12)
- Duration
- 2 hours
- From
- $5 per person
There are a hundred Forbidden Cities in a hundred eyes. Visit the world's largest wooden royal building complex, the Forbidden City in Beijing. The pre-booked tickets can ensure entry at the planned time and allow you t
What you get
About this experience
There are a hundred Forbidden Cities in a hundred eyes. Visit the world's largest wooden royal building complex, the Forbidden City in Beijing. The pre-booked tickets can ensure entry at the planned time and allow you to visit the Forbidden City according to your own wishes. The tickets are divided into morning tickets and afternoon tickets. The newly added option departing from Beijing Capital Airport/Hotel one way can accept your last-minute booking on the same day, and your driver will take you to the entrance of the Forbidden City to ensure that you can enter smoothly.
What's included
Included
- Admission E Ticket of Forbidden City(Passport is your E ticket, Not Tiananmen Square Ticket)
Not included
- Additional entrance fee to other museums in FC
- Hotel pickup&drop off
What you'll see and do
The Palace Museum
Palace Museum Ticket Options Visitors can only enter from the south gate (Meridian Gate) and leave from the north gate (Shenwu Gate), Please bring the passport you used go directly to the Meridian Gate of the Palace Museum. Scan your passport to enter the Palace Museum without a tour guide. Options with a Tour Guide Please arrive at the meeting point on time. The guide will accompany you to the Meridian Gate entrance. guide will explain the stories behind the Palace Museum about 2 of traditional Chinese architecture and the last emperor, and stop at several best photo - taking spots for taking pictures. Tiananmen Square Ticket Options There are 4 entrances to the square, the northeast entrance, which is close to Wangfujing; Morning tickets from 7:00 am to 12:00, and afternoon tickets from 12:00 to 17:00. You can walk here to the Meridian Gate of the Palace Museum. This is a one - way walking from south to north,
120 minutes here · Admission included
Where it starts and ends
Meeting point
Beijing
Wangfujing LEGO store, if you choose the group option, subway station Jinyuhutong Exit B, near Wangfujing Yintai In88. this meeting point for group tour with tour guide
Meeting point
Beijing
If you choose the admission ticket option, please go inside with your passport. no tour guide.
Hotel pickup
No pickup: everyone meets at the start point.
Ends at
end inside forbidden city, someone can stay in forbidden city, and someone can leave
Options you can book
Forbidden City Ticket Only
Forbidden City Ticket: Please bring your passport and directly queue up at the security check at the South Gate of the Forbidden City to enter. Duration: 2 hours Forbidden City ticket only: Morning ticket : 8:30am to 12 PM. Afternoon ticket: 11 am to 3:30 pm. Your passport is your E Ticket, no tour guide
Shuttle Bus Great Wall Only
shuttle bus: Only for visitors who tour both the Great Wall and the Forbidden City on the same day. It does not include any other services shuttle bus ticket: Only for shuttle bus transfer at Mutianyu Great Wall, Exclude Forbidden city and others.
Back up
Additional: This is not the official ticket price. back up fee: This option is solely for paying the price difference to your guide in person upon arrival.
Before you book
- Cancellation
- For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
- Languages
- zh-TW, cmn, en
- Ticket
- Mobile Only
- Runs on
- Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun
- Group size
- Up to 15 travelers per booking
- Operated by
- Mark's Guide & Driver Service Beijing
Know before you go
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- The morning tickets are only valid before 12:00 noon, and the afternoon tickets only allow entry into the Forbidden City after 11:00 am. Please enter the Forbidden City according to the reserved time. If you miss the reserved time or the reserved date, you will not be allowed to enter, and cancellation and refund will not be available.
- Please provide the passport numbers, names and nationalities of all participants. Your passport will be verified on the day of entry into the Forbidden City.
- Children over 120 cm are required to purchase adult tickets, and those under six years old are exempt from tickets.
