A palace museum refers a number of museums that are housed in former royal palaces. The most famous example is probably the Forbidden City in Beijing, China. The National Palace Museum in Taipei, Taiwan houses part of its former collection.

The Forbidden City was the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming dynasty to the end of the Qing dynasty—the years 1420 to 1912. It is located in the center of Beijing, China, and now houses the Palace Museum. It served as the home of emperors and their households as well as the ceremonial and political centre of Chinese government for almost 500 years.