Booking China's Big Sights: Ticket Drops, Reservations and Passport Entry
Content reviewed 2026-07-21
China runs on real-name reservations
Popular sights don't sell paper tickets at the gate. You book online against your passport number, then your passport itself is the ticket — scanned or checked at entry. Museums are often free but still reservation-gated. This one habit — booking days ahead with passport in hand — prevents most trip disasters.
- Carry the physical passport everywhere — a photo of it is often rejected at gates and hotel check-ins.
- Foreign passports usually mean the manual/staffed lane, which is slower — arrive with buffer before timed slots.
- Seniors (60/65+) and children (by height or age) get discounts at many sights, and foreign passports are accepted as proof.
Know the ticket-drop clock
The hardest tickets are released on a fixed clock and vanish fast. The Forbidden City drops tickets 7 days ahead at 20:00 Beijing time and can sell out in minutes in high season; Tiananmen Square needs its own separate reservation, made at least a day ahead — a Forbidden City ticket does not cover it.
- Set a phone alarm for release night, have the booking page open and passport details saved in advance.
- Missed out? Some flagship sights keep offline quotas for foreign passports — travelers in July 2026 reported buying same-day Forbidden City tickets at the ticket window with their passports. Treat it as a backup, never the plan.
- Free tickets resold for $15–20 by third parties are the same tickets you can book yourself at no cost — don't pay scalpers.
Where to book without a Chinese phone number
Official channels (attraction websites and WeChat/Alipay mini-programs) are cheapest — often free — but some only accept +86 numbers. International platforms like Trip.com and Klook take overseas numbers and cards, in English, for a small fee. Both are legitimate; pick per attraction.
- On third-party platforms, check the fine print: instant e-ticket delivery and same-day validity are what matter.
- Names must match your passport exactly, middle names included — a mismatch can void the booking at the gate.
- Ask your hotel front desk to book +86-only mini-program tickets for you — it is a routine request.
- Book intercity trains early too — see our China trains guide for the 12306 vs Trip.com trade-offs.
Release times, quotas and passport-window policies are volatile and vary by attraction; checked 2026-07-21. Confirm on the attraction's official channel a week before your visit.
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