Forbidden City Tour: Understand China’s Imperial Palace

Note

This tour is not available on Mondays, as the Forbidden City is closed that day.

Meeting Point

Outside Donghuamen, the East Gate of the Forbidden City.

Why this route?

The Forbidden City is one of the most famous historical sites in the world. However, many visitors walk through the palace without truly understanding what they are seeing.

As a Beijinger, I hope to use my local knowledge and passion for history to help you understand the logic behind China’s imperial palace.

While walking through the Forbidden City, we will explore how emperors ruled the empire, how daily life unfolded inside the palace walls, and how imperial architecture was designed and built.

Instead of just sightseeing, this tour invites you to see the Forbidden City as a living system of power, culture, and architecture.

What you’ll experience

Throughout the visit, I will use a combination of historical images, visual reconstructions, traditional building materials, and objects you can see inside the palace to explain how this enormous complex was designed and used.

By connecting what we see today with historical materials and real spaces inside the palace, you will begin to understand the structure behind the Forbidden City.

By the end of the tour, the Forbidden City will no longer feel like a maze of halls, but a place whose design and logic you can clearly read.

The tour lasts 3 hours

Available in English

Guide: Echo

Guiding since 2025

Hi! I’m Echo, a licensed tour guide born and raised in Beijing. Before becoming a guide, I worked as a programmer. But my real passion has always been travel and storytelling. I’ve written many long travel blogs about my journeys, covering places such as India, Myanmar, Cambodia, and Indonesia, where I explore culture, history, and everyday life through writing and photography. For many years, I shared the world with Chinese readers. Now, I want to share China with the world. As a guide, I try to go beyond simply showing places. I want to help travelers understand the logic behind the spaces they walk through — how history, architecture and everyday life are connected. I’m still exploring my own way of guiding, and I’d love to explore Beijing together with you :)

5 stops

1.1 km walking

3 hours

Meeting point:DongHuaMen Gate I have long straight hair and wear round glasses. I will be holding a small red triangular flag so you can easily find me at the entrance.Open in Google Maps →

Entry not included

WǔménINSIDE VISIT, not outside.

Entry not included

Hall of Supreme HarmonyINSIDE VISIT, not outside.

Entry not included

Hall of Central HarmonyINSIDE VISIT, not outside.

5 stops

1.1 km walking

3 hours

Meeting point:DongHuaMen Gate I have long straight hair and wear round glasses. I will be holding a small red triangular flag so you can easily find me at the entrance.Open in Google Maps →

Entry not included

WǔménINSIDE VISIT, not outside.

Entry not included

Hall of Supreme HarmonyINSIDE VISIT, not outside.

Entry not included

Hall of Central HarmonyINSIDE VISIT, not outside.

9 reviews

Professionalism

5.00

Entertainment

5.00

Communication

4.78

Quality

4.89

Route

5.00

Free tours don't have a fixed price. At the end, each person contributes to the guide the amount they consider fair based on their satisfaction. As a guideline, Guruwalk recommends between €15 and $50 per participant.

Accessibility

Not suitable for people with reduced mobility.

Groups

Does not accept large group bookings.

Pets

Not suitable for bringing pets.

Minimum attendees

Requires a minimum of 1 people to conduct the tour.

Additional costs

The tour requires payment for entries or additional expenses.

Free cancellation

If you cannot attend the tour, please cancel the reservation, otherwise the guide will be waiting for you.