Quick answer: Start with the official visitor page for the exact attraction, building, and exhibition. Check whether it accepts passports and international phone numbers, enter every traveler exactly as the current form requests, and carry the same original passport to the entrance. If the official route is unusable, use only a fallback named by the attraction or local government.
Last official-source check: September 16, 2026. Ticket rules can change with exhibitions, holidays, capacity controls, and public events. Recheck the attraction’s live notice and booking screen before paying or traveling.
How Attraction Booking Actually Works
There is no single way to book attraction tickets in China. Some places require an advance real-name reservation, some offer walk-in admission, and others change the process by building or exhibition. A free public space can also require a timed reservation even though there is no ticket charge.
Use this order:
- Identify the exact attraction, venue, exhibition, and visit date.
- Open the attraction’s current official visitor page.
- Look for a website, official WeChat account or mini-program, email, phone, or ticket-office route that accepts the document you will carry.
- Use a third-party platform only when the attraction or government source currently names it as a route for that product.
- Before payment, check each traveler’s details, the entrance, time period, cancellation terms, and required original document.
Prepare essential Chinese travel tools before departure with our guide to apps to download before visiting China. An official mini-program can be useful, but it should not be your only plan when your phone number, account, or card has not been tested.
Official Website, Mini-Program, or Third-Party Platform?
Official website
The attraction website should be your source of truth for the current venue, closure day, reservation requirement, entry document, and temporary restrictions. However, an information page is not always the booking system. Follow only booking links published by the official site, and be cautious with old search results or similar-looking domains.
Official WeChat account or mini-program
Some attractions use an official WeChat account or mini-program for reservations, special exhibitions, or timed spaces. Check that the account name and route are published by the attraction. A mini-program can still be difficult for a visitor if it asks for a mainland phone number, does not list a passport, or cannot complete payment with the visitor’s account.
Third-party platform
A third-party platform is not automatically an authorized seller. Use one only when the attraction or local government currently directs foreign visitors to it for that ticket. Confirm that the product is for the correct attraction and date, that passport details are accepted, and that the entry method and cancellation terms are visible before payment.
If payment fails, do not keep creating duplicate orders. Check the order list first, then use the backup methods in our China payment guide for foreign visitors.
Enter Passport Details Without Creating an Entry Problem
Identity checks are implemented differently by each attraction, but one operating rule is safe: use the document the traveler will physically carry and follow the form’s current field labels.
- Select passport when that is the supported document you will bring.
- Copy the passport number carefully, including letters, zeros, and any other characters the form accepts.
- Use the passport’s Latin-script spelling. If surname and given name have separate fields, follow those labels rather than inventing a new order.
- Do not use a nickname, hotel guest name, visa number, or a Chinese name that is not requested by the form.
- Enter every companion separately unless the attraction explicitly provides a child exception.
- Bring the same valid original passport connected to the reservation.
If a passport has been renewed, replaced, or lost after booking, do not assume the old reservation remains usable. Contact the attraction through its published channel or make a new booking under the current rules.
If You Have No Chinese Phone Number or Cannot Use WeChat
Do not assume that every website accepts international SMS or that every mini-program supports every foreign account. First look for a passport-compatible route on the official English or multilingual page. Then check whether the attraction publishes an assisted option, allows another person to include you in a reservation, names an overseas platform, or sells the same admission at an on-site window.
These alternatives are attraction-specific. For example, the current Palace Museum route is a web booking portal, Tian’anmen publishes official assistance and companion-booking options, Shanghai Museum names an overseas platform for a particular paid exhibition, and Badaling currently documents walk-in general admission. None of those examples proves that another attraction works the same way.
If a hotel concierge or friend helps, review the final record yourself. Your passport number, name, visit date, and attraction must be correct. A helper’s phone number does not replace your original entry document. When choosing accommodation, our guide to booking hotels in China as a foreigner explains what to verify before arrival.
Case 1: Palace Museum in Beijing
The Palace Museum is the clearest example of an attraction where advance preparation matters. Its current official rules require real-name advance booking and say same-day admission tickets are not sold. Non-mainland visitors can use a passport, and the original document connected to the booking is required for verification at the Meridian Gate visitor entrance.
Current official route
The former multilingual ticket page used in older guides is no longer the booking page. The current official web route is the Palace Museum ticket portal at bookingticket.dpm.org.cn. The portal supports an international-visitor flow using email verification and passport details. The museum’s published email should be treated as a channel for ticketing questions, not as proof that emailing personal details creates a reservation.
Release time, closure, and entry
The current ticket rules reviewed for this guide say admission opens at 20:00 seven days before the visit. The museum normally closes on Mondays except statutory holidays, and temporary closures can override the regular pattern. Because these are operational rules, check the live calendar before arranging a tightly timed Beijing day. The broader Beijing guide for first-time visitors can help place the museum within a realistic city plan.
