China attractions you must book in advance (and how to do it with a passport)

The most common way a first trip to China goes wrong is not the language or the food. It's turning up at the Forbidden City and finding there are no tickets at the gate. Most major Chinese sights now use real-name, timed tickets. You book a date (often a time slot) online with your passport number, then the passport itself becomes your ticket at the gate.

This guide lists the big-name sights where booking is required or strongly advised, how far ahead to book, and the details that trip people up. Rules change often, so check the official channel again a week before you go.

Beijing

Forbidden City (Palace Museum) · 故宫博物院

• Booking: required, and there are no same-day tickets. Book only on the official Palace Museum website or WeChat mini-program.
• When slots open: 20:00 Beijing time, seven days ahead. Popular days sell out.
• Price: ¥60 April–October, ¥40 November–March. The Treasure Gallery and Clock Gallery cost ¥10 each.
• Closed: Mondays.
• At the gate: bring the passport you booked with and enter through the Meridian Gate (午门).

Tiananmen Square · 天安门广场

The square is free, but you can't just walk in. Book 1–7 days ahead in the WeChat mini-program 天安门广场预约参观. Slots are released at 12:00 each day, and every guest needs the original passport used for the booking. Chairman Mao's Mausoleum has its own separate booking.

National Museum of China · 中国国家博物馆

Free, but you need a timed ticket, which you can reserve online up to 7 days ahead with your passport. Closed Mondays. It sits on the east side of Tiananmen Square, so it pairs well with the Forbidden City if you can't get palace tickets for the day you wanted.

The Great Wall at Mutianyu and Badaling

Mutianyu sells real-name tickets up to 15 days ahead, one per passport per day. Entry is about ¥40–45 (sources differ; ¥35 November–March), plus the ¥15 shuttle bus. The cable car or chairlift is extra. Note that cable car tickets are only valid at the North Ticket Gate, and toboggan tickets only at the Slide Gate.

At Badaling, the city's official ticketing page says you can buy on site, while many travel sites say real-name online booking is needed. Book online to be safe. Entry is ¥40 April–October and ¥35 November–March.

Xi'an

Terracotta Army · 秦始皇帝陵博物院

Book up to 7 days ahead on the official website or WeChat account of the Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum, choosing Passport as your ID type. The machines on site do sell tickets, but they sell out at busy times. Tickets cost ¥120 all year and include the shuttle to Lishan Garden (the emperor's tomb mound). Your passport is your ticket.

Shaanxi History Museum · 陕西历史博物馆

Booking is required and there are no tickets at the door. The main galleries are free with a booked slot. Slots open 5 days ahead at 17:00 on the museum's WeChat account, and passports are accepted. The Tang mural gallery costs extra (¥270, entry included). Closed Mondays.

Chengdu and around

Giant Panda Breeding Research Base · 成都大熊猫繁育研究基地

Book real-name tickets up to 14 days ahead through the base's WeChat account or mini-program, or on Trip.com, and bring your original passport. Tickets are ¥55 for adults. Visitors aged 60+ and children under 1.3 m get in free and don't need to book.

Leshan Giant Buddha · 乐山大佛

Real-name, timed-entry booking is required. Book online through the official WeChat channels (乐山大佛景区 or the 大佛旅游 mini-program) or on Ctrip/Trip.com, picking a date and entry slot. Foreign visitors can scan their original passport at the land entrance. The full mountain ticket is ¥80.

Dujiangyan Irrigation System · 都江堰

All visitors must reserve a real-name, timed-entry ticket online. Bookings open up to 15 days ahead, and one 2026 guide reports that the ticket office no longer sells on site. Book via the official WeChat accounts (青城山都江堰 or 悦游都江堰) or through Meituan or Ctrip. Adults pay ¥80 March–October and ¥60 November–February.

Hangzhou, Suzhou and Nanjing

Lingyin Temple · 灵隐寺

Since 1 December 2025, Lingyin Temple and Feilai Feng have been free, but you still need a timed booking. Use the 杭州灵隐飞来峰 mini-program (in WeChat or Alipay). Slots open 7 days ahead at 08:00, and there is no same-day booking. Switch the ID type to Passport and bring the original.

