The Palace Museum (Forbidden City) (故宫博物院)

Museum · Beijing. Enter a former imperial palace through Meridian Gate and walk its courtyards northward.

Source: https://chinafootnotes.com/places/forbidden-city · Data checked 2026-10-06 · Rendered for 2026-10-08 (Asia/Shanghai). Facts carry their status; "not found yet" means we searched and found no reliable source.

Notices in effect

• 2026-09-01 to 2026-10-31: Yanxi Palace (延禧宫) is closed for conservation survey; the museum says it will reopen on 1 November.
• 2026-08-03 to 2026-11-05: The Gate of Supreme Harmony (太和门) closed for construction on 3 August; the museum had published no reopening date as of 6 October. (to 2026-11-05 is the notice-check date, not an announced end.)

Why go

The Palace Museum (故宫博物院) lets you cross the ceremonial courtyards and residential palace spaces of the Forbidden City on foot. The visit follows a one-way south-to-north route, so the architecture unfolds from the Meridian Gate to the northern exits. Separate galleries display treasures and clocks, but they need their own tickets.

What to do

• Walk the central axis. Enter at Meridian Gate (午门), then pass the three main halls: Hall of Supreme Harmony, Hall of Central Harmony and Hall of Preserving Harmony. This is the ceremonial heart of the palace.
• Explore the inner court. Continue north to the Palace of Heavenly Purity and the Imperial Garden. These courtyards contrast with the scale of the main audience halls. Leave by Gate of Divine Prowess if pairing the visit with Jingshan Park.
• Add a special gallery. Choose the Treasure Gallery (珍宝馆) or Gallery of Clocks (钟表馆) when booking if you want the objects as well as the buildings. Each has a separate ¥10 ticket and its own last-entry time.

• Don't miss: Meridian Gate is the visitor entrance; Gate of Divine Prowess and Donghua Gate are exits only.

• Best time: Start at 08:30
• Skip if: Skip the interior if you cannot allow at least half a day and substantial walking.

Practical details

• Hours: 08:30–17:00 peak · 08:30–16:30 off-peak
• Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun: 08:30–17:00, last entry 16:00
• Apr–Oct (04-01 to 10-31), Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun: 08:30–17:00, last entry 16:00
• Nov–Mar (11-01 to 03-31), Tue, Wed, Thu, Fri, Sat, Sun: 08:30–16:30, last entry 15:30
• Usually closed: Mon
• The usual Monday closure does not apply to statutory holidays; dated notices control special openings.
• Admission: Ticketed · ¥60 peak / ¥40 off-peak
• General admission, Apr–Oct: ¥60 (Apr–Oct)
• General admission, Nov–Mar: ¥40 (Nov–Mar)
• Treasure Gallery: ¥10
• Gallery of Clocks: ¥10
• Concession: Visitors aged 60+ (Original ID card; half price (¥30 Apr–Oct, ¥20 Nov–Mar). The rule does not say whether foreign visitors aged 60+ qualify.)
• Concession: Students aged 18+ at bachelor level or below ¥20 (Student card or school letter; same price in both seasons)
• Free: Chinese citizens under 18 (including Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan residents and foreigners with permanent residence) (Must still reserve a free ticket)
• The two special galleries are separate from general admission.
• The official free rule for under-18s names Chinese citizens, residents of Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan, and foreigners with permanent residence; it does not name children on ordinary foreign passports.
• Student pricing applies to full-time students at bachelor level or below (not adult-education or postgraduate); the rule does not say whether foreign student cards qualify.
• Booking: Book 7 days ahead from 20:00
• Palace Museum official English booking site (故宫博物院英文订票网站) — https://bookingticket.dpm.org.cn/ · passport: yes
• Palace Museum official ticket site (故宫博物院在线订票) — https://ticket.dpm.org.cn/ · passport: yes
• Palace Museum (故宫博物院) — WeChat → search 故宫博物院 → official mini-program → tickets · passport: yes
• Passport accepted: yes — The official ticket terms list passports; the English booking site signs up by email and offers the passport as ID type. Bring the same original passport to Meridian Gate.
• The operator says it has not authorized third-party ticket agents.
• Each day is split into a morning and an afternoon session: morning tickets must be checked in by 12:00, afternoon tickets cannot be checked in before 11:00.
• The Palace Museum says it does not sell same-day tickets; the Meridian Gate service window handles refunds and invoices.
• Unused tickets can be refunded through the original channel until 24:00 the day before; later cancellations count as a no-show, and three no-shows within 180 days block booking for 60 days.
• Visitor reports (2026): some foreign passport holders bought same-day tickets at the ticket office on the west side of the Meridian Gate plaza. The museum's published rule is no same-day sales.
• Last admission: 16:00 peak · 15:30 off-peak
• Time to allow: 3–5 hr
• Getting there: Walk to Meridian Gate (south entrance)
• Metro Line 8 to Jinyu Hutong (金鱼胡同), Exit C, about 25 min walk
• Show a taxi driver: 故宫博物院午门，东城区景山前街4号
• Meridian Gate is the only standard visitor entrance; northern gates are exits.
• Walking from Tiananmen through Duanmen to Meridian Gate is open 08:00–16:00, Tuesday to Sunday.
• Far & Local and China for Travelers describe the Line 8 walk as passing Donghuamen; the museum lists Donghua Gate as exit-only, so the route follows the east moat road to Meridian Gate. Far & Local's 10 minutes is measured from Donghua Gate, not from Exit C; Hatena's author says about 30 minutes from the station and came from Tiananmen East.
• The 2026 National Day Metro notice lists closures at Tiananmen East and Tiananmen West (Line 1) on 30 Sep–5 Oct; it lists no closure for Jinyu Hutong (Line 8).
• Foreign visitors: Passport and international card accepted online

