This was the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming Dynasty on to the last dynasty. It took 14 years to build in the early 15th century and, today, consists of almost 1000 structures. It's a fantastic place to visit and the buildings are very colorful. We enjoyed walking around this complex and gazing at examples of China's past. more

The scale of this place is immense. Your feet will ache and you'll need plenty of memory cards for your camera but it is definitely worth it. Go early as it can easily take all day or go do it over two half days to take it all in at a more leisurely pace. There's just so much to see... more

See my pics and insights to Beijing on my website. Go to http://buckchucko.com/?cat=4 There are numerous things to see and do in Beijing. Give yourself plenty of time in this city to take in all it offers. Tour the Great Wall- 1 day. Forbidden City and National Military museum- 1 day. Heavenly Temple, hutongs, Tianamen Square, Mao tomb- 1 day.... more

We went to this place by taxi and stopped at Jingshan Park. The park rightly faces the north gate of the Forbidden City. We crossed the road to reach Gate of Divine Prowess and entered the Forbidden City via such Gate, and explore in reverse. Ticket counters are marked on this Gate as you approach. Audio tours in several languages.... more

Allocate about 4 hours to complete your tour of this hallowed place that used to be the epicenter of the Middle Kingdom. Some doors are not locked properly so you can push them to get a glimpse on how stale some sections of the Palace are - tall grass, rotting doors, much faded paint. The Palace does look and feel... more

Took the Blue Line and got off at Tiannemen Square East stop. The Forbidden City is in plain view. One thing about the subway system: it is pretty bad. Some cars have AC,others, do not. Most people smell, I mean pretty bad, others, smell too but not so bad. People spit all the time, if you don't watch out, they... more

The Forbidden City is a massive place with 9,999 rooms. It is so huge, truly amazing. The architecture and the history of the place really gives you a special feeling, just to be treading in the footsteps of so many great Emperors over the centuries. Well worth the money to hire a private tour guide - you can do this... more

If you can get there very early then you may avoid some of the queues and crowds, and there is enough to see to take you all day. We didn't get there early and had to queue for 30 mins for tickets, made worse by the many selfish people who pushed in - this happens a lot in China. Got... more

Firstly- try to get there as early as you can (opens at 8.30) to avoid the worst of the crowds (the most I have ever seen!). This is the most astounding ‘compound’ , consisting of 9999 rooms- so to say it is VAST is not exaggerating. We took the audio but were very disappointed in it. It was not at... more