Reserve online in advance and enter your passport details. The Palace Museum’s English visit page says it does not sell same-day tickets.
City guide
Beijing: what to arrange, and when
This is not a sightseeing guide. It lists the things in Beijing that need arranging ahead as a foreign visitor, and how far we have checked each one.
Film
Beijing in 48 seconds
What not to miss, set to original music. No narration. Captions are in English.
Every number in this film4 checked
- 24 emperors lived in the Forbidden City. Built 1406–1420, 980 buildings, 720,000 m².World Archaeology · Graphic News
- No same-day tickets, closed Mondays, booked with your passport.Palace Museum visit page · Beijing Government notice, 29 Jun 2023
- The Great Wall measures 21,196 km across all dynasties.National survey announced June 2012, reported by CBC News
- The Temple of Heaven dates from 1420.World Archaeology
Book before you go
A June 2025 reply from the Beijing government hotline said online booking needed a mainland number. Tickets are also sold in person.
Tiananmen Square reservation, and how it relates to your Forbidden City ticketBeing checked
Getting around
Get from the airport into BeijingBeing checked
Use the Beijing subway as a visitorBeing checked
Before you fly
Eligible ordinary passports allow stays of up to 30 days. Entry deadlines vary by nationality: check the official country list and your embassy’s current notice.
Link a supported foreign card to Alipay or WeChat Pay. Government guidance describes no standard platform fee up to CNY 200 and 3% above it; promotions and issuer charges can differ.
Bring your passport to an operator-run shop for a local SIM. Choose a plan with a phone number and SMS; a data-only eSIM does not supply them. Exact payment acceptance and delivery of every verification code are not established.
Register on the official 12306 English site or app with your passport, pass identity verification, then buy. Do the verification days ahead.
Turn this into a day-by-day plan
The planner puts these stops in a sensible order, keeps visits off closed days, and works out each booking deadline in your time zone.