2-Hour Forbidden City Tour: History & Highlights(Private/Group)
Recommended by 98% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Beijing, China
- 2 to 3 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Group discounts
- Offered in: English
Explore our promoted experiences
Overview
Make the most of your limited time in Beijing and get a personalized experience as you tour Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City with a private, English speaking guide. Walk through these landmarks at your own pace while your guide tells you fascinating stories of their significance. Choose from several start times to easily fit this Quick Explorer tour into your busy schedule.
- Quick and easy tour for those on a tight schedule
- Explore the impressive complex of the Forbidden City
- Take in the symbolic heart of China at Tiananmen Square
- Convenient hotel pickup and entrance fees included
What's Included
- Professional guide
- Entrance fee to the Forbidden City
- Private Transfer if choose private tour with transfer
- Gratuities
- Transportation fee
- Additional entrance fee to visit extra museums inside the Forbidden City
- Meals
Meeting and Pickup
You can head directly to the meeting point, or request pickup
Itinerary
1
The Palace Museum
1 hour • Admission Ticket Included
2
Hall of Great Harmony (Taihe Dian)
30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
3
Palace of Heavenly Purity
20 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
The Imperial Garden of The Palace Museum (Pass By)
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants must sit on laps
- Stroller accessible
- Near public transportation
- Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Most travelers can participate
- A passport is required during the tour; will be denied without one.
- Tours depart on time; please arrive 10 minutes early. No joining once departed, no refunds
- 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
- Simplified & Polished Forbidden City Prohibited Items Not allowed: Pets (except assistance dogs) Weapons & sharp objects Oversized luggage / large bags Drones Selfie sticks, tripods, walking frames Sprays & aerosols Scooters, fireworks Open flames, feeding animals
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 30 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.9
based on 41 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
I was picked up at the airport, and everything was flawlessly organized from the very beginning. The driver took me to a drop-off point, where another person met me and accompanied me to the gate. There, Lily, my private guide, was already waiting for me.
The Forbidden City itself is spectacular, but Lily’s knowledge, guidance, and wonderful company made the visit truly special. We didn’t just walk through the main sights; we also explored the exhibitions featuring furniture and beautiful objects from the different dynasties. Lily shared fascinating insights into the architecture, the many reconstructions following fires over the centuries, and Chinese history in general. It was both incredibly interesting and enjoyable.
After visiting the Forbidden City and walking through the gardens, Lily accompanied me to meet my driver, who took me safely back to the airport.
All in all, I had only five hours in Beijing, and I couldn’t have made better use of them. Visiting the Forbidden City was a fantastic experience, made even better by Lily. Everything was perfectly organized from beginning to end, and I would highly recommend this tour, especially if you have a long layover in Beijing.
Vivian was really nice and shared a lot of great stories about the forbidden city! She also gave us a really good dumpling restaurant recommendation after :)
Lily was amazing from start to finish! She contacted me via WhatsApp the day prior to our visit to confirm and let me know how to locate her. She was so welcoming. I really enjoyed the 2 hour tour; it was enough time to see and appreciate the Forbidden City and it allowed us to be able to fit in other activities for our day. Her attitude was fun and she was so knowledgeable about the history. 10/10 would recommend, if you don’t book with Lily - you are missing out!
Bonus: she knew all the great photo ops! Lily is a rockstar!
Incredible place, must-do. Padma was very knowledgeable and so nice. Highly recommend this activity with this company.
Mina gave us a fantastic, informative tour of the forbidden city. We hit all of the significant highlights, she was very friendly, and we recommend this tour.
We had a wonderful tour of the Forbidden City. Our guide, Lily, was excellent . very knowledgeable, friendly, and with excellent English. She showed us everything we needed to see in just two hours, making the tour perfectly paced and very informative without feeling rushed.
A great experience and highly recommended!
Me and my partner had a wonderful trip to the Forbidden City with our fantastic tour guide Christine, who was able to answer any questions we asked. She was very knowledgable and had impeccable English. I would definitely recommend this tour to anyone who wants to learn more about the Forbidden City.