Not found yet

• booking.walkIn: The museum's booking and visitor-notice pages state that no same-day tickets are sold, while two 2026 Reddit authors describe buying tickets on the day at a ticket office by Meridian Gate, and a Japanese family blog was issued a child's ticket at the ticket window on the day after booking the adults online. The museum has not addressed that office. (searched: Palace Museum operator pages, Palace Museum English booking site, Reddit individual post, English blogs, Tripadvisor individual review)

Traveler tips

• Reserve when the day opens. Choose your visit date in the official Palace Museum ticket system. General admission and the two special galleries are released at 20:00 seven days ahead. Enter each visitor’s real identity document when purchasing, and keep the original document for the gate. source
• Start at Meridian Gate. Go to Meridian Gate (午门) on the south side of the museum for entry. The Palace Museum operates a one-way south-to-north route; Gate of Divine Prowess (神武门) and Donghua Gate (东华门) are exits. Plan your onward trip from the gate where you finish. source
• Add gallery tickets during booking. The Treasure Gallery (珍宝馆) and Gallery of Clocks (钟表馆) each cost ¥10 beyond general admission. Select either gallery in the official ticket flow if you want to enter. Their last admission is 16:10 in the peak season and 15:40 off-peak. Caveat: 舟舟 (Feb 2026, a post that partly promotes a trip-planning app) gives the same last-entry times (16:10 peak, 15:40 off-peak). source
• Match the season to your slot. From April through October the museum opens at 08:30 and stops general entry at 16:00; it closes at 17:00. From November through March the general-entry cutoff is 15:30 and closing is 16:30. The usual Monday closure has statutory-holiday exceptions. source
• Keep the square booking separate. A Palace Museum ticket covers the Palace Museum only. The museum says visitors going only to the palace can use the east or west moat roads to reach Meridian Gate. If you add other stops around Tiananmen Square, check each venue's own booking rules first. source
• Use your passport number. The Palace Museum lists passports as accepted identity documents for non-mainland visitors, and one document can hold one ticket per visit day. Enter the passport number in the official booking channel, then carry that same original passport to the Meridian Gate (午门) ticket check, where face-recognition equipment is used for identity checks. Do not substitute a photograph of the document. Caveat: Two May 2026 Japanese blogs (夫が中国現採決めてきた, 東工大EXPRESS) say the gate read the passport and no separate ticket was shown; neither describes a failed check. (2 travelers) source
• Exit north for Jingshan. After the Imperial Garden, leave through Gate of Divine Prowess (神武門) if you want to climb Jingshan Park (景山公园) for an overhead view of the palace roofs. Jingshan has its own entrance and ticket across the road. Caveat: Panos (Unusual Nomad) calls Gate of Divine Prowess their preferred exit because Jingshan Park sits directly opposite; he also lists Donghua Gate as an exit. Unusual Nomad's page carries affiliate links. source
• If online slots are gone: the Meridian Gate ticket office. The museum's published rule is that it sells no same-day tickets, so reserve on its English booking site first. In 2026 some foreign passport holders reported buying same-day tickets with their passports at the ticket office on the west side of the Meridian Gate (午门) plaza when they could not book online. To find it, follow the moat road from Donghua Gate (东华门) south to the plaza in front of Meridian Gate; the office is straight ahead and Meridian Gate is on your right. Donghua Gate itself is an exit only, so do not go there expecting to enter. _Caveat: This is a visitor-reported workaround, not a published service. The museum's notices say it sells no same-day tickets (hotline 400-950-1925); call before relying on it. Two 2026 Reddit authors bought tickets this way (l-owered, Apr 2026, a short line with passports; Creative_Isopod_1526, a commenter, dated by the thread, Jul 2026, five tickets), and a Japanese family blog (夫が中国現採決めてきた, May 2026) was issued a child ticket at the ticket window on the day. Panos (Unusual Nomad) and 東工大EXPRESS pass on similar window reports but did not buy this way. Comment dates on Reddit are the thread's post date._ (3 travelers) source
