Beijing Forbidden City Small Group Tour with Tickets

Recommended by 97% of travelers

Badge of Excellence

Beijing, China

Great choice

5+ bookings last month.

3 to 4 hours (approx.)
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

Overview

With courtyards, gardens, pavilions, and more, the Forbidden City is vast and hard to navigate. Enjoy a more enriching experience of this UNESCO World Heritage–listed treasure when you book this intimate tour with a guide to show you the highlights and explain the palace’s rich history. There’s no need to go through the hassle of booking tickets, as they’re included in your tour.

Enjoy the relaxed pace and laid-back atmosphere of a small-group tour
Spot details you might otherwise miss with insights from your guide
Prebooking your tour guarantees entry to this popular attraction
Capture signature photos of palatial halls and courtyards

What's Included

English-speaking guide
Forbidden City entrance Ticket
Guided Tour of Forbidden City
Small groups (max 15 people)
Headsets for groups of 10+

Hotel Pick Up / Drop Off
Food & Beverages
Gratuities

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

China National Children's Theatre
64 Dong An Men Da Jie, 王府井 Dong Cheng Qu, Bei Jing Shi, China, 100006
At the square of the theater, you will see the tour guide holding a sign with our company logo at the waiting area.

End point

Gate of Divine Prowess
W9CW+XP2, Dongcheng, China, 100006

Operating hours
.8:00 am

Itinerary

China Children Arts Theatre Parking Lot

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

The Palace Museum

3 hours • Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Near public transportation

Most travelers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travelers

Supplied by

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Featured review

VictoriaTerese_K

This was a great experience. The tour company got in touch on WhatsApp as soon as week booked (several weeks in advance) and was happy to answer any questions leading up to the tour. There was also a message the day before with all the details we needed about meeting point etc. The tour itself was great - it is a huge site, so to cover everything would have taken at least a full day. Instead, the guide gave us lots of interesting information, taking us through the central path, without overloading us and keeping to time. He was very happy to answer any questions and also allowed time for taking pictures etc, even helping us taking photos. Throughout the tour he gave pointers and suggestions for other parts of the site to explore individually after, if we choose to.

Reviews

4.9

based on 31 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Great tour

VictoriaTerese_K, Apr 2026

Good experience overall – helpful guide and interesting insights

Emily_G, Mar 2026

We booked this tour because regular tickets for the Forbidden City were no longer available. Originally, we hadn’t planned to join a guided tour at all, but in the end, we were pleasantly surprised. We were initially told to meet at 8:00 AM, but shortly beforehand we were informed that the meeting time had been moved to 8:20 AM. The tour eventually started around 8:30 AM. We set off from a subway station and walked for about 15 minutes. The tour guide then purchased the tickets for us on site, and the actual guided tour began shortly after 9:00 AM. There were 18 people in our group, and the tour was conducted in English. Overall, it was very interesting. We were given small headphones, and the guide shared a lot of information along the way. It was definitely helpful, especially if you don’t want to walk through the Forbidden City without any context. Of course, it’s also possible to explore the site on your own, but there isn’t much information displayed on site. So unless you prepare very well in advance, a guided tour can be quite useful. The tour lasted until around 12:30 PM. It was a very warm day, and our feet were quite sore by the end, so for our taste it could have been a bit shorter. Some parts didn’t interest us as much, while we would have preferred to hear more about other topics—but that’s probably just a matter of personal preference. Overall, if you are interested in Chinese history, a guided tour is definitely a great choice.

Informative and enjoyable tour

Michelle_F, Jan 2026

Nice tour with a great guide. I learned a lot about Chinese history, and recommend this tour to others.

Nov 25 Tour

Brooke_S, Dec 2025

I appreciated the small group size of just 5 people (on Nov 21, 2025); it made navigating the Forbidden City easier. Our guide was great, he spoke naturally and clearly, showing us the complex in a respectful, informative, and agreeable manner. The pacing was also good, and we never felt rushed. Great tour, thanks!

Overrated attraction

Michaela_M, Jun 2025

Forbidden city generelly is overrated attraction. Guide was very kind but whole 4 hours are too long for this empty space. I would recommend to fo 1-2 hours trip instead of 4. Was too long, too focused on small stories.

Our guide Amy was great....

Kmtw, Jun 2025

Our guide Amy was great. Very punctual, great knowledge about the Forbidden City and its history, and she covered lots of different areas in the tour. I really appreciated her keeping us in shaded spots whenever possible as it was extremely hot and most of sites are extremely exposed.

Good

GuoQiang_N, Apr 2025

Linda was good and patient, we had some late comers whom was able to join before we entered the forbidden city. She also dropped a whatsapp message the day before to make sure we're aware of the arrangements, requesting an acknowledgement of receiving the message. Learnt quite abit of the different areas and the thoughts behind the architecture. Linda was very assuring and accomodative, mentioning to others in the group of timings and if there's anything she can help to ensure they are able to meet their own travel timing plans. We over ran our tour timing as the crowd was big at entry and i had to leave earlier than the group. Had fun, remember to bring water, hat/ shades and good walking shoes.

Great tour and guide

Alex_P, Apr 2025

Linda our English speaking guide was amazing. Funny, patient and very knowledgeable. Our group was small (10 including guide). Meeting point was easy to find. Highly recommended

Great guide and great historical classification

Annette_G, Sep 2025

Coco was a very great guide! She knew a lot about the forbidden city and brought the historical stories to life in her stories. It was all very well organized and we got a good overview of the buildings and the history associated with this place. You should put on good, comfortable shoes, especially if you want to explore the forbidden city for yourself after the tour.

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Mandatory but with guide!

Marisa_H, Aug 2025

The Forbidden City or People's Museum is a huge space with several buildings. Although you cannot enter any of them, the visit takes at least 2 to 3 hours. Our guide was spectacular and explained the whole story with lots of detail. As in all the monuments, stacked of Chinese and tourists. Very hot in August. I recommend hat, water and comfortable shoes and start well early before the strongest heat.

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