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Hue Imperial and Forbidden City Tour
5.0
192 Ratings
Thành phố Huế
Explore the magnificent architecture of the Nguyen Dynasty on a walking tour of Hue Imperial City. Discover the rich history, culture, and character of Hue with a knowledgeable guide. Satisfaction guaranteed or your money back!
Explore the magnificent architecture of the Nguyen Dynasty on a walking tour of Hue Imperial City. Discover the rich history, culture, and character of Hue with a knowledgeable guide. Satisfaction guaranteed or your money back!
Duration:
2 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- The Noon Gate (Cua Ngo Mon) - Join the tour guide at the designated meeting point and proceed to Ngo Mon Gate to receive an overview of the tour and learn about the gate’s role during the Nguyen Dynasty.
- Thai Hoa Palace - The next destination is Thai Hoa Palace, the most significant of the five palaces aligned on the main axis of the Hue…
- The Noon Gate (Cua Ngo Mon) - Join the tour guide at the designated meeting point and proceed to Ngo Mon Gate to receive an overview of the tour and learn about the gate’s role during the Nguyen Dynasty.
- Thai Hoa Palace - The next destination is Thai Hoa Palace, the most significant of the five palaces aligned on the main axis of the Hue Imperial City, used for grand court ceremonies and the coronation of new emperors.
- Hien Lam Pavilion - Hien Lam Pavilion is one of the few remaining structures within the Hue Citadel. Take a moment to appreciate and learn more about this building, which is over 200 years old.
- Nine Dynastic Urns - The Nine Dynastic Urns refer to the nine bronze urns cast during King Minh Mang’s reign.
- The Mieu Temple - The Mieu Temple was constructed to honor the Nguyen Dynasty kings posthumously. It is one of the five temples within the Hue Citadel.
- Cửa Chương Đức - Chuong Duc Gate is one of the four gates of the Imperial City, designated for women.
- Cung Diên Thọ - Dien Tho Palace served as the residence for the king’s mother. It is a large complex enclosed by a high wall, featuring various structures.
- Truong Du Pavilion - Truong Du Pavilion was where the king’s mother would relax, enjoy the view, and drink tea during her leisure time. This building is also part of the Dien Tho Palace complex.
- Hue Royal Palace - The Forbidden Purple City is the third enclosure within the Hue Imperial City, reserved for the king’s family, including his wives and children. It contains numerous structures with different purposes.
- Kiến Trung Palace - Dien Kien Trung has recently reopened after a complete reconstruction over five years on its original site.
- Thai Binh Pavilion - Thai Binh Lau (Peaceful Palace) was where the king would read and enjoy the scenery. It is an exceptionally beautiful structure.
- Thiệu Phương Garden - Thieu Phuong Garden, also known as the Royal Garden, has been restored with stunning scenery. It was a place for the king and his family to walk and appreciate the surroundings.
- Cửa Hiển Nhơn - Hien Nhon Gate was used by civil and military mandarins to enter the Imperial City for meetings with the king. This is also where the 2.5-hour walking tour inside the Imperial City concludes.
What's Included
- Guiding fee
- Guiding fee
What's Not Included
- Entrance fee
- Entrance fee
Additional Information
Please be aware that there are four options available:
Opt 1: Small group tour to the Imperial City
Opt 2: Special Experience
Opt 3: Private tour to the Imperial City, Dong Ba market, and Thien Mu Pagoda
Opt 4: Private tour to the Imperial City and Royal tombs.
The itinerary and duration vary based on the option selected. Please review the details…
Please be aware that there are four options available:
Opt 1: Small group tour to the Imperial City
Opt 2: Special Experience
Opt 3: Private tour to the Imperial City, Dong Ba market, and Thien Mu Pagoda
Opt 4: Private tour to the Imperial City and Royal tombs.
The itinerary and duration vary based on the option selected. Please review the details carefully!
Option 1: This brief tour lasts 2.5 hours and includes an exploration of the Imperial and Forbidden City within the Hue Citadel. This program is specifically designed to provide insight into:
- The history of the Nguyễn Dynasty and Vietnam under 13 emperors
- The distinctive architecture from the Nguyễn Dynasty era (1802-1945) and its recognition by UNESCO as Vietnam’s first world cultural heritage site in 1993.
- The intriguing royal life within the Imperial & Forbidden City.