Changes, refunds, and children
The current official policy says an unused ticket canceled by 24:00 on the day before the visit is refunded through the original channel without a missed appointment. A same-day cancellation before 20:00 counts as one missed appointment; after 20:00, cancellation and refund are unavailable. Three missed appointments within 180 days trigger a 60-day booking restriction. The policy says refunds return to the original payment account within five working days. Recheck all of these operational terms in the live portal before confirming.
The current English site lists free admission for children age six and under, while the general ticket rules still require real-name handling for preferential visitors and companions. A free ticket is not the same as permission to arrive without a booking record. Check the live child option for the child’s passport and contact the museum if the form is unclear. Current entry-period rules also say morning-ticket holders must check in by 12:00 and afternoon check-in begins at 11:00; verify the displayed period again for your date.
The museum currently says it has not authorized third-party agents for its listed general admission and gallery or exhibition tickets. Do not use an unofficial reseller as a shortcut.
Case 2: Tian’anmen Square
Tian’anmen Square does not charge an admission ticket, but visitors generally need a reservation unless a current official exception applies. Use the official reservation portal or the official 天安门广场预约参观 WeChat mini-program. A paid “square ticket” is not necessary for the free square reservation.
Passport, phone, and companion route
Official rules support an entry passport or foreign residence permit and require visitor identity information. Official foreign-visitor guidance has also documented that the web flow may not solve international-phone verification and points visitors toward the mini-program or a reservation made by another person. One order may contain up to seven people, including no more than four adults. Children age six or under, or 1.2 meters or shorter, may be added by number under the current rule. If someone includes you, make sure your own passport details appear correctly in the successful order.
Do not publish a fixed booking window
Official Tian’anmen notices currently available use different ways of describing the reservation window: a future ten-day period, one to nine days ahead, and a newer one-to-seven-day service description. The live date selector controls what can actually be booked, so this guide does not give one fixed number. Open the official system and use the dates currently displayed.
Reservation periods can include flag raising, morning, afternoon, and flag lowering. Access can be limited for state, foreign-affairs, or other major events. A reservation for another institution in the area may sometimes permit square access under current official rules, but the qualifying institutions and periods have changed across notices. Verify the live rule for your date rather than relying on an evergreen list.
Save the successful reservation record and bring the original passport used in it. The current rules define a successful reservation that is neither verified nor canceled as a missed appointment; three missed appointments within one month trigger a six-month booking restriction. They do not publish a reliable late-arrival grace period. Cancel in the official system if your plans change and recheck the displayed policy before the visit.
Case 3: Shanghai Museum Has Different Venue Rules
“Shanghai Museum” is not one booking instruction. Confirm whether you mean Shanghai Museum East or Shanghai Museum on People’s Square, then check the exact exhibition. The museum’s current official domain is shanghaimuseum.cn; older pages and search results may describe a superseded reservation model.
Shanghai Museum East
The current East-building visitor page says individual visitors can enter the general visit without an advance reservation, using an original valid identity document and the designated individual entrance. Capacity controls can still cause a wait or temporary entry limit. Selected interactive spaces and ticketed special exhibitions can have separate reservation rules, so “no reservation for general admission” does not mean every activity is walk-in.
Visitors under 12 must be accompanied by an adult under the current venue notice. Groups have a separate process; do not apply the individual walk-in rule to a large organized group.
Shanghai Museum on People’s Square
The detailed current venue and exhibition notices say the People’s Square building is operating around the paid On Top of the World Tree: Ancient Civilizations of the Americas exhibition, scheduled through November 14, 2027, and that visitors need the appropriate ticket. This specific notice should control over a shorter homepage summary that says individual reservation is unnecessary.
The museum currently names its official WeChat mini-program, Trip.com for overseas visitors, and an on-site ticket office for this exhibition. That is an exhibition-specific set of routes, not a general endorsement for every museum ticket. The accessible official pages do not currently establish a reliable universal phone requirement, late-arrival rule, no-show rule, or detailed refund deadline for the exact product. Read and save those terms in the live channel before payment.
Under the current exhibition ticket plan, dated tickets for the following month are scheduled for release at 12:00 on the first day of the current month, subject to capacity. One adult may bring up to two children age six or under, while the published parent-child ticket covers children from age six to under 14. Concession users need the evidence required by the live ticket type. These are exhibition-specific rules and must be rechecked before publication and booking.
Bring the original identity document attached to the order and follow the entrance shown on the current venue page. Use the Shanghai guide for first-time visitors to decide whether this venue fits your day without turning the ticket guide into an itinerary.
