Museums — Beijing

A 15th-century imperial palace in the heart of Beijing, the Forbidden City (Palace Museum) is the world’s largest palace complex and a UNESCO World Heritage site. For nearly 500 years it housed 24 emperors of the Ming and Qing dynasties and was completely off-limits to ordinary people. Since 1925 this once-forbidden city has been open as the Palace Museum, showcasing China’s imperial art and cultural treasures across 980 preserved buildings.

The National Museum of China is the world's largest single-building museum, located on the east side of Tiananmen Square in Beijing. It houses over 1.4 million artifacts spanning Chinese history from prehistoric times (1.7 million years ago) to the Qing Dynasty and modern era. The museum features 48 exhibition halls across five floors, with highlights including the Ancient China exhibition in the basement, exquisite bronzes from Shang and Zhou dynasties, Tang Dynasty ceramics, and imperial treasures. While admission is free, advance reservation through WeChat or Trip.com is mandatory and can be challenging for foreign visitors. The museum requires at least 3-5 hours to explore properly, with some visitors spending entire days.