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Traveler Rating
4098 reviews 3133 travel blogs 11685 photos Attraction Type:
Architectural building, Castle, Historic site, Landmark/point of interest
TravelPod Member ReviewsForbidden City (Imperial Palace) Beijing
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breathtaking
lzarras 0 contribution Michigan, United States May 5, 2013
this place was outstanding! Pictures never do it justice, it's huge! Although the Emperor's Palace was under construction, I got the jist of it all. I went during May Day holiday, and although there were a lot of people, I was still able to get a feel of it. I highly recommend this place
This review is the subjective opinion of a TravelPod member and not of TravelPod.com.
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Impressive
jillsalus 6 contributions Canada May 5, 2013
Glad we had a guide or I think we may have gotten lost within the city.
This review is the subjective opinion of a TravelPod member and not of TravelPod.com.
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Peaceful
annacalderaro 2 contributions Crawley, United Kingdom Apr 7, 2013
Peaceful haven right next to the seriousness of the square
This review is the subjective opinion of a TravelPod member and not of TravelPod.com.
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Y
samhanson 6 contributions United Kingdom Mar 28, 2013
Y
This review is the subjective opinion of a TravelPod member and not of TravelPod.com.
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F
samhanson 6 contributions United Kingdom Mar 27, 2013
F
This review is the subjective opinion of a TravelPod member and not of TravelPod.com.
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interesting
dlimbo 6 contributions Wythenshawe manchester, United Kingdom Mar 16, 2013
was very interesting well worth the 40 y to get in and stroll round
This review is the subjective opinion of a TravelPod member and not of TravelPod.com.
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Amazing Wonder - pick an off season for best viewing
bjglawe 6 contributions Dunlap, United States Dec 25, 2012
The Imperial Palace (Forbidden City) is a cultural heritage of China and a must see if you want to understand the significance of the power of the Chinese Emporers. Absolute control, with a city of people just to provide daily service. Be sure to get a good guide to explain the relationship between Emporer, families, concubines, enuchs, etc. This will help to explain the wonder and size of the palace. Pick a visiting time out of season, or the crowds will be too big for good pictures or getting up close to the buildings. Plan for 2 hours with lots of walking.
This review is the subjective opinion of a TravelPod member and not of TravelPod.com.
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Very Long
charinchina 1 contribution Ireland Dec 25, 2012
It goes on forever... Bring your walking boots and lunch. We went there on a beautiful day but it was December 25th so very cold to be wandering around all day. Allow half a day for a quick jaunt through, most of the day for a more thorough saunter. Just follow the crowd. Audio-guide was worth it.
This review is the subjective opinion of a TravelPod member and not of TravelPod.com.
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Definitely a tourist destination
shelaughs 3 contributions Atoka, Oklahoma, United States, United States Dec 8, 2012
The Forbidden City was definitely full of history but it is also full of locals trying to make a few extra yuan. We went when it was very cold and therefore I found myself losing interest quickly and simply looking for warmth!
This review is the subjective opinion of a TravelPod member and not of TravelPod.com.
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Forbidden City
dphany 0 contribution Malaysia Oct 24, 2012
Now I understand why imperial emperor can survive without traveling outside the palace.
This review is the subjective opinion of a TravelPod member and not of TravelPod.com.
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Too big to see at one time
nmaskus 1 contribution Winnipeg, Canada Oct 21, 2012
Bring snacks and drinks. It's a very long day. Take in coal hill park across the street from the exit. It's the best 2¥ you will spend!
This review is the subjective opinion of a TravelPod member and not of TravelPod.com.
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Nice scenery
stephanjenna 4 contributions Voorburg, Netherlands Oct 9, 2012
...
This review is the subjective opinion of a TravelPod member and not of TravelPod.com.
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Forbidden City
adamandlara55 2 contributions Australia Sep 21, 2012
This place is MASSIVE!!! wasn't the cheapest thing we've done and was a bit tedious after the first few structures. We were a little bit disappointed.
This review is the subjective opinion of a TravelPod member and not of TravelPod.com.
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Bustling
2porkbuns 2 contributions United Kingdom Sep 18, 2012
Epic detailing to buildings, pretty gardens, lots of pushing!