• Pick a morning or afternoon session. Each day's tickets split into a morning session and an afternoon session. A morning ticket must be checked in by 12:00 noon, and an afternoon ticket cannot be checked in before 11:00. Choose the session when you reserve and arrive inside its window, because the museum warns that arriving outside it can mean no entry. Caveat: The Hatena family blog (2026) only confirms that the booking calendar asks you to choose morning or afternoon. source
• Cancel before midnight the day before. Unused tickets can be refunded through the original booking channel until 24:00 the day before the visit with no penalty. A later cancellation, including on the visit day before 20:00, counts as one no-show, and three no-shows within 180 days block new bookings for 60 days. Refunds return to the payment account within 5 working days, and invoices can be requested within a month at the service window at Meridian Gate or in the mini-program. source
• Leave big bags behind. Suitcases and packages of 20 inches or larger cannot be carried in. The deposit counter is on the west side of Duanmen Square (端门广场西侧): drop-off 08:30–16:00 and pick-up 09:30–17:10 from April to October, with 15:30 and 16:40 as the cutoffs from November to March. Pick-up is at the outer plaza of Gate of Divine Prowess (east side) or Donghua Gate (north side). Cash, watches, electronics and jewellery cannot be left. Camping gear, drones, kites, sports balls, lighters and alcoholic drinks are on the prohibited list, and visitors with no bags join a shorter security queue. Caveat: Laura (The Historian Traveller, 2026) suggests one adult carry the bags while others use the faster bagless lane; the Hatena family blog (2026) also found shorter queues without bags. China for Travelers says the bag deposit is just inside Wumen, which conflicts with the museum's notice naming the Duanmen counter, so it is not used. (2 travelers) source
• Skip the square if you only want the palace. Metro Line 8 to Jinyu Hutong (金鱼胡同) Exit C is roughly a 25-minute walk from Meridian Gate along the palace's east moat road, which avoids the Tiananmen Square security queue. The museum says visitors going only to the palace can approach Meridian Gate along the east or west moat road. If you also hold a Tiananmen Square booking, you queue at the square's checkpoints and walk north through Duanmen, a passage open 08:00–16:00 Tuesday to Sunday. Entering by way of the square adds several security checkpoints, so budget extra time. _Caveat: The 25 minutes is a map-based estimate (about 0.9 km to Donghua Gate plus about 1 km to Meridian Gate); Far & Local's '10 minutes' is measured from Donghua Gate and Hatena's author, who came from Tiananmen East, says about 30 minutes from the station. Far & Local puts the square queue at 30–60 minutes; China for Travelers gives 5–15 minutes added in shoulder season, about an hour in a holiday week, and 1–2 hours in peak season. circadian_light (Reddit, May 2026) says a friend was stuck 2.5 hours at the square entrance, sneijder advises cutting out the square, and dat_mane47 says the palace queue alone took well over an hour last time. Both blogs describe the walk as passing Donghuamen, an exit-only gate per the museum. Comment dates on Reddit are the thread's post date. Xiaohongshu authors describe the same route: about 10 minutes from Exit C along Dong'an Gate Street to Donghua Gate, then about 10 minutes along the moat road to Meridian Gate (不负好时光, Jul 2025, through security in 2 minutes at 10:00; 小小芒, Apr 2025, few people queuing at 08:30). Js_Yoyo (Sep 2026) says this route has one security check instead of two via the square. All of them pass in front of Donghua Gate without entering it._ (9 travelers) source
• Children on foreign passports. On a 2026 visit, a family found the online ticket form for children and students offered no passport option, so they could not reserve a child's ticket in advance. At the ticket window on the day, staff issued a free child ticket when the parent showed the reservation. A child still needs a ticket to enter even when admission is free. Caveat: This is one family's May 2026 experience; the child's age is not stated. The museum's free rule for under-18s names Chinese citizens, Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan residents and foreigners with permanent residence, and does not mention ordinary foreign passports. source
