North China

Palace Museum Travel Guide

Central Axis · Three Great Halls · Treasure Gallery

The Forbidden City is the largest and most well-preserved wooden palace complex in the world, covering an area of about 720,000 square meters with over 8,000 rooms. Half of its attraction lies in the layout along the central axis, and the other half in the traces of daily life found in the side courtyards.

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Destination Details

Key facts

Best seasonApr–May / Sep–Nov

Suggested stayHalf a day to one day

Key highlightsThree Great Halls · Treasure Hall · Clock and Watch Hall · Imperial Garden

ReservationReal-name reservation, tickets sell out immediately during peak season

RouteEntrance through the Meridian Gate for one-way visits, exit via the Gate of Divine Might or the East Glorious Gate

The imperial palace of the Ming and Qing dynasties has been open as a museum since 1925. Along the central axis are, in order, the Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Hall of Central Harmony, the Hall of Preserving Harmony, and further back, the Palace of Heavenly Purity, the Hall of Union, and the Palace of Earthly Tranquility, ending with the Imperial Garden. The east and west routes serve as living and religious spaces: the east route has the Treasure Gallery and the Clock and Watch Gallery, while the west route has the Office of Military Affairs and the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Key Sights

The Three Main Halls

The Hall of Supreme Harmony is the largest existing wooden structure hall in China, with eleven bays and a double-eaved hip-and-gable roof. The plaza in front of the hall is deliberately made very large; standing in the center of the plaza gives a feeling of being restrained by the scale—this is intentional, not an illusion.

Treasure Gallery and Clock and Watch Gallery

Located on the east route and requiring a separate ticket. The Treasure Gallery displays gold, jade, jewelry, and the crowns and attire of emperors and empresses; many of the Western mechanical clocks in the Clock and Watch Gallery are still functional. Most visitors crowd the central axis, making these galleries quiet by comparison.

Side Courtyards

The courtyards of the East and West Six Palaces are much smaller, giving a sense of "how people actually lived inside." The furnishings in the Palace of Gathering Elegance and the Palace of Prolonging Harmony are restored to their original conditions, offering more of a lived-in feel than the Three Main Halls.

Recommended Duration

Half a day: Central axis and Imperial Garden.
One day: Add the Treasure Gallery, Clock and Watch Gallery, and the East and West Six Palaces.

Local Tips

All tickets must be booked with real-name verification online, and during peak season, precise timing is required to secure tickets.
There are few and expensive dining options inside the palace, so bring your own water and snacks.
Visiting is one-way only; once you exit, you cannot return.