- This product is a pre-booking service. If the reservations for tickets to the Forbidden City are full, we will cancel the orders seven days in advance and issue a full refund.
- Reservation for Tiananmen Square, each participant has to provide five specific pieces of information: name, nationality, gender, age, and mobile phone number."
- For guaranteed access into the museum, Chinese citizens are advised to purchase admission tickets through the Wechat official mini-program using their ID card.
Photos
What travelers are saying
Outty’s summary of the themes that recur across 12 traveler reviews. Written by us, not quoted from reviewers.
The guide
5 mentionsTravelers single out the guide as the reason the experience works.
Knowledge and storytelling
3 mentionsReviewers describe the commentary as informative rather than scripted.
Traveler reviews
12 verified traveler reviews for Forbidden City Ticket/The Palace Museum or Others Tickets. Ratings and reviews provided by Viator and Tripadvisor.
Forbidden City
Guide was absolutely wonderful but Viator didn’t say that most of the buildings were closed for renovations.
Response from the operator: Appreciate for your review. Recently, the exterior of the Palace Museum is undergoing major renovations. The exteriors of many buildings are shielded, and some buildings cannot be seen in their complete appearance. This renovation work will last for one year. However, our guides will explain the interesting stories of the royal family members who once lived in the Palace Museum. We cannot control the progress of the renovation work, but we hope you will be satisfied with our guide services. Thank you very much.
via Viator
Nice
We booked this expecting a just the ticket of the Forbidden City but unfortunately the tickets ended very early so they advised us to buy a tour...it costed a little bit more and I must say not everything went super good because they made us wait to get the tickets checked for almost two hours but I get it, the crowd. Watever, the tour was worth it, Tina was so nice, helpful and explained us everything so super happy of her! She made the trip much funnier and happier. Thank you!
Response from the operator: Thank you for your review. Generally, as tour guides, we tell tourists that Beijing has a population of 23 million and it is a crowded city, but the tourists often don't have a strong impression of this. Only when it's a festival and the tourists see with their own eyes the crowded people queuing up to enter the Palace Museum will they truly experience how crowded this city is. Please book the tickets here in advance. You are welcome to book again.
via Viator
Happy day!!!
Today we wanted to get to know the Forbidden City in a little more detail, so we opted for a guidebook. We were very impressed with the history impeccably told by our guide Tina!!! We wish we had had more time but we are aware of the many people who choose this destination as their main activity in Beijing. In any case, the time we had was made the most of thanks to Tina (excellent level of English) and Mark!!! Impeccable, I highly recommend them!!!
Response from the operator: Thank you very much.
via Tripadvisor
Scam
It's a scam. They confirm your ticket and then shortly before tell you that the tickets are not available anymore then want to force you to buy super expensive tickets. Best thing is to book tickets yourself via the official website.
Response from the operator: Thank you for taking the time to write the comment. What's your order number? If there is no clear order information to prove that we have not provided you with any services either. Where does the fraud you mentioned come from? These complaints without specific content give the impression that you are venting your dissatisfaction. We offer advance booking services for tickets to the Forbidden City, which has enabled many tourists to enjoy a comfortable experience. During holidays, the tickets for the Forbidden City are sometimes sold out very quickly. We will refund them in time and explain to the customers, or replace them with other tourism products of our company. These contents are clearly written in Item 6 of the Additional information. Please check again what you said in your comment. Thank you
via Tripadvisor
Great experience.
Mark is very professional and friendly, would definitely recommend him. He help us to get tickets without online reservation
Response from the operator: Thank you for choosing Mark Guide & Driver Service, Normally, the 30,000 daily tickets for the Palace Museum (Forbidden City) will be sold out online within 10 minutes. For this Forbidden City tour (options) with a guide, your guide will assist you in obtaining the entrance ticket to the Forbidden City.
via Tripadvisor
Good to know
- Duration
- 2 hours
- Free cancellation
- Up to 24h before
- Minimum age to book
- All ages
- Availability
- Bookable today
- Runs on
- Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun
- Price range
- $5 to $25
- Hotel pickup
- No pickup, meet at start point
- Booked in 30 days
- 4
- Verdict
- Solid Choice
Why this scores 67
The Outty Ranking is a weighted composite. Here is how this experience performed on each component.