• Booking without a Chinese phone number. The official English booking site (bookingticket.dpm.org.cn) creates an account from an email address and a verification code, with passport as an ID type. On the Chinese route through WeChat, one 2026 blogger's Japanese mobile number passed WeChat's own SMS check, and the booking site's SMS code arrived after a 60-second wait and a resend. The Palace Museum form's personal-details phone field accepted only Chinese-format numbers. Caveat: Only one blogger tested the Chinese route, and form behaviour can change. In that test the blogger typed a placeholder Chinese-format number into the field, no later phone check was needed and the ticket still displayed. China Daily's English guide also describes email plus passport number for the English site. source
• Paying with a foreign card. The English booking site shows an option to pay with an international bank card alongside WeChat Pay and Alipay. In the WeChat mini-program route, a 2026 blog tester paid with a credit or debit card through Weixin Pay, and the payment appeared in WeChat's history. Pay right after choosing a slot, because tickets sell out. Caveat: China Daily's English guide lists Alipay, WeChat Pay and Chinese bank cards only. The blog tester does not name the card network, and no foreign card was tested here. source
• Go early and leave the central axis. Two 2026 visitor guides agree that early morning is calmest and that the central axis from Meridian Gate to the Hall of Preserving Harmony becomes a dense stream of people by late morning. Both suggest drifting into the side courtyards and the eastern palaces once the main wave arrives. Caveat: Laura lists 07:30–09:00 as the golden window (the gate opens at 08:30), calls Tuesday and Wednesday mornings the quietest, and says 11:00–14:00 is the busiest; Panos gives no hour range. Neither counted visitors. Unusual Nomad's page carries affiliate links. source
• Carry water; there are few food stalls. You may find only a few food stalls inside the palace, so carry your own water. Caveat: Laura (The Historian Traveller, 2026) describes the food stalls as limited; Panos (Unusual Nomad, 2026) advises bringing water. Neither lists stall locations or prices. Unusual Nomad's page carries affiliate links. source
• Choose a route by how much time you have. The museum publishes two-hour, half-day and full-day routes, all running south to north through Meridian Gate, the three main halls and the inner court, and on towards the Imperial Garden. A 2026 family blog covered Meridian Gate, the three main halls, the inner palaces, the Imperial Garden and Gate of Divine Prowess in about 2 hours with a child. Another 2026 guide allows 3–4 hours inside, adding side courtyards, then Jingshan Park afterwards. Visitors cannot turn back, so decide your pace at the first halls. Caveat: The family blog took the shortest line on purpose; Panos visited twice, once independently and once with a guide. Unusual Nomad's page carries affiliate links. source
• Gate of Supreme Harmony is under construction. The Gate of Supreme Harmony (太和门), the gate that leads from the courtyard behind Meridian Gate towards the Hall of Supreme Harmony, closed for construction on 3 August 2026. The museum gave no reopening date in its notice, so allow for a changed route through the front courtyards. Caveat: The notice does not say how visitors reach the three main halls during the closure, and the museum's guide page still lists the gate among open areas. source
• Audio guides and languages. The museum lists audio-guide (语音导览器) rental among its visitor services. A 2026 family blog rented a unit just past the Gate of Supreme Harmony and found Japanese narration available. Caveat: No source read confirms English narration or gives a museum-published price. The desk location is not confirmed since the Gate of Supreme Harmony closed in August 2026. source
• Passport is scanned at the gate. Visitors with online tickets had the passport scanned at the entrance; no QR code or paper ticket was issued. Carry the original passport you booked with. _Caveat: Two Reddit authors (highly-regulated, Aug 2026, who went to the Forbidden City and the Great Wall; Busy_Account_7974, Jun 2026) describe the passport being scanned at the gate; neither describes a failed check. Comment dates on Reddit are the thread's post date._ (2 travelers) source
