PreeChina · Route Guide
6 stops within 2 km of Forbidden City. A sample itinerary that PreeChina can turn into a private, custom or tailor-made tour.
At a Glance
Price
Per person, in US dollars. The price covers the guide, the ground service, and the transport, meals and tickets in the itinerary, and it falls as the group grows. What a price includes and leaves out.
| Travelers | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 15 | 20 | 30 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Day trip | USD 305 | USD 220 | USD 185 | USD 175 | USD 160 | USD 155 | USD 145 | USD 135 |
Premium hotels and first-class rail raise the price: the selectors on Private Tours show by how much. The final price is confirmed in writing before anything is booked.
Why This Route
The imperial palace of the Ming and Qing dynasties, built between 1406 and 1420. It is the largest surviving group of timber palace buildings. It became the Palace Museum in 1925. The central axis runs from Yongdingmen to the Bell and Drum Towers, and in 2024 the Beijing Central Axis received its own World Heritage listing.
Forbidden City lies 2 km from central Beijing in a straight line. This route stays within 2 km of it. The stops are Imperial Ancestral Temple (Taimiao), National Museum of China, Beihai Park, Xisi Hutongs, National Art Museum of China.
The Beijing city guide covers the city itself.
Itinerary
Forbidden City (故宫). The imperial palace of the Ming and Qing dynasties, built between 1406 and 1420.Start here.
Imperial Ancestral Temple (Taimiao) (太庙（北京市劳动人民文化宫）). One wall east of the Forbidden City stands the imperial ancestral temple, a 600-year-old compound with 11-bay golden-nanmu halls and 700 old cypresses.0.8 km from the previous stop, 0.8 km from Forbidden City, straight line
National Museum of China (中国国家博物馆). Recorded as the largest single museum building in the world by floor area, at close to 200,000 square metres on the east side of Tiananmen Square.0.7 km from the previous stop, 1.4 km from Forbidden City, straight line
Beihai Park (北海公园). Beihai Park in Beijing is an imperial garden around a lake. Sources date its start to the Jin dynasty in the 1160s or the Liao in 938.2.2 km from the previous stop, 0.8 km from Forbidden City, straight line
Xisi Hutongs (西四胡同). Beijing's less-touristed western hutong area with the 1901 Xisi Pailou (archways), old courtyard homes, and the famous Guangji Temple, where locals still shop at morning markets and eat at decades-old dumpling shops.1.2 km from the previous stop, 1.8 km from Forbidden City, straight line
National Art Museum of China (中国美术馆). The national museum of fine art, open since 1963, holding over 100,000 works with the emphasis on Chinese artists of the past century, among them Qi Baishi, Xu Beihong and Wu Guanzhong.2.8 km from the previous stop, 1.3 km from Forbidden City, straight line
Stops run from Forbidden City outward, each next stop being the closest one left. We do not list clock times here: your private itinerary sets the pace, the order and the start time with you.
Map
The gold marker is Forbidden City. Numbers follow the route order. We do not draw a line because it would not follow roads.
Stop by Stop
Start of the route
The imperial palace of the Ming and Qing dynasties, built between 1406 and 1420. It is the largest surviving group of timber palace buildings. It became the Palace Museum in 1925.
0.8 km from Forbidden City, straight line
One wall east of the Forbidden City stands the imperial ancestral temple, a 600-year-old compound with 11-bay golden-nanmu halls and 700 old cypresses. Few tourists visit.
1.4 km from Forbidden City, straight line
Recorded as the largest single museum building in the world by floor area, at close to 200,000 square metres on the east side of Tiananmen Square. The collection holds 1.4 million objects, and the two standing exhibitions are Ancient China and The Road to Rejuvenation.
0.8 km from Forbidden City, straight line
Beihai Park in Beijing is an imperial garden around a lake. Sources date its start to the Jin dynasty in the 1160s or the Liao in 938. The Qing court built the Tibetan-style White Dagoba on Qionghua Island in 1651. It covers about 71 hectares.
1.8 km from Forbidden City, straight line
Beijing's less-touristed western hutong area with the 1901 Xisi Pailou (archways), old courtyard homes, and the famous Guangji Temple, where locals still shop at morning markets and eat at decades-old dumpling shops.
1.3 km from Forbidden City, straight line
The national museum of fine art, open since 1963, holding over 100,000 works with the emphasis on Chinese artists of the past century, among them Qi Baishi, Xu Beihong and Wu Guanzhong.
Distances
| # | Stop | Type | From Forbidden City | From previous |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Forbidden City | UNESCO Site | - | - |
| 2 | Imperial Ancestral Temple (Taimiao) | Heritage Site | 0.8 km | 0.8 km |
| 3 | National Museum of China | Museum | 1.4 km | 0.7 km |
| 4 | Beihai Park | Heritage Site | 0.8 km | 2.2 km |
| 5 | Xisi Hutongs | Historic Neighborhood | 1.8 km | 1.2 km |
| 6 | National Art Museum of China | Museum | 1.3 km | 2.8 km |
Straight-line distances. Road distances are longer.
Getting There
| From | Straight line | We plan it as | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beijing | 2 km | 1 day | City guide |
| Tianjin | 112 km | 1 day | City guide |
Straight-line distances from the city centre. Road and rail distances are longer. Your private itinerary sets the pace and the order with you.
Independent Travel
Arranging these 6 stops yourself keeps the budget lower. It also means booking each one and the transfers between them. Compare a private tour with independent travel, or ask PreeChina to plan it.
Custom Tour
This route is a starting point: 1 day and 6 stops. PreeChina plans it as a private, tailor-made trip and changes the stops, the days and the pace to your group.
Questions
Forbidden City lies 2 km from central Beijing in a straight line. The road distance is longer.
The stops on this route, with straight-line distances from Forbidden City, are Imperial Ancestral Temple (Taimiao) (0.8 km), National Museum of China (1.4 km), Beihai Park (0.8 km), Xisi Hutongs (1.8 km), National Art Museum of China (1.3 km).
Imperial Ancestral Temple (Taimiao), at 0.8 km in a straight line.
We plan it as 1 day. Your private itinerary sets the pace and the order with you.
Anyone who wants a slow day. The route links 6 stops, so each visit is short. Tell PreeChina which stops matter most and the others can go.
Plan More
Explore More
This route is in Beijing. The province page lists its city guides, themes, museums and other routes.
Related
Tell us when you arrive in Beijing, who is travelling and how much time you have. We build the route around your group.
