This is located north of Tiananmen Square and the Palace Museum takes up quite a big space . . . the outer walls are about 1km by 0.75km in size and this was once the home of the emperor, the empress, concubines, eunuchs and so on. We bought tickets to the museum for 40RMB (about €5) and for another 40RMB and my driver’s licence as a deposit, we rented audio guides that helped us with information throughout the museum. It was kinda funny to listen to the audio guide because the information was being narrated by James Bond, eh, I mean Roger Moore. :-) It was certainly handy as not all the signs went into as much historical detail. We were lucky enough to have great weather this day -- the blue skies made the yellow roof tiles looked even more majestic. The Forbidden City was overwhelming -– in size and historical facts -– which I could bombard you with but I think that I will summarise by saying that it was a great experience In my opinion, this place can be compared to other magnificent buildings such as Versailles. And with names like Gate of Supreme Harmony, Hall of Protective Harmony and Hall of Heavenly Peace you know that this was a place fit for an emperor.

The only negative thing about the Forbidden City, that I can think of, was that on a few occasions we were approached by "Chinese art students" claiming that they would have an exhibition in Norway soon and they wanted us to come along to look at their paintings to get feedback and new ideas. We never did go along to see what it was all about so I can’t really comment on it. :-) I was also surprised to see that a majority of the Forbidden City’s visitors were part of Chinese tour groups, either following a flag holding tour leader or browsing about in matching hats.

The first local we encountered upon getting out of the taxi was offering us the opportunity to check out some authentic Chinese paintings and give our opinions. We declined and headed off to get our entrance tickets, which amounted to RMB40 each.

We then decided that an audio guide would come in handy, as the available maps with information were only in Mandarin. And so it came to be that we were accompanied by the suave voice of Roger Moore on our walk through the Imperial Palace.

Roger seemed to have a comment about all the parts of the Imperial Palace, which came as a bombardment of information in addition to our guidebook. This is a city on its own -- as I imagine the Vatican to be. The daily life was so secluded and controlled that one wonders if the Emperor was keeping the world out or if the world was keeping him in. In the case of the last Emperor, he was definitely being kept captive in the city.

Together with groups of Chinese tourists, we explored the parts of the city that were open. I was in total awe of the immensity of the entire structure -- and we had only walked the parts that were still standing. The names of the different structures were amusing and impressive at once, such as The Hall of Heavenly Peace. One aspect of the history of the city that fascinates me is the Empress Dowager Ci'xi and the very meaning of the Emperial line to the Chinese.

Unfortunately, because of the Chinese habit to stroke artifacts for good luck, all the Halls are either closed or cordoned off, making it difficult to take good photos of the Emperor's throne.

The Forbidden City, like Versailles, also has its own form of magnificence. Once one reads more about the inhabitants of the Forbidden City and Versailles, the similarities become all the more alike than different. The most unfortunate aspect is that most of the city's treasures are scattered throughout the world and that there were no impressive displays available for us to gawk at.

After the color and grandeur of the Grand Palace in Bangkok, the Forbidden City seemed a bit "flat" at first glance. But then, I started to notice the subtleties: the fine decorations at the top of buildings, the care with which the buildings were maintained close to their original condition (even down to the colors of paint).

I remember the first time I saw the film The Last Emperor and the view of the Forbidden City that opens up as the camera moved through the gates onto the first courtyard. This is one of the most interesting features of the City: you actually move through a series of gates and courtyards, each more grand than the one before. During Imperial times, you would move through the grounds in this manner, getting ever closer to the chamber in which the Emperor would (occassionally) hold court and meet ambassadors and important guests.

The buildings are mostly made of wood, and this is the reason for the large cauldrons located throughout the courtyards. While I did hear a mother or two making ominous comments to overly-boisterous children about boiling oil used as a punishment, these pots were actually used to store water in case of fire. They were made of iron so that fires could be lit under them to prevent the water from freezing during the cold Beijing winters.

After you pass through the main section of buildings, there is a lovely park and there are some pagodas which I believe you can climb to to get a panoramic view. One of the bad things about large group travel is that you live by the bus's departure time and so we weren't able to explore these areas. Leave yourself a half-day or so to see the entire palace and grounds. It's time well spent.

Entrance was provided by the tour I was on, but for your information it costs 32 Yuan. The gates close for entrance at 3:30 and the whole palace shuts down at 4:30. You can get an audio tour and listen to James Bond (Roger Moore) give you the historical background of the temple.

The palace is huge and it is quite a joy to walk through all of it, although maybe a bit overwhelming. If entering from the Wumen entrance, the first major ceremonial hall you see is so huge and beautiful it is hard to grasp that you are actually witnessing it. One can take two rolls of film halfway through the city and not even begin to capture how wonderful the palace is.

My favorite section of the entire palace was the Imperial Garden. Twisted, black branches spring from numerous trees and intermix with jagged rock. There are a few little ponds spotted throughout. We stopped at a tea house there and enjoyed some hot tea (about 40 yuan) while enjoying the scene. There are also some ponds and pavilions to add to the beauty. The best part is Hall of Imperial Tranquillity in the middle of the garden that sits high on a mountain of rock. This is where the emperor Xuan Wu came worship a water diety to keep the palace safe from fire.

The Forbidden City is must-see if spending any time in Beijing.