• Trip.com tickets may stay unconfirmed for days. One Trip.com Forbidden City order stayed in "Being Confirmed" for a few days before it was confirmed, and entry at the gate then went without problems. While it was pending, the official booking site showed that the passport number already held a ticket for that day, so do not book the same date twice with one passport. The museum says it has not authorized third-party ticket agents. Caveat: AiyaaaJenny booked a tour that includes the ticket through Trip.com, not a ticket on its own, and only showed the passport at the gate; brunosh92's order is the standalone-ticket case. The museum says it has not authorized any third-party agent to sell tickets, so Trip.com availability is not guaranteed. Comment dates on Reddit are the thread's post date. (2 travelers) source
• Do not join the National Museum line by mistake. On a crowded day, staff channel people from the subway toward two different museums. A visitor ended up in the National Museum line before the ticket check; look for the Palace Museum exit signs and use a map app. Caveat: Comment dates on Reddit are the thread's post date. source
• Release night: expect lag and keep trying until about 21:00. Tickets go on sale at 20:00 seven days ahead, but the mini-program is usually overloaded then. Authors say to save each visitor's details under the personal tab beforehand, to keep switching between the morning and afternoon slots instead of backing out, and to expect extra batches about every 5 minutes, a bigger one around 20:40 and more until about 21:00. Tick only the general ticket first and add the galleries later. Caveat: These timings are personal experience from Yang杨杨杨杨 and Maymay轩 (Aug 2025) and 法师momo and Twelve12 (Jul 2026); the museum publishes only the 20:00 release. Anonymous commenters describe being thrown out at payment and fixing it by switching phones or numbers, and one commenter warns that recommendations in the comment sections should be screened. (4 travelers) source
• Add children's tickets after the adult booking. Twelve12 (Jul 2026) says a child's ticket can be added at the entrance by the accompanying adult, and Yang杨杨杨杨 (Aug 2025) says children can be added on the order screen after the adult purchase has succeeded, so you do not need to compete for them on release night. Caveat: Both authors write about children travelling with Chinese parents; the free rule for children on ordinary foreign passports is different, see the foreign-passport children tip. (2 travelers) source
• Buy the two galleries at their doors if you skipped them online. The Treasure Gallery (珍宝馆) and Gallery of Clocks (钟表馆) cost ¥10 each. 舟舟 (Feb 2026) and Js_Yoyo (Sep 2026) both say the tickets can be bought after entering, at each gallery's door; 花里胡哨嚯稀泥 (Nov 2025) says staff there sell them against a Chinese second-generation ID card and the ticket is valid that day only. Last entry is 16:10 in peak season. _Caveat: Js_Yoyo is not sure the on-site sale continues in peak season. Whether a foreign passport is accepted at the gallery door is not stated, and 舟舟's post is partly an app promotion (counted as commercial). 拍一发小三 (Apr 2025) wrote that the galleries closed at 16:00 with last entry 15:30 and missed them, which does not match the museum's 16:10 peak and 15:40 off-peak times._ (2 travelers) source
• Decide whether the two paid galleries are worth the time. Opinions differ. 小小芒 (Apr 2025), visiting with older relatives, found the Gallery of Clocks very small (about 20 clocks, two minutes) and the Treasure Gallery's one-way route awkward. 依盖队 (Nov 2025) found the crown on display outstanding and the clocks unusual, but saw none moving. lapland (Aug 2026) suggests turning off to both galleries after the Hall of Preserving Harmony for close-up displays in cooler rooms. Caveat: Taste-based opinions; the clock demonstrations may not run every day. (3 travelers) source
• Do not step out of the Treasure Gallery area by the wrong door. 依盖队 (Nov 2025) walked out through a door beside Zhenfei Well (珍妃井) by mistake and lost a lot of time; staff let them back in only as a favour, because one person can buy only one gallery ticket a day. Caveat: One author's account; no published re-entry rule was found, and staff used discretion. source

