Meet at the subway exit A of Qianmen Station (地铁前门站A出口) at 8:30am. Your tour guide will be waiting for you with other tour members, holding a sign with the China Highlights logo on. You can get there by subway or taxi.
Please make sure to arrive punctually as the trip must begin on time. If for some reason you cannot get there by the specified time, please make a call to your tour guide (listed on the confirmation letter that we will send you the day before your departure) and your tour guide will try his or her best to help you.
You will visit the Tian'anmen Square - the largest urban square in the world where you can see the famous portrait of Chairman Mao hanging on the red wall. You can take pictures and walk around the square. Your guide will give you background information of this famous square.
Walk to the entrance of the Forbidden City and start your visit to the Forbidden City. Your expert guide will show you around the Forbidden City and tell you a lot of interesting stories, revealing the true Chinese imperial life and history. With more than 600 years of history, 24 emperors from the Ming and Qing dynasties lived in the Forbidden City. It is the largest imperial palace in the world and is listed as a World Cultural Heritage site by UNESCO; it is now open to the public as the Palace Museum.
At the Meridian Gate, you'll hear a brief introduction about the Meridian Gate, which is famous as a place to penalize offending officials in the Qing Dynasty.
Walk along the Central Axis Way, you will see a grand square in front of the Hall of Supreme Harmony. Your guide's presentation will answer your questions, like: Where is the throne of the Chinese emperors? How did the emperor have an audience with high-ranking officials? What is the significance of the sundial, bronze turtle statue, stork statue, huge copper vat, etc.
Visit the Hall of Preserving Harmony, which respectively functioned as the place for the emperor to change his costume before grand ceremonies and the venue for the annual imperial exams.
Cross the Central Axis Way to view the Hall of Heavenly Purity, which used to be respectively the audience hall for high ranking officials and the venue for emperors' wedding ceremonies.
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. Our presenter will enlighten you as to how they were transferred into the Forbidden City.
Walk to the eastern side of the Forbidden City to see the Clock Exhibition Hall and the famous Nine Dragon Screen.
Walk along the red palace wall to the Palace of Prolonging Happiness to view remains of the most ingenious building in the Forbidden City — the Crystal Palace. Our iPad presentation will show you what it once looked like.
Lastly, you will be shown to the imperial garden and view the artificial rockery, surrounded by peonies and trees in beautiful shapes. Some of them look like animals of the Chinese zodiac. The last palace you will see is called ‘Feast Pavilion'. In the Qing Dynasty, the annual selection of the emperor's concubines happened there, and their story and that of the eunuchs will be presented.
Finally, you will come to Spiritual Valor Gate (神武门) which is the north gate of the Forbidden City.
Later on, you will visit Jingshan Park which is located in front of the Forbidden City. It is said to be the best position to get a panoramic view of the Forbidden City. Definitely not to be missed, Jingshan Park is located on the central axis of Beijing and has many historic buildings symmetrically located on both sides. You will see the Drum and Bell Tower to the north while the Forbidden City and Tian'anmen Square can be seen to the south.
Your tour will end at Jingshan Park. After the tour, you can take the subway or a taxi back to your hotel. Your guide will show you the best ways to get back to your hotel or other places you are interested in visiting.
Fully refundable until 3 days before start
Non-refundable after 3 days before start
