Beijing booking guide
Which Beijing Attractions Require Reservations?
A foreign visitor’s reservation checklist for the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, National Museum, Great Wall, municipal parks, Lama Temple and Universal Beijing.
- Book first
- Forbidden City
- Free but reserved
- Tiananmen and NMC
- Carry
- Original passport
- Recheck
- 24 hours before
Beijing does not have one attraction reservation system. The Palace Museum, Tiananmen area, national museums, municipal parks, Great Wall sections, religious sites, and theme parks all use different rules.
The safest workflow is a reservation calendar built around passport details and official release windows, not a folder of third-party screenshots.
Quick answer
Prioritize the Forbidden City, Tiananmen Square, and National Museum because each uses real-name access and can sell out or fill. Great Wall sections, municipal parks, temples, and Universal Beijing have different purchase systems; check each official channel instead of applying one rule to the whole city.
High-priority real-name reservations
- Forbidden City: limited paid admission; no same-day general ticket plan; passport required.
- Tiananmen Square: free time-slot reservation through official channels; passport details accepted.
- National Museum of China: free official reservation with a fixed entry slot and original ID.
- Chairman Mao Memorial Hall and other square-side venues: separate systems from square access.
- Popular temporary museum exhibitions: may add another ticket layer even when general entry is free.
Attractions with their own ticket logic
Mutianyu and Badaling are separate Great Wall scenic areas with separate products, passport workflows, transport, and closure notices. Universal Beijing uses dated products, official app linking, and product-specific reservation or change terms.
Yonghegong has used an official real-name ticket system. Check its current channel directly rather than assuming municipal park rules apply to an active temple.
Municipal parks are more flexible—but still verify
- Temple of Heaven, Summer Palace, and Jingshan provide official online purchase routes.
- Recent Beijing guidance also describes staff-assisted or paper ticket sales at gates for several municipal parks.
- A basic park ticket may not include separately charged monuments or galleries.
- Individual paid sites can close earlier or close on Mondays while the outer park remains open.
- Temporary events and public holidays can override normal arrangements.
Build a reservation calendar
- Write down the official release date and time for each high-demand sight.
- Use passport names exactly as printed, including spacing and order where required.
- Do not book two distant attractions in overlapping time slots.
- Save confirmations, QR codes, and entrance instructions offline.
- Check the official notice again the day before for closures or changed access.
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Plan My Beijing TripFrequently asked questions
What Beijing attraction should I book first?
The Forbidden City is usually the first priority because inventory is limited and same-day general admission is not the official plan.
Are Tiananmen Square and the National Museum free?
Their general admission is free, but both use real-name reservations and identity checks. Free does not mean walk-in.
Do I need to reserve every Beijing park?
No single rule applies. Recent official guidance allows on-site purchase at several municipal parks, while important interiors or other venues may require separate arrangements.
Official information used for this guide
Operational details last checked August 13, 2026. Tickets, hours, transport, closures, and passport workflows can change; confirm the final details with the venue.
