Jingshan Park

景山公园 · 万春亭

¥2 and a 10-minute climb for the whole palace roofscape

Hours

Apr–Oct 6am–9pm (last entry 8:30pm); Nov–Mar 6:30am–8pm (last entry 7:30pm)

Tickets

Adults ¥2 (concession ¥1); ¥10 during flower shows. Buy at the gate, or book up to 7 days ahead on the 畅游公园 WeChat account

Address

The hill park opposite the Forbidden City's north gate; its south gate faces Shenwumen

Inside the Forbidden City you can't see its shape; from Wanchun Pavilion on top of this hill you finally can. It's a gentle ten-minute climb, then yellow roofs overlap southward as far as you can see, and to the north the central axis runs straight to the Drum and Bell Towers. Entry is ¥2, so people who missed out on palace tickets come here instead. At sunset the railing spots at the top are fought over for photos.