1. Palace Museum
Situated at the center of Beijing, the Palace Museum is also known as the "Forbidden City". Twenty-four emperors once lived here. As the imperial palace for Ming and Qing dynasties, it is surround by 10-meter high walls measuring 961 meters from north to south, and 753 meters from west to east. The walls plus a 52 meters wide, 3,800 meters long moat constitute a complete defense system for the palace. The Forbidden City is rated as one of the five greatest palaces in the world (the Palace Museum of Beijing, Chateau de Versailles of France, Buckingham Palace of the UK, the White House of the US and the Kremlin of Russia), and is listed as a "World Cultural Heritage" by UNESCO.
Address: No.4 Jingshan Front Street, Dongcheng District of Beijing
Main Attractions: Hall of Supreme Harmony, the Hall of Central Harmony, and the Hall of Preserving Harmony, Palace of Heavenly Purity, Hall of Mental Cultivation and Hall of Imperial Supremacy
Website: http://en.dpm.org.cn/
Tel: +86-10-85007422, 85007421
Tickets:
April 1-October 31: CNY 60
November 1-March 31: CNY 40
Treasure Gallery (admission to the Palace of Tranquil Longevity, including Opera Hall and Stone Drum Hall): CNY 10
Clock Gallery (admission to the Hall for Ancestry Worship): CNY 10
Opening hours:
April 1-October 31: 08:30-17:00
Last ticket sold at: 16:00
Last entry: 16:10
November 1-March 31: 08:30~16:30
Last ticket sold at: 15:30
Last entry: 15:40
*The Palace Museum is closed on Mondays except for statutory holidays and summer vacations (July 1-August 31).
How to get there
By subway: take Subway Line 1 to Tian'anmen East or Tiananmen West station
By bus: take bus route 1 / 2 / 5 / 52 / 59 / 82 / 89 / 99 / 120 / night 1 (夜1) / sightseeing 1 (观光1) / sightseeing 2 (观光2) to Tian'anmen East or Tian'anmen West stop.
*Please enter the museum from the south gate (the Meridian Gate). The north gate (Gate of Divine Might) and the east gate (East Glorious Gate) are for exit only.