Beijing Forbidden City & Temple of Heaven Tour with English Guide

Discover 3 landmarks in central Beijing
with an expert guide

This tour covers the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square and the Temple of Heaven in one day with an English-speaking guide. Your guide makes the history from the Ming to the Qing dynasties easy to understand, and entry is guaranteed even in peak season. The group tour meets at Donghua Gate (East Gate of the Forbidden City), while for the private tour your guide meets you in your hotel lobby at your chosen time.

Walk across Tiananmen Square and see the main sights

Walk across Tiananmen Square and see the major sights in and around it, including the Monument to the People’s Heroes, the Great Hall of the People, the Mao Zedong Mausoleum and the National Museum of China. All visitors must pass strict security checks before entering the square, and waiting times can be long during summer holidays and Chinese public holidays.

Learn about the lives of emperors and empresses
in the Forbidden City

Cross the marble bridges, pass Tiananmen Gate and enter the Forbidden City through the Meridian Gate, the southern gate, for about 2 hours of exploring. Pass the Meridian Gate and the Gate of Supreme Harmony, then see the highlights of the Forbidden City, the three great halls: the Hall of Supreme Harmony with the imperial throne, the Hall of Central Harmony and the Hall of Preserving Harmony.

Next, head to the inner central and western palaces where the emperors and empresses lived. Visit the Palace of Heavenly Purity, the Hall of Union and the Palace of Earthly Tranquility, and the Western Palaces, hearing stories about imperial life and the lives of the concubines. Pass through the Imperial Garden, decorated with buildings, pavilions, waterways, flowers and trees, and exit through the North Gate.

Visit the Temple of Heaven, site of imperial rituals

After the Forbidden City, travel by bus to the Temple of Heaven. There is a lunch break along the way, but meals are not included. The Temple of Heaven is where emperors held annual ceremonies to pray for a good harvest; see the temple with its triple-tiered blue-tiled roof atop a marble terrace. The tour ends at a subway station near the Temple of Heaven exit.

※ The itinerary and times may change depending on local conditions.
※ The private option is an in-depth Forbidden City tour that explores the exhibition halls inside the palace.