How to Get from Beijing South Railway Station to Forbidden City & Tiananmen Square

The distance between Beijing South Railway Station and Tiananmen Square & Foribidden City is around 7 kilometers (4 miles). The most popular way to travel between the two locations is by subway, which takes about 40 minutes and costs CNY 3/ 4. Taxi is also available, taking about 25 minutes and CNY 35.
 

How to Get from Beijing South Railway Station to Tiananmen Square & Forbidden City

 
→ Follow the bilingual direction signs to the subway entrance on the -1F of Beijing South Railway Station.
→ Take subway line 4 to Xidan, 4 stops.
→ Transfer to subway line 1 to Tiananmen East or Tiananmen West after 1 stop and 2 stops respectively.

Both Subway Tiananmen East and West Stations are located between the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square. Tiananmen East Station is a little closer but it may take longer to go through security at the Tiananmen West subway station.

Subway Line 4

 → Take subway line 4 to Xuwumen, 3 stops.
→ Change to subway line 2 to Qianmen, 2 stops.
→ Get out from exit A and walk north to reach Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City.

Qianmen subway station is close to the southern end of Tiananmen Square and about 1,000 meters (1,100 yards) from the Forbidden City.
 → Go to the North Square of Beijing South Railway Station
→ Take bus 106 to Tianqiao, 6 stops
→ Transfer to bus 2 and get off at Tian'anmen Square, 5 stops

Traffic jams may occur, especially during peak hours from 07:00 to 09:00 and 17:00 to 19:00.

Beijing City Bus

 The taxi pick-up stand is on the -1F of South Railway Station. Usually, there are many people waiting for taxis so visitors can expect to wait for at least 30 minutes.

 Tips for Taking a Taxi at Beijing South Railway Station:
1. If the taxi queues are long at the station, passengers can exit from the North Square and walk left towards the intersection to take a taxi from there.
2. Watch out for the illegal private taxis around the station. Official taxis are not allowed to pick up passengers outside the pick-up stands.

Take a taxi to the Forbidden City

Further Reading:
How to Travel from Shanghai to Beijing
Shanghai to Beijing Train
Beijing - Shanghai Overnight Sleeper Train
Beijing - Shanghai Train VS. Plane
Cheapest Way to Travel between Beijing and Shanghai
How to Get from Beijing South Railway Station to Wangfujing
How to Get from Beijing South Railway Station to Capital Airport