This review is the subjective opinion of a TravelPod member and not of TravelPod.com.
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a must see
drosophila 11 contributions Graz, Austria Sep 18, 2012
once populated with about 30.000 eunuchs, 8.000 concubines and the emporor and his empress this giant imperial palace is surely a must see. though at the moment only about 30% is accesable by public it takes one day to explore.
This review is the subjective opinion of a TravelPod member and not of TravelPod.com.
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Worth seeing
paulhfischer 0 contribution Beijing, China Aug 29, 2012
Great but exhausting
This review is the subjective opinion of a TravelPod member and not of TravelPod.com.
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Forbidden city
vikash_seema12 5 contributions United Kingdom Aug 18, 2012
Great place to visit on first time to Beijing. Learn alot about the emperors and the dynasty's of imperial china.
This review is the subjective opinion of a TravelPod member and not of TravelPod.com.
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Not that much forbidden ^^
hongmai 1 contribution Paris, France Jul 28, 2012
Second time here, it's still nice.
Tip: visit the forbidden city after 15 pm (closing time : 17pm) it's less crowded.This review is the subjective opinion of a TravelPod member and not of TravelPod.com.
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Must see but beware of crowds
magentadreams 4 contributions United Kingdom May 18, 2012
It was beautiful. I am so glad that i can tick it off my list of things to see before I die. But I dont intend to go back unless they close the whole city for me for a day as the crowds were unbearable. You couldnt take in anything and everyone was pushing for the best photos.
This review is the subjective opinion of a TravelPod member and not of TravelPod.com.
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Not Worth the Trouble
peterandmelissa 0 contribution Bend, United States Apr 26, 2012
Watch out for the scammers and the looooonng lines.
This review is the subjective opinion of a TravelPod member and not of TravelPod.com.
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Lovely but very big
maripaiz 1 contribution Guatemala City, Guatemala Apr 6, 2012
The Forbidden City is a very big place so you should be forewarned to take good walking shoes. if you come in the summer a lot of water is recommended too because there is not much shade. I recommend you take the audio guide to understand what you are seeing and it's cultural significance. Most buildings look alike! At the very end you can see the imperial garden that's absolutely beautiful. The trees are very old and very interesting. I do not recommend you to drink tea there since it's for tourists, therefore very expensive. They also have all the souvenir shops in case you want to buy some expensive chinese stuff. When you leave the Forbidden City you will exit through another gate so if you've brought car or taken a tour bus you'll have to walk back all that you walked inside. People will round you up then and try to sell you lots of stuff... just say "wo bu yao" (I don't need) and if they ask for money say "wo bu gei" (I don't give). It's a lovely place!
This review is the subjective opinion of a TravelPod member and not of TravelPod.com.
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Big, Busy, Beautiful
liveforever 0 contribution Swansea, United Kingdom Feb 14, 2012
I visited here in my first week while living in China, and honestly..I did not have any expectations.
The Forbidden City was worth the admission fee and it is a must see while in Beijing for anyone coming to the city
It was extremely busy, so I suggest avoiding weekends and coming early as possible..otherwise you will share your experience with quite a huge amount of Chinese tourists.This review is the subjective opinion of a TravelPod member and not of TravelPod.com.
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Imperial Palace
jokertrekker 8 contributions Clayton Sth, Australia Feb 13, 2012
This Place is like a lot of places in China... HUGE. You will need your tramping boots on for this ancient site. Once you get past all the vast Southern end of Gates, Halls and Courtyards you arrive at the more intimate and very interesting Museums, Painting and Calligraphy galleries gardens, ladies and concubines quarters, and the Fabulous 9 Dragon Wall. This City is worth at the very least a mornings looksee.
This review is the subjective opinion of a TravelPod member and not of TravelPod.com.
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The Forbidden Palace - An amazing wonder of the world!
missfit 13 contributions Australia Jan 31, 2012
An absolute "must-do" for anyone checking off their bucket list! Pretty awe-inspiring to say the least! The one figure that sticks in my head is 72. The palace itself, main buildings and outbuildings take up 72 hectares! I spent the entire day just wandering around it, dazed by the majesty of it all. And then would've missed quite a bit of it, even with pretty much a full day. Incredible!
