The Forbidden City

While our first day in the city had a mix of exploration and taking in some tourist sites, the second day was definitely much more aimed at seeing some of the city’s most important attractions: Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City.

Arriving at the gates a quick bike ride from our hotel, we learned right away that the main square at Tiananmen was closed for the morning due to a government meeting, so we would only be able to take in the view from across the street as we waited in line to enter the Forbidden City.

To sum it up succinctly (which itself feels like a disservice) the Forbidden City is a palace complex built in the early 1400’s, which served as the home for emperors and their households for over 500 years. As you may guess from the name, for much of that time the city was off limits to commoners, but oh how things have changed.

In fact, the first thing most visitors will likely be struck by is the sheer number of people also waiting to get in, as well as guards standing sentry and security protocols that rival most airports. However, as soon as you enter Tiananmen Gate, the massive scale of the palace complex will take precedent. With nearly a thousand structures, you quickly realize that it will take you quite some time to even casually explore the temples, palaces and gardens, and truly understanding the area seems like a near impossibility. You walk from temple to temple, and with every passing map you cross you realize that you are barely scratching the surface of this enormous site.

While you could easily spend an entire day here, most visitors will find that a few hours suffice, and be ready to leave the crowds and open spaces with little to no shade. Surprisingly, Zhongshan Park, just to the north of the Forbidden City, provided that relief. While you could certainly jostle among plenty of people at the top of the small hill overlooking the palaces, we opted to wander around the nearly empty temples and enjoy a bit of a respite from the early September sun - which is still pretty strong in Beijing! This ended up being the perfect note to go out on after the extremely impressive - yet somewhat exhausting - tour of the Forbidden City.