Foreign visitors book Forbidden City (Palace Museum) tickets online in advance — the museum does not sell walk-up tickets for the same day. Use the official WeChat mini program or website, put each guest's passport number on their own ticket, and bring that original passport to the Meridian Gate (south) entrance.

Golden roofs of the Forbidden City above the red wall, with the Palace Museum sign

Book before you go

The Palace Museum does not sell same-day tickets. All visitors (including those who enjoy preferential access and their companions) should purchase tickets in advance through the Palace Museum's official WeChat mini program and website.

Slots open on a rolling window (the Chinese homepage notes booking can start seven days ahead). Popular dates disappear quickly; solo travellers should still lock a morning slot the week before. Preferential tickets (students, children, seniors) follow the same advance rule — companions need their own tickets too.

At the gate, show the original passport that matches the booking. Chinese domestic visitors often use a national ID; foreign passport holders use the passport number typed at checkout. Phone photos of the bio page are not a reliable substitute when staff check documents.

Ticket prices (official ladder)

Beijing's English museum page lists the current published rates:

Admission: April 1 - October 31 (peak season), CNY 60/person. Admission: November 1 - March 31 (low season), CNY 40/person. The Treasure Gallery:CNY 10/person. The Gallery of Clocks: CNY 10/person.

Treasure Gallery and Gallery of Clocks are optional add-ons inside the complex. Buy them with the admission product if you want those halls; do not assume every courtyard is included.

Hours and closed days

The Palace Museum closes on Mondays except for statutory holidays. Peak Season: Opening time for admission: 8:30 Last admission: 16:10 Low Season: Opening time for admission: 8:30 Last admission: 15:30

Plan to be through security well before last admission. Exit through the north (Gate of Divine Prowess) toward Jingshan Park if you want a hill view of the roofs after you leave.

The Forbidden City corner tower at sunset, reflected in the moat outside the palace walls

Getting there and where to sleep

Tiananmen East (Line 1) and Wangfujing (Line 1 / Line 8) are the usual metro approaches; walk north through Tiananmen Square only if you have time for security screening there as well. From a Wangfujing hotel you can walk or take one short metro hop. Guide: where to stay in Beijing.

Compare rooms near Wangfujing / Dongcheng once your ticket date is fixed — mornings are easier when the hotel is on the same side of the city as the south gate.

Pairing with a short Beijing stop

If you are on a transit stay that enters Shanghai and exits Beijing, keep the palace morning early and leave rail buffer before your international flight: 240-hour China transit itinerary. Great Wall day trips are a separate booking — see Mutianyu or Badaling.

Before you buy

  1. Confirm the date is not a Monday (unless it is a statutory holiday).
  2. Book on the official WeChat mini program or website only.
  3. Match every ticket to the passport that guest will carry.
  4. Add Treasure / Clocks galleries only if you want those halls.
  5. Keep mobile data working for the booking QR: China eSIM comparison.

Official phone on the Beijing English page: 400-950-1925. Hours and temporary hall closures also appear on the Palace Museum's Chinese homepage notices — skim those the night before.