Plan your visit
Visiting the Forbidden City
LoreTrek is a free, self-paced audio guide: put in your headphones and walk at your own pace, hearing each landmark's history, people, and trivia as you reach it. Every stop is bilingual — switch between English and 中文 anytime.
What the guide covers
15 stops so far, laid out like this:
- Gates4 stops
- Outer Court5 stops
- Inner Court3 stops
- Imperial Garden1 stop
- Galleries2 stops
How long to allow
Narration pauses and skips freely — you set the pace. Allow roughly a half-day to walk the Forbidden City's main route unhurried, or just cue up the few stops you care about when time is short.
Good to know
- Best with headphones — keep the phone pocketed and let your ears do the exploring.
- Free, and no account needed to start.
- Check the museum’s official channels for tickets, hours, and booking (they change seasonally); LoreTrek does not sell tickets.