- And more…
Location
Hai Mươi Ba Tháng Tám
There is a ticket booth in front of the Meridian gate. I will wait for you here
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
5.0
(192 Ratings)
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1 star
Aussietravelholic
Oct 13, 2024
Very interesting site and visiting it with a guide gets the most out your visit. - Communication with Mathew was very prompt and helpful. My husband and I took this tour privately with Mathew. The additional price to do this was very reasonable. This allowed us to be more flexible with the start and finish time, especially when it rained and we had to postpone, taking breaks when needed, and spending more time at areas that interested us. The site is huge and having a personal guide to show us around, give detailed explanations and pick the most interesting areas to visit saved a lot of time and gave us good appreciation of the history of the city and buildings. Mathew was a fantastic guide, with great English. I found the site very interesting and you get a lot more out of the visit if you have a guide. One palace has been fully renovated and reopened earlier this year. The other buildings and rooms less so but still interesting to see. The front palace at the entrance is still in the process of being renovated and not yet open. There are lovely gardens, and also a couple of shops on the site to stop and buy drinks or snacks, and a handicraft display room where artisans demonstrate different handicraft skills, and there are items for sale. There are toilets on site. At the end of the tour Mathew arranged for transport back to our hotel. Just a side note, the vehicle and taxi drop off point is maybe 500metres from the ticket booth and entrance. It is pedestrian access only. We got caught out with our taxi dropping us off at the parking area and not explaining that we had to walk a short distance to the ticket office where our guide was waiting. We took very expensive cyclos to supposedly go to the ticket office only to be dropped off not far from where we started and still had to walk any way. Mathew arranged all our touring and transfers while we were in Hue. We did a cooking tour, a cyclo food tour, the 3 tombs tour, visited the pagoda and also the Ah Dinh palace. He also custom designed a tour which visited the ancient town of Bao Vinh with a wonderful visit to a local family’s home where we learned to make traditional sweets. I can highly recommend Mathew and his team to arrange all your touring needs at a very reasonable price.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
I5430delorrainew
Sep 17, 2024
Matthew is an amazing guide :) - Our tour guide Matthew was a fountain of knowledge, and you could tell he really enjoys sharing all of his knowledge with people. We learned so much in 2.5 hours, and it was all fascinating!
I'd highly recommend doing this tour!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
P4910yxamandah
Jul 24, 2024
Tour recommended by Hue - Highly recommended tour to know the Imperial City of Hue. Our guide was named Dany and he taught us both the imperial city and the forbidden city and told us the story of these buildings and Vietnam. I recommend to know Hue more.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lauramiej
Jul 19, 2024
The best guide ever - We had a wonderful afternoon in Hue imperial city. Matthew is a wonderful person and storyteller and he’s English is pleasant and well spoken. We can, with out hesitation, recommend a guided tour with Matthew.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lauramie_j
Jul 18, 2024
The best guided tour ever - We just had the best guided walking tour in Hue Imperial city. Matthew is such a pleasant person, with a pleasant voice, telling us all about the many kings and their lives and deaths. He answered all of our questions and gave us such a lively storytelling, that it was like seeing the buildings from the past. We highly recommend supporting the restoration of the monument by visiting with a guide 🙏🏼
Review provided by Viator
Gordone_m
Jul 15, 2024
Highly informative and well worth the time! - I thoroughly enjoyed my guided tour of the Imperial City and Forbidden City with Matthew. His breadth of knowledge, openness to questions, concern for our comfort (there were five people on the tour) impressed me. Matthew packed a lot into the 2.5 hours but we never felt rushed. I strongly recommend this tour and have already strongly encouraged someone I met here to choose this tour while in Hue.
Review provided by Viator
Kimbt3280fp
Jul 3, 2024
Awesome walking tour - Matthew was amazing, so knowledgeable and such a flair for storytelling. We very much appreciate his time and expertise. Highly recommend!!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Monicalq3425gj
Jun 17, 2024
A great tour - Matthew was an excellent tour guide who is passionate about Hue and its history. It was a pleasure to be on his tour, and his explanations really brought the imperial city to life. Matthew was very knowledgeable and answered all our questions along the tour. By the end I wished the tour had been longer!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Andrew_doublard
Jun 2, 2024
Beautiful surroundings - As one group was full I was put on a private tour which was very generous. Sue kindly avoided crowds and made sure we were in no rush, allowing me to learn as much as possible from her and get the best experience I could. The general area is very beautiful and it was great to learn about the dynasty that unified Vietnam as we know it today for the first time. Thanks :)
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mayra_k
May 14, 2024
Excellent tour - My 12 year old son and I both enjoyed this tour. Our guides English was easy to understand and the information was very interesting and well presented. It was just the right amount of time followed by free time to explore the grounds palace further by ourselves.
Review provided by Viator
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