Forbidden City (Palace Museum)

The Forbidden City was the imperial palace of China's Ming and Qing dynasties, built over fourteen years between 1406 and 1420. It covers 72 hectares, roughly 961 metres from north to south and 753 metres from east to west, and around 980 of its buildings survive. The often repeated claim of 9,999 rooms is a legend; surveys count 8,886 bays. The complex became the Palace Museum in 1925 and was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987, with the wider Beijing Central Axis added in 2024.

Most visitors follow the central axis from south to north. You pass the Meridian Gate and the Gate of Supreme Harmony, then the three great ceremonial halls: the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the largest hall in the palace, the Hall of Central Harmony and the Hall of Preserving Harmony. Beyond them lie the inner court buildings, the Palace of Heavenly Purity, the Hall of Union and the Palace of Earthly Tranquility, before you leave through the Gate of Divine Prowess on the north side, opposite Jingshan Park.

The collection is huge, with around 1.86 million objects according to the latest audit. It includes some 340,000 ceramics, nearly 50,000 paintings, about 10,000 bronzes, around 30,000 jade pieces and more than 1,000 mechanical clocks and watches, many from the 18th and 19th centuries. The Treasure Gallery and the Gallery of Clocks need their own tickets on top of general admission.

Planning matters here. According to Beijing's official ticketing information, the museum does not sell same-day tickets, and every visitor, including those entitled to free or reduced entry, must book in advance with real-name details through the Palace Museum's official WeChat mini program or its website. The museum is closed on Mondays except on statutory holidays. In the low season, from 1 November to 31 March, it opens at 8.30am with last entry at 3.30pm, while in the peak season last admission is later in the afternoon. Bring the passport you booked with.

Allow at least half a day, and more if you want to see the side courtyards and galleries. Families, history lovers and first-time visitors all find plenty to see, and the distances are large: the walk along the central axis alone is close to a kilometre. Climbing Jingshan Park afterwards gives a view back over the golden roofs, and Tiananmen Square lies just to the south.