Tour Itinerary

Pick up service is arranged at your hotel in Beijing downtown or Beijing Railway Station, our Beijing local guide will meet you at your hotel lobby or exit of Railway station, you will find a pick up signage "Beijing Private Tour".

You will visit the Forbidden City, which is the largest imperial palace in the world, home to 24 emperors in the Ming (1368–1644) and Qing (1644–1911) Dynasties. The Forbidden City, also named the Palace Museum, shares the honor of being one of five world-famous palaces with the Palace of Versailles in France, Buckingham Palace in England, the White House in the U.S. and the Kremlin in Russia. The incomparable palace occupies an area of 720,000 square meters (177.9 acres) and has approximately 8,700 rooms. A high red wall with a total length of 3,400 meters (3,718 yards) encases the palace. Our professional tour guide will take you to explore insight of Forbidden city.

The Meridian Gate
Before entering the Forbidden City, our guide will show you the turret of the Forbidden City first. Then get into the Forbidden City through the Meridian Gate, which is famous as a place to penalize offending officials in the Qing Dynasty.

The Royal Library
Walk to the Hall of Literary Profundity, and view the royal library, built for the emperor 300 years ago. Since yellow is the symbol of the royal family, it is the dominant color in the Forbidden City. However, the roof of the Royal Library is black. The reason is that it was believed black represented water then and could extinguish fire.

Hall of Supreme Harmony
Back to the Central Axis Way, you will see a grand square in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, which is one of the three main halls of the Forbidden City. It was formerly used on such occasions as a new emperor's accession, the emperor's birthday and the announcement of important edicts. Our tour guide is ready to answer all your questions to satisfy your curiosity.

High stone slab
Walk along the white marble balustrade and descend from the main palaces. On the way you will see a high stone slab with a dragon and cloud design. It weighs about 200 tons. It was transferred from Fangshan, located at the southwest of Beijing.

The Crystal Palace
Then visit Crystal Palace, which is a western style architecture. It is left unfinished and remains a mystery.

Hall of Heavenly Purity and the Hall of Earthly Tranquility
The Hall of Heavenly Purity was the palace where the emperors used to live and handle daily affairs in the Ming and early Qing Dynasties. The Palace of Earthly Tranquility was where the empress lived in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). However, after reconstruction in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), it served as the nuptial chamber of the emperor and empress and the altar for worshiping the deities of Shamanism.

Hall of Mental Cultivation
Leaving the Inner Palace Courtyard, stroll along the side of the Western Chamber. Your next stop is the Hall of Mental Cultivation, where you can see the screen that was between the throne of "the Little Emperor" and his mother "the Dragon Lady". It is where the renowned historical events known as "Power Behind the Screen" took place.

Next stop is Jinshan Park. you will trek up to a hill behind the Forbidden City, you will enjoy a bird eye view of the whole Beijing. Situated in the center of Beijing, Jingshan Park is a beautiful royal landscape garden. Covering an area of 57 acres (about 230,000 square meters), It is found on Jingshan Hill, which was originally named Wansui Hill (Long Live Hill), Zhen Hill or Meishan Hill (Coal Hill). The mid summit of the hill is the highest point in Beijing. Looking from the peak, the visitor is able to get a full and clear view of the Forbidden City.

After the tour, you will be taken back to your hotel or drop off at Beijing train station.

Notes for the tour: Please do not forget to bring your passport, we will need your passport number to book the ticket in advance, so that we can enter the Forbidden City directly with no need for waiting on line or buying the ticket on the spot. Saving time for you and giving a comfortable tour experience!

Price Per Person in US Dollars