Forbidden City Hotel, Beijing

The Forbidden City. Beijing. I remember as a child looking at pictures and reading about the last Emperor and the Forbidden city and although I had a vivid imagination I never thought I would ever go and visit the Palace, Visiting the palace was one of my biggest dreams so I was very fortunate enough to visit it and I would hope that I can make another visit there one day soon and hopefully after reading this you will also feel the same. What is the Forbidden City? This is a city built for the Chinese Emperor who was cocooned in the vast city within a city. Building started on the palace in ... more

When we visited the Chinese capital in May 2004 believe me, I had a long list of things to do and see. Not surprisingly the Forbidden City was on the top of the list. When in Beijing you simply must visit it. It would be like going to London for the first time and not seeing Big Ben. (But on a grander scale…really) Forbidden City is easily accessible by the City underground system or bus. For 2 or 3 Yuan (1 Yuan = 7 UK pence) you can get almost anywhere in the town centre. It’s so big, you cannot help but stumble across it. Once you get to Tiananmen Square (the mother of all pavements) just ... more

I visited the Forbidden city on a trip to Beijing in February 2000. Now famous as the location of filming "the last emperor", these magnificent buildings were once the home of the Emperor's of China and forbidden teritory to the general public. I went on a guided tour of the Forbidden City and I was most grateful for the guide, who was extremely well informed and interesting, and without whom, the trip would have been boring and meaningless. The City is basically a collection of buildings, surrounded by courtyards. On the way in, you are ambushed by Chinese people trying to sell you postcards ... more

Maybe it was the crowds of coached in tourists, maybe it was the amount of dust that filled the air, maybe it was the grubby windows or maybe it was the never ending sequence of empty rooms...but for me the best part of the Forbidden City was viewing it from Jing Shan, the temple Garden on the Hill that overlooks the Forbidden City and all Beijing. Sure it's one of those things you have to see afterall people are going to laugh at you if you say you went all the way to China and didn't see the Forbidden City. But it is just so run down and grubby, when you come across any display there seems ... more

If you visit Beijing you will for sure want to see the Forbidden City, Leave yourself plenty of time if you are going it alone for their is much to see. My visit was with a holiday group so time was at a premium before we were whisked off to the nextsight not to be missed. (and by the way Beijing is rich in things to see and do). It is difficult to see these places as an individual and I would recommend that you attach yourself to a guide otherwise you will miss a lot of the history and purposes behind the large number of buildings within. The day I went it absolutley teemed with rain which ... more