This review is the subjective opinion of a TravelPod member and not of TravelPod.com.
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The city
carolinanchina 1 contribution Greenville, United States Dec 6, 2011
The city was huge. Make sure you have good walking shoes and dress appropriate for the weather. You will be outside for a while.
This review is the subjective opinion of a TravelPod member and not of TravelPod.com.
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Absolutely Fantastic
shoulin4 9 contributions Atlanta, United States Jul 6, 2011
This is my favorite place in Beijing. Tons of history, an expansive complex, and plenty of resources to learn while there. A must see!
This review is the subjective opinion of a TravelPod member and not of TravelPod.com.
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Too Big
theryanne 2 contributions Metro Manila, Philippines Mar 9, 2011
You must know a little bit of history to appreciate this place.
Otherwise it would seem like another concrete park with millions of passers by!
Had to take as much pictures as I dont think Ill ever visit this place again.
^_ ^This review is the subjective opinion of a TravelPod member and not of TravelPod.com.
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Boring
ronchu 7 contributions Israel, Israel Nov 23, 2010
I was bored. Maybe its because I've already seen so many palaces, and was cold and alone and in pain in my visit, but it seemed just long and endless and boring, every building looked just like the one before it.
This review is the subjective opinion of a TravelPod member and not of TravelPod.com.
Travel Blogs by Travelers Who Visited this Attraction Forbidden City (Imperial Palace) Beijing
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1
Hundreds of Years in a Day
Tim says:
Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City
Let me just start out by saying that I cannot possibly remember all of the details that we heard on our first day of our trip. I do know a couple of facts that are conclusive: Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City are truly amazing. I would do it a great injustice in trying to … -
2
Tianamen Sqaure, Forbidden City and Beijing Parks
Today I woke early around 6am... (Still not completely sorted with the sleeping pattern) and waited for Craig to wake up, an hour or so later and we then got up for a lovely free breakfast provided by the hostel. We had various buns and biscuits, toast, juice, coffees and teas all of which were yummy! Bob the hostel owner had lots of advice for us …
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3
Forbidden city- not anymore its rammed!!
This morning we had a slow morning getting ready which wasn't great time wise. Breakfast at the hostel consisted of french toast honey and watermelon, soo good! We walked to the Forbidden City and queued for our tickets, and nearly died in the +30C heat. Everyone has umbrellas to shade themselves, yet all they did was poke them in our heads as were …
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4
Beijing state of mind
Met the crew last night... Like the first day of school trying to remember names and what you know about each person! Some great people and some **** people as it always goes but we think we got a pretty good group. Up this morning and we all met in the lobby for our tour of the hutongs. The original china, winding alleyways and traditional …
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5
Favorit i repris
Glörgh...
Första dygnet så är vi förvirrade, hostiga och sura p.g.a sömnbortfall och hunger, Aeroflot var kanske inte bästa flygupplevelsen. Obenad torsk, luftgropar och flygvärdinnor som ej var kommunikativa. Väl i Peking leder jag oss in i fel tunnelbana och är allmänt förvirrad i min sömnbristfylla, trots min dåliga vägvisningsförmåga kommer … -
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A visit into the city!
This morning we awoke at 6am to go into the centre of Beijing to see the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square. The day started well with a KFC for breakfast however KFC seems to have a spicy edge to it here.
The Forbidden City was absolutely beautiful and the gardens were amazing. A lot of the buildings were the same but incredible due to … -
7
Amazing Beijing
Niet veel zin om te typen vandaag dus vooral veel foto`s.
deze ochtend met 4 mensen van de hostel naar de chinese muur geweest op 1.5u rijden hiervan.
Was eigenlijk echt wel fantastisch en vrij indrukwekkend.
Dan als we terug waren was het al tegen 5u en zijn we nog even naar de forbidden city geweest en tianaman square gaan kijken … -
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Last day in China
Weer niet echt veel zin om te typen.
ik zal morgen op het vliegtuig alles typen wat ik de afgelopen 3 dagen gedaan heb.