My guide Jay was amazing. Great knowledge and always made me feel comfortable and informed. Be prepared to wait in many lines to get into the square and city.
Learning the history of China Dynasties and Emporers. Their customs and way of life and how they have changed through time.
Exceptional English speaking guide! Very informative and fun! Going early was good to avoid some of the crowds. He spent time helping us navigate unexpected traffic at end. If you are short on time this is great option.
Excellent tour and my guide Lucy was very polite and informative. I only had a couple of hours so this was perfect for me.
Thank you to Becky for making this an interesting tour. It was great to be able to have my own personal guide to talk me through the points of interest . I recommend!
Becky our tour guide was great! My husband and I hate big tours that drag on and that you can't hear anything and this was nothing like that. It was perfect length of time. The Forbidden city and Tiananmen square is crowded so this was a perfect way to see it all and not feel so overwhelmed and we were able to move at our own pace. Becky was great! Super informative, great company and gave us amazing recommendations for after our tour.
This was one of the best, if not the best tour we have taken, because of our guide, Albert. He was extremely well spoken in English and quite knowledgeable about everything we saw. I would recommend anyone wanting a great educational tour of Tienanmen Square and the Forbidden City to select him as your guide.
I was late because a taxi took me to the meeting point that only existed in his head. It left me in the middle of the street, I walked a lot to find the real place, but the guide had already gone. I do not know the city and I was forced to come from afar with a pilantra because this agency does not offer transfer option for those who do not know the city!
Auto-translated
Response from Host, Aug 2026
We are truly sorry that you were dropped off at the wrong location by the taxi, which caused you to miss our meeting time.
This was a shared‑group tour with around 20 participants. Most other guests successfully arrived at the designated meeting point following our pre‑sent instructions. Please note this is a group tour that requires meeting at the pre‑arranged spot. We do offer private tour options with dedicated private vehicle pick‑up and drop‑off service, though these come at a higher price point. If you prefer door‑to‑door transfer service, our private tour would be the suitable choice for your next booking.
We appreciate your feedback and will keep it in mind to better inform future guests about transport alternatives.
Pasaron por mí al hotel puntuales, el carro era muy cómodo. La guía (Susan Shan) conocía muy bien toda la historia de los lugares y de China en general. El tour solo dura un par de horas pero es más que suficiente para conocer lo más importante de los dos lugares.
Member Pricing
From
$20.90
per personWas $22.00(-5%)
up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
Compare Similar Experiences
Current
Member Pricing
2-Hour Forbidden City Tour: History & Highlights(Private/Group)
41
2 hours
Free Cancellation
From
$22.00
$20.90
5% savings
Customers Who Bought This Tour Also Bought
Explore Similar Things to Do
- Full-day Tours
- Bus Tours
- Historical Tours
- Tours, Sightseeing & Cruises
- Private and Luxury
- Cultural Tours
- Private Sightseeing Tours
- Beijing
- Full-day Tours - Tianjin
- Bus Tours - Tianjin
- Historical Tours - Tianjin
- Full-day Tours - Datong
- Bus Tours - Datong
- Historical Tours - Datong
- Full-day Tours - Shenyang
- Bus Tours - Shenyang
- Historical Tours - Shenyang
Attractions in Beijing, China
- Qianmen Street Tours & Tickets
- Monument to the People’s Heroes Tours & Tickets
- Tiananmen Square (Tiananmen Guangchang) Tours & Tickets
- Great Hall of the People Tours & Tickets
- Wangfujing Street (Wangfujing Dajie) Tours & Tickets
- CCTV Headquarters Tours & Tickets
- Forbidden City (Palace Museum) Tours & Tickets
- Shijia Hutong Museum Tours & Tickets
- Jingshan Park (Jingshan Gongyuan) Tours & Tickets
- Huanghuacheng Great Wall Tours & Tickets
- Imperial Garden of the Palace Museum Tours & Tickets
- The Legend of Kung Fu Show Tours & Tickets
- Nanluoguxiang Tours & Tickets
- Cuandixia Village Tours & Tickets
- Dingling Tomb (Mausoleum of Emperor Wanli) Tours & Tickets
More attractions near Beijing, China