Access to the Forbidden City ceases at noon, rendering any attempt to enter futile after this hour. Recently, due to the influx of holidaymakers, the queues have been particularly lengthy. The process begins with a queue for identity verification upon exiting the subway, followed by another for ticket inspection at the entrance to the square. Once inside the Forbidden City, there are yet more queues for ticket verification and security checks. Completing these procedures can take at least two hours, making it highly unlikely to secure entry with a morning ticket before the noon cutoff. The afternoon tickets, however, allow entry as early as 11 am, providing a more feasible option for those arriving from the subway at around 9 am.
Today, we narrowly escaped being turned away, but future days are already fully booked. Bear in mind that weekdays are already challenging, with weekends and holidays potentially resulting in even longer queues. The experience can be quite daunting, indeed! #ForbiddenCityTravel #BeijingTravelTips #WeekendExploration #Beijing #CulturalLandmarkSharing
