How to Visit the Forbidden City Without the Crowds

Can you imagine standing in the Forbidden City and there is nobody else around? It feels as though you are the emperor and the whole imperial city belongs to you. But that's almost impossible if you didn't prepare your trip in advance. How can you escape from the huge tourist crowds? Here are some tips that can help you.

In the Morning — Arrive There Early

If the Forbidden City is the first stop of your trip to Beijing, getting up early is always a good idea. As well as that, you should act on the following recommendations if you want to escape from the crowds.

Buy Your Ticket in Advance

There are three ways to buy tickets for the Forbidden City:

Buy them from a ticket office (not recommended)
Book them on the Internet (recommended)
If you don't want to queue for a long time in the morning, buy your tickets on the Internet or from a travel agency in advance.

Go to the Forbidden City Before 8:10am

The Forbidden City is open to visitors from 8:30am and most tour groups queue to get in after this time. Therefore, if you go to the Forbidden City before 8:10am, you can stand in front of these groups and enter the Forbidden City first.

Run, Run, Run

Don't be sympathetic toward the waiting Chinese tourists even though you have gone there so early. The early start was only the beginning of your aim to enjoy a crowd-free Forbidden City. Pay attention to the staff members — as soon as they allow visitors to pass through the security check, you should start to move quickly. Try your best to go through the security check first, and then continue moving along at a very fast pace until you arrive at the Hall of Supreme Harmony. At this point, you will have sufficiently passed most of the tourists because they will only just have entered the Forbidden City or reached the first gate. Now you can enjoy the majestic Forbidden City.

Control Your Speed

Controlling the speed with which you visit the Forbidden City is very important because there are so many people behind you. If you're moving along slowly, then the crowds will quickly catch up to you.

Visit the Central Axis First

It’s handy to know that 99% of tourists concentrate their attention on the central axis. But you can't miss this because most of the Forbidden City’s highlights are focused on this line. Therefore, visit the highlights along the central axis first.

At Noon — Change Your Visiting Route

Don't want to get up early? Do you have other ways to avoid the crowds? Then maybe you should change your visiting order. Most people usually tour the Forbidden City by visiting the highlights along the central axis one by one. To avoid the crowds, don't follow this regular route.

Exploring the Forbidden City with us

There are five routes to follow when visiting the Forbidden City: the central axis, the west section, the east section, 12 palaces on the sides of the central axis, and the turrets.
Visit the west and east sections first instead of following others.
Visit the central axis at about 4pm. The Forbidden City closes at 5pm so there are less people around from 4pm to 5pm, especially after 4:30pm.

The Last Week of August

According to Mr. Li Ji, the former vice president of the Palace Museum, the last week of August is the low season for the Forbidden City and has the least amount of visitors. This phenomenon happens every year. Maybe it’s because most students and parents are preparing for the arrival of the new term. During this week, the amount of visitors is only 20% of the number visiting on other days, making it the lowest period for visitors in the year.