Case 4: Badaling Great Wall
Badaling illustrates why a visitor should not assume advance booking is always mandatory. The current 2026 Beijing government attraction page says general admission does not require an advance reservation and can be purchased on site. Official Beijing guidance also documents passport-compatible online routes and English-assisted ticket windows.
For online purchase, follow the route linked by the official Badaling or Beijing page and verify the exact product. Admission, cable car, transport, night-tour, and event tickets are not interchangeable. Government guidance has documented a foreign-visitor route through 长城内外旅游 that may direct users to Trip.com, but the destination and terms must be checked again at the time of booking.
For walk-in purchase, current official guidance documents service windows that can assist international visitors and accept several payment types. That does not guarantee every machine, card network, or issuer will work. Carry a payment backup and your original passport.
The current official page lists general-admission benefits for visitors under 18 and people aged 60 or older with valid evidence. It does not establish that one adult’s identity covers every child or companion. Carry each traveler’s supporting document and follow the current ticket form. The reviewed official pages do not confirm one stable online phone, companion, refund, late-arrival, or no-show rule, so this guide does not invent one.
What to Save After a Reservation Succeeds
Create one offline folder for the visit. Save:
- The exact attraction, building, exhibition, entrance, visit date, and time period.
- The order or reservation number and a screen showing successful status.
- Every named traveler’s document type, masked document number, and ticket category.
- The confirmation email, ticket, or QR code as issued.
- The booking channel, payment record, cancellation deadline, and refund route.
- Any special instruction for children, concessions, companions, or accessibility support.
A screenshot is a backup, not a universal entry credential. Some systems require a live QR, while others verify the original passport or issue a physical ticket. Keep access to the original app or email when possible and carry the original document.
What to Do When the Booking Fails
- Confirm the exact venue. A different building or exhibition may use another rule.
- Check the document type. Do not force a passport number into a mainland-ID field.
- Check the order list. A payment or confirmation screen may have closed after the order was created.
- Use the official fallback. Look for a foreign-visitor page, assisted route, companion booking, or on-site window published for that attraction.
- Change the date or attraction if needed. Do not pay an unverified seller because a popular slot is unavailable.
If the booking cannot be confirmed, do not travel across the city on the assumption that staff will create a ticket at the gate. Bring another activity that does not depend on the failed reservation.
Final Booking Checklist
- Exact attraction, venue, exhibition, and date confirmed.
- Current official visitor page opened and checked.
- Booking route supports the traveler’s passport or publishes a clear fallback.
- Name and passport number match the document each person will carry.
- Child, senior, companion, and concession rules checked for the exact product.
- Successful status, order number, QR or ticket, and cancellation terms saved offline.
- Original passport and a payment backup packed for the visit.
- Temporary closure or major-event notice checked again before departure.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do all attractions in China require advance reservations?
No. The examples in this guide include advance real-name booking, a free reservation, general walk-in museum admission, exhibition-specific ticketing, and walk-in Great Wall admission. Check the exact attraction and visit date.
Can a foreign visitor book with a passport?
Many major attractions publish passport-compatible routes, but the channel and entry check differ. Confirm that passport is a listed document type and bring the same original passport connected to the record.
What if the booking page requires a Chinese phone number?
Look for an official foreign-visitor route, mini-program, companion booking, assisted service, named overseas platform, or on-site option. Use only the fallback currently published for that attraction.
Can one adult book for the whole family?
Sometimes one order can contain companions, but each attraction controls the number of visitors and child-data exceptions. Do not assume the lead adult’s identity covers everyone. Enter each traveler as the live system requires.
Is a screenshot enough for entry?
Not always. Save it as a backup, but keep the original booking channel available and carry the original passport. The attraction may require a live QR, identity verification, or a physical ticket.
Official Sources
Last official-source check: September 16, 2026. Rules marked as unresolved were deliberately omitted rather than inferred.
- Palace Museum: official ticket portal
- Palace Museum: English visitor information and current booking link
- Palace Museum: current ticketing rules
- Beijing 12345: Palace Museum English passport-booking route
- Tian’anmen Area Management Committee: reservation rules
- Tian’anmen Area Management Committee: current service notice
- Beijing 12345: foreign-visitor reservation guidance
- Shanghai Museum: current reservation and visitor notice
- Shanghai Museum East: current visitor information
- Shanghai Museum on People’s Square: current visitor information
- Shanghai Museum: current People’s Square exhibition ticket guide
- Badaling Great Wall: official website
- Beijing government: current Badaling visitor page
- Beijing government: Badaling foreign-ticket and payment guidance
- Beijing government: Badaling e-ticket, QR, and passport guidance
Official pages can move or be replaced. If a deep link stops working, return to the attraction’s official homepage and locate the current visitor notice instead of relying on a copied third-party rule.