Forbidden City (Palace Museum)

故宫博物院（午门入口）

A south-to-north walk through courtyard after courtyard

⚠ Closed Mon; book 7 days ahead

Hours

Apr–Oct 8:30am–5pm (last entry 4pm); Nov–Mar 8:30am–4:30pm (last entry 3:30pm). Closed Mondays except public holidays. Yanxi Palace closed until 31 Oct, reopening 1 Nov

Tickets

Peak season (Apr–Oct) ¥60, off-season ¥40; Treasure and Clock galleries ¥10 each; over-60s half price. Advance real-name booking only (opens 8pm, 7 days before), passport required

Address

4 Jingshan Qianjie, Dongcheng; the only way in is the south gate, the Meridian Gate (Wumen)

Through the Meridian Gate you get a courtyard, then another gate, then another courtyard, red walls and yellow tiles running almost a kilometre north. It is one-way: once inside you leave by the north gate (Shenwumen) or the east gate (Donghuamen), so plan the route before you go in. Visitors keep mentioning the sheer scale. Since 3 August 2026 the Gate of Supreme Harmony, the first gate after the entrance, has been shut for repairs with no reopening date announced. The Treasure Gallery and Clock Gallery need separate tickets.