Forbidden City Ticket/The Palace Museum or Others Tickets: questions travelers ask
Practical detail on this experience, plus the wider planning questions for Beijing.
How much does Forbidden City Ticket/The Palace Museum or Others Tickets cost?
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Prices start at $5 per person. The final price depends on the date, the time slot and the number of travelers, and peak weekends in Beijing usually price higher than midweek mornings. Live pricing and remaining availability are confirmed on the booking screen before you pay.
How long does Forbidden City Ticket/The Palace Museum or Others Tickets take?
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Plan for about 2 hours from start to finish, not counting travel to the meeting point. Most travelers leave another 30 minutes on either side so the rest of the day in Beijing is not rushed.
Is Forbidden City Ticket/The Palace Museum or Others Tickets worth it?
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It holds an Outty Ranking of 67 out of 100, which we label "Solid Choice". That score blends traveler sentiment (4.5/5 across 12 reviews), the depth of that review evidence, recent booking momentum, value for money against comparable most popular in Beijing, and how flexible the cancellation terms are.
Can I cancel or reschedule Forbidden City Ticket/The Palace Museum or Others Tickets?
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Yes. Cancel free up to 24 hours before the start time for a full refund. Inside that window the booking is non-refundable, and no-shows are not refunded.
Is Forbidden City Ticket/The Palace Museum or Others Tickets suitable for kids and families?
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Yes, all ages are welcome. Families should still weigh the 2-hour running time, and strollers are easier on the earlier, quieter departures.
How far in advance should I book Forbidden City Ticket/The Palace Museum or Others Tickets?
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Around 4 people booked this in the last 30 days, so popular slots go early. Two to three weeks ahead is comfortable in shoulder season, while summer weekends and holidays in Beijing can sell out a month out. Same-day spots do open up when other travelers cancel, so it is worth checking if you are already in town.
What should I bring or wear?
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Bring photo ID, your booking confirmation on your phone, a refillable water bottle and comfortable shoes. Dress for the weather in Beijing and add a light layer if any part of the 2-hour experience runs outdoors or after sunset.
Where does Forbidden City Ticket/The Palace Museum or Others Tickets start and how do I get there?
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The exact meeting point and directions are on your voucher once you book, and they sit in central Beijing within reach of public transport. Arrive 15 minutes early: late arrivals are treated as no-shows by most operators.
What are the best things to do in Beijing?
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On Outty we rank every Beijing experience on the same 0 to 100 scale, and alongside this one the highest scorers right now include Mubus: Mutianyu Great Wall Bus Tour with Summer Palace Options, Beijing: Top 6 Highlights All Inclusive 2-Day Private Tour, Private Mutianyu Great Wall Trip With English-Speaking Driver. The city page groups everything into most popular, highest reviewed, last minute and family-friendly so you can build a day around what actually delivers.
When is the best time to visit Beijing?
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Booking patterns follow the same curve: prices and queues climb in peak weeks, while shoulder season gives you better availability on the top-ranked experiences and more room to change plans.
How many days do you need in Beijing?
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Three full days covers the headline sights without sprinting. A workable rhythm is one anchor experience each morning, such as this one, an unhurried afternoon in a single neighborhood, then a food or nightlife booking in the evening. Five days lets you add a day trip outside the city.
Do I book through Outty or through the operator?
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Outty ranks and explains the experiences, then hands you to Viator to complete the booking with the operator directly. The price is the same as booking on Viator yourself, and Outty earns an affiliate commission on the referral, which is how the rankings stay free to read.
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