Vandaag de forbidden city , lama tempel , olympisch stadion en nog wat vanalles !
Door de regen wel wat vroeger teruggekeerd omdat we kou begonnen te krijgen … -
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Beijing Measures Up
Well, well... thank you for your interest in our food blog. We hope you all enjoyed it as much as we liked putting it together. Your comments were fun and interesting, as usual!
We just returned from a much-needed trip to Beijing with good friends. We had 8 days off from teaching for the May 1 Chinese holiday (Labour Day) so we took the … -
10
Great Wall, Summer Palace, and Forbidden City
We had 2 action packed sightseeing days and I am lumping them together!
First, we went to see the Great Wall at Mutianyu and the Summer Palace on the same day. We were lucky and the beginning of the day while we were on the wall was very clear and bright. At 8 AM, we piled in a bus in the hopes of finding it. I say "hopes" because at some …
Traveler PhotosForbidden City (Imperial Palace) Beijing
Related BlogsForbidden City (Imperial Palace) Beijing
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1
Beijing and the Wall
... of Beijing). We enjoyed Beijing very much. We were right near Tianamen Square and just up from there was the very atmospheric Forbidden City. Tuesday before we left Campbell and I found the Samoan Embassy to see what resources there were for trying to ...
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2
The Emperor's Summer Palace
... nbsp; It's so good. We also did some haggling for some trinkets. We finally got to the hotel and suited up to go for a swim before bedding down for the night. Tomorrow it's the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square! t's a massive complex where ...
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3
Olympi-mania
... 's going for bronze!) * Tiananmen Square obstacle course manoevering (The obstacles are all human) * Selling Olympic memorobilia * Forbidden City photo-taking We're not just here to ridicule the Olympics and the giant hopes that ...
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4
Welcome to Beijing!!!
... We are just a five-minute walk from Tiananmen Square and is near many important cultural and historical attractions such as the Forbidden City, Chairman Mao Mausoleum and the Great Hall of the People. Everything else is accessible by foot or subway. We ...
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5
Bright Lights Big City Little People
... Our days, lazy walks round, a trip to the great wall (next entry) and a trip to the much built up and hyped Forbidden City. For myself, Bruce Campbell and Mike we would have preferred it if it had stayed forbidden, though Bruce Campbell a little more ...
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6
Beijing
... a huge skating rink. Friday morning we saw the main sites: Mao's Masoleum - a very strange paradoxical experience. The Forbidden City - a beautiful and stunning complex of buildings from ancient Imperial dynasties. All this based around ...
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7
Beijing is unreal!!!
... its confines for almost 500 years), the names of the various halls and palaces were the best part. Clearly the name 'Forbidden City' in itself invokes a lot to think about, but once inside this garden of Eden you can find yourself walking ...
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8
A weekend in Beijing
... guides and drivers on the net and send out some inquiries. Later that morning we went out to see the big thing in Beijing, the Forbidden City. We took a taxi and enjoyed the Beijing traffic for about half an hour. The traffic is busy and the many ...
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9
Exploring bountiful Beijing
... a legacy of the Olympics, and it meant we were free and able to move around the city with ease. We visited the Forbidden City, hiring an audio-guide to take us around the many temples, courtyards and garden. It was grand and beautiful ...
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10
Beijing - Part 1
... Beijing so quick and easy (so we've managed to do so much already!). We joined the hordes of tourists visiting the Forbidden City, a huge complex of ancient buildings where two dynasties of emporers lived. As great an experience it was to be in such a ...
Forbidden City (Imperial Palace) Map
- Jiankou Great Wall (Arrow Nock)
- Wen Yu Cheese Shop
- Liuli Factory
- Hias Gourmet Culinary Excursions
- Mao Livehouse
- Ullens Center for Contemporary Art
- Xizhengmeng
- Daibatu (White Rabbit)
- Lane Crawford
- Bicycle Kingdom - Bike Beijing
- Yuyuantan Park
- National Center for the Performing Arts
- Qianmen
- Peking Opera
- National Grand Theater
- Hall of Preserving Harmony (Baohedian)
- Front Gate (Qianmen Gate)
- Inner Court
- Shin Kong Place
- Fahai Temple