Humble Administrator's Garden, Suzhou · 拙政园

Tickets are real-name and dated. Book 1–7 days ahead through the 苏州园林旅游 WeChat account or the 君到苏州 mini-program, or 3–7 days ahead on Trip.com, which accepts passports. Your name and passport number must match the passport exactly. Expect about ¥80 in peak season and ¥70 off-peak.

Sun Yat-sen Mausoleum, Nanjing · 中山陵

Entry to the mausoleum is free, but you need a real-name reservation for a time slot. Book through the 南京钟山风景区 WeChat account, the 中山陵园票务中心 account or the Meituan app. Closed Mondays.

Mountains, rivers and islands

Zhangjiajie National Forest Park · 张家界国家森林公园

Booking is mandatory, real-name, timed and gate-specific, through the 张家界旅游小助手 WeChat mini-program or a travel platform. Every day you visit needs its own booking, even though the ¥224 ticket (gate plus unlimited park shuttles) is valid for 4 consecutive days. There's no paper ticket: your face or passport is checked at the gate.

Tianmen Mountain · 天门山

Real-name advance booking is required through the official 张家界天门山景区 WeChat account, where tickets go on sale daily at 08:00. In peak season, book 3–5 days ahead and take an early slot. The peak-season package is ¥288 and includes the main cableway and shuttle bus. Enter your full passport details when booking and bring the physical passport.

Mount Huangshan · 黄山

Book through the official Huangshan WeChat mini-program (黄山旅游官方平台) at least one day ahead, with your passport. Admission is ¥190 March–November and ¥150 December–February. The cable cars cost extra each way.

Li River cruise, Guilin · 漓江游船

Tickets are real-name and need your passport details. Book about 7 days ahead in peak months (Trip.com takes foreign cards). Collect paper tickets at the pier 40–50 minutes before sailing, and check which pier is printed on your ticket. A 3-star boat from Mopanshan Pier is ¥215 with lunch extra. In low water, often January to March, the trip may be cut short to Yangdi–Xingping.

Gulangyu island, Xiamen · 鼓浪屿

The island is free, but the ferry must be booked online in advance with real names, and the pier windows sell no same-day tickets. Book 1–3 days ahead normally, or 3–7 days ahead in peak season and around public holidays. Official channels are the 厦门轮渡有限公司 WeChat account and the 屿见厦门 / 厦门轮渡+ mini-program.

Good news: some places no longer need booking

The Shanghai Museum (People's Square) has been free walk-in with a passport since 1 September 2025. You only book on peak days. It's closed on Mondays.

Avoid Chinese public holidays if you can

Booking windows that are easy most of the year sell out fast around Labour Day (early May) and National Day (the first week of October), and on summer weekends. If your dates overlap, book the moment slots open, and plan a flexible backup for each day: a park, a free museum or a walk through an old neighbourhood.

Let us handle the timing

Every Nihao Plan guide lists the booking rules, opening hours and closing days for each sight on your route. It also includes a "Book now" page that tells you which tickets to reserve and when slots open for your exact dates. Anything we couldn't confirm with high confidence is marked "check before you go".

Frequently asked questions

Can foreigners book Forbidden City tickets?

Yes. Book on the official Palace Museum website or WeChat mini-program using your passport number. Slots open at 20:00 Beijing time seven days ahead, there are no same-day tickets, and you must bring the same passport to the Meridian Gate.

Do I need WeChat to book tickets in China?

Many official booking channels are WeChat mini-programs, so having WeChat helps a lot. For several big sights, including the Panda Base, Terracotta Army, Suzhou gardens and the Li River, travel platforms such as Trip.com also sell real-name tickets with a passport and accept foreign cards.

What ID do I show at the gate?

Your original passport, the same one you used for the booking. At most real-name sights the passport is the ticket, and the gate scans it or checks it against your booking.

How far ahead should I book?

It depends on the sight: 5 days ahead for the Shaanxi History Museum, 7 days for the Forbidden City, Lingyin Temple and Terracotta Army, up to 14–15 days for the Panda Base, Mutianyu and Dujiangyan. Around Chinese public holidays, book the moment slots open.