Sources

• The Palace Museum
• The Palace Museum
• fantelos
• The Palace Museum
• The Palace Museum
• The Palace Museum
• The Palace Museum (published 2026-07-31)
• China Daily (published 2025-08-12)
• Panos (Unusual Nomad) (published 2026-02-25)
• Laura (The Historian Traveller) (published 2026-05-19)
• Far & Local (published 2026-05-15)
• China for Travelers (published 2026-05-23)
• 東工大EXPRESS (published 2026-05-12)
• 夫が中国現採決めてきた (published 2026-05-25)
• CruisinChina (published 2026-01-26)
• AiyaaaJenny (published 2026-03-19)
• brunosh92 (published 2026-03-19)
• Ok-Contract2408 (published 2026-04-16)
• w-j1m (published 2026-04-16)
• l-owered (published 2026-04-29)
• circadian_light (published 2026-05-11)
• dat_mane47 (published 2026-05-11)
• sneijder (published 2026-05-11)
• Busy_Account_7974 (published 2026-06-24)
• Creative_Isopod_1526 (published 2026-07-20)
• HandsomeCharles (published 2026-07-20)
• NurseBoulder (published 2026-07-20)
• Slow-Tie3159 (published 2026-07-20)
• swalker35 (published 2026-07-20)
• Expensive-Pea1963 (published 2026-08-22)
• highly-regulated (published 2026-08-22)
• Ok-Bike4289 (published 2026-09-08)
• 北京地铁 (published 2026-09-30)
• 法师momo (published 2026-07-12)
• Twelve12 (published 2026-07-23)
• Maymay轩 (published 2025-08-15)
• Yang杨杨杨杨 (published 2025-08-06)
• Js_Yoyo (published 2026-09-11)
• 花里胡哨嚯稀泥 (published 2025-11-14)
• 舟舟 (published 2026-02-23)
• lapland (published 2026-08-01)
• AAA依盖队驻鹈鹕镇安全检查组组长 (published 2025-11-02)
• 想出游的小小芒 (published 2025-04-11)
• 不负好时光🏖 (published 2025-07-04)
• 🥢张小安吃饱没烦恼 (published 2025-12-29)

More places

• Pair with: Jingshan Park, Tiananmen Square
• More in Central axis: Temple of Heaven, Tiananmen Square
• Book ahead: what to reserve before you go