The imperial palace of 24 Ming and Qing emperors, the seat of power from 1420 to 1924 and a UNESCO site since 1987. The route runs one way from south to north through the Three Great Halls and the inner court, the core of the Beijing Central Axis.
- Address
- 4 Jingshan Qianjie (enter at the Meridian Gate, Wumen), Dongcheng District
- Hours
- Apr 1-Oct 31 Tue-Sun 08:30-17:00 (last entry 16:00); Nov 1-Mar 31 Tue-Sun 08:30-16:30 (last entry 15:30); closed Mon except national holidays (intl.dpm.org.cn, 2026)
- Best time to go
- Morning · About 4 h
- Price
- Entry CNY 60 Apr-Oct, CNY 40 Nov-Mar; Treasure Gallery CNY 10 and Gallery of Clocks CNY 10 extra (intl.dpm.org.cn, 2026)
- Price level
- ¥¥
Details can change. Check hours and prices before you go.
Good to know
- No tickets are sold on the day: book online in advance with your passport number; the daily cap is 40,000 visitors (intl.dpm.org.cn).
- Everyone enters through the Meridian Gate (Wumen) and leaves by the Gate of Divine Prowess (Shenwumen, north) or Donghuamen (east); the walk from Tiananmen through Duanmen to Wumen is open Tue-Sun 08:00-16:00 (dpm.org.cn).
- Buy the CNY 10 Treasure Gallery (Palace of Tranquil Longevity, with the opera stage and Stone Drum Gallery) and the Gallery of Clocks; their last entry is 10 minutes after the main gate's. Lonely Planet sends you north to the unfinished Palace of Prolonging Happiness and the three-storey Belvedere of Pleasant Sounds opera house.