Last Update: 8th October 2020
What is the Imperial Garden of the Palace Museum?
Originally built in 1420, Imperial Garden of the Palace Museum had been completed after 18-years-construction. Although it had been expanded in the following years, the basic pattern at the time of initial construction is still retained.
The garden is acclaimed as the essence of the garden architecture with the Han style.
Imperial Garden of the Palace Museum Fast Facts
- Chinese Name: Yuhuayuan (御花园)
- Area: 1.2 x hectares
- Things to do there: Photography, Architecture, Chinese Culture, Chinese History
- Who visits: Photographers, Chinese Culture Lovers, Architecture Learners
- Time required: Up to 1 x hour
Interested in visiting the Imperial Garden of the Palace Museum on a Tour?
Wendy Wei Tours offers a variety of different packaged tours as well as custom tours including the Imperial Garden of the Palace Museum, among other attractions and destinations. To find out more, please visit our Tours page or Contact Us directly to find out more.
What to expect at the Imperial Garden of the Palace Museum
The Imperial Garden of the Palace Museum is situated in the Forbidden City. It is 80 meters wide from the south to the north and 140 meters wide from the east to the west. The garden is full of unique stones, the fine woods and the cypress vines, all of which are hundreds of years old. It is also dotted with more than 160 ancient trees which are more than 300 years old. The roads in the garden were built in painted stone. They were carefully paved with different colors of pebbles, forming more than 900 different patterns, including figures, flowers, scenery, drama, allusions, etc.
Many old buildings stand in the garden. Qin’an Taoist Temple (钦安殿) is the main building in the garden. Emperor Zhenwu is worshiped in the temple. Tianyi Gate is the exquisite Taoist Gate. Located in the northeast of the garden, Chizao Hall has been the exclusive place for storing “Siku Quanshu Hui Yao” since 1779.
Yujing Pavilion (御景亭) stands on the top of the Duixiu Hill in the north of the garden. The pavilion is ideal for overlooking the panoramic view of the garden. The 10-meters-tall Duixiu Hill is an artificial hill built in 1583. There are four pavilions standing for four seasons around the year. They are called Wanchun Pavilion (万春亭) which symbolizes spring, Fubi Pavilion (浮碧亭) which stands for summer, Qianqiu Pavilion (千秋亭) which symbolizes autumn and Chengrui Pavilion (澄瑞亭) which stand for winter.
Best time to visit the Imperial Garden of the Palace Museum
As the Imperial Garden of Palace Museum is situated in the Forbidden City, the best time to visit is in the morning when fewer tourists visit the hall.
The best months to visit the hall is from March to May and from September to November.
How to get to the Imperial Garden of the Palace Museum
The Imperial Garden of Palace Museum is located in the Forbidden City. Therefore, you should know how to arrive at the Forbidden City and then walk to the Imperial Garden of Palace Museum.
Forbidden City is in the heart of Beijing. Therefore, there are many options.
- Rent a vehicle to Forbidden City. This is the quickest and most direct option. Please note that there is no parking lot in the Forbidden City.
- Take Bus 1, Bus 120, Bus 2, Bus 52, Bus 59, Bus 82, Bus 99, Sightseeing Bus 1 and 2 and Metro 1 to the Stop of Tian’anmen Dong (天安门东站). Walk to the Forbidden City.
- Take Bus 101, Bus 103, Bus 109, Bus 58, Bus 685 and Bus 124 to the Stop of Gugong (故宫站).
Additional Imperial Garden of the Palace Museum Travel Advice
- Opening hours: 08:30 – 16:10 (April 1 – October 31); 08:30 – 15:40 (November 1 – March 31). It is closed on Mondays except the public holidays.
- As the Imperial Garden of Palace Museum is located in the Forbidden City, you could visit the garden with the ticket for the Forbidden City. As at 8th October 2020, from April 1 to October 31, the entrance pricing (not including the entrance to Treasure Hall and Clocks and Watches Hall) is 60 CNY per person; from November 1 to March 31, the entrance pricing (not including the entrance to Treasure Hall and Clocks and Watches Hall) is 40 CNY per person; entrance pricing to Treasure Hall is 10 CNY per person; entrance pricing to Clocks and Watches Hall is 10 CNY per person; Children under 1.2m (1.2m not included) is free of charge; the elder above 60 years old (60 years old included) are charged 30 CNY per person from April 1 to October 3 and 20 CNY per person from November 1 to March 31. For the latest pricing information, please contact us via email (info@wendyweitours.com)
- The Forbidden City offers multi-language interpretation service.
- Wumen (午门) is the only entrance to Forbidden City and Shenwumen (神武门) is the only exit.
- It is not allowed to smoke in the Forbidden City.
Interested in visiting the Imperial Garden of the Palace Museum on a Tour?
Wendy Wei Tours offers a variety of different packaged tours as well as custom tours including the Imperial Garden of the Palace Museum, among other attractions and destinations. To find out more, please visit our Tours page or Contact Us directly to find out more.