Which sights need booking?

China's big museums and monuments run on real-name reservations: you book with your passport number, and the passport is your ticket at the gate. Here is what to book, where, and how early.

Checked 23 October 2026. Release times and closing days change: confirm on each sight's official channel. Background: Booking sights.

Required no entry without a reservation · Recommended often sells out or queues · Optional buy at the gate

Palace Museum (Forbidden City) 故宫博物院 Required

Beijing

Book via: Official website or the Palace Museum WeChat mini program; no tickets are sold at the gate
When: Up to 7 days ahead; popular days sell out within hours of release
Closed: Mondays, except public holidays
Bring: Passport (each visitor needs their own reservation)
Official site: en.dpm.org.cn

National Museum of China 中国国家博物馆 Required

Beijing

Book via: Official website or WeChat mini program; free
When: Up to 7 days ahead
Closed: Mondays
Bring: Passport
Official site: en.chnmuseum.cn

Tiananmen Square 天安门广场 Required

Beijing

Book via: Official Tiananmen Square reservation WeChat mini program; free
Bring: Passport, checked with a security screening at the entrance

Chairman Mao Memorial Hall 毛主席纪念堂 Required

Beijing

Book via: Official WeChat mini program; free
Closed: Mondays; opens mornings only
Bring: Passport; bags must be left at the storage office outside

Temple of Heaven 天坛公园 Recommended

Beijing

Book via: Official channels online; tickets can also be bought at the gates
Bring: Passport
Official site: www.tiantanpark.com

Summer Palace 颐和园 Recommended

Beijing

Book via: Official channels online; tickets can also be bought at the gates
Bring: Passport
Official site: www.summerpalace-china.com

Badaling Great Wall 八达岭长城 Required

Beijing

Book via: Official website or WeChat mini program, with a timed entry slot
Bring: Passport
Official site: www.badaling.cn

Mutianyu Great Wall 慕田峪长城 Recommended

Beijing

Book via: Official channels online; cable car and toboggan are ticketed separately
Bring: Passport

Shanghai Museum (People's Square) 上海博物馆（人民广场馆） Required

Shanghai

Book via: Official website or WeChat mini program; general admission is free
Closed: Mondays
Bring: Passport
Official site: www.shanghaimuseum.net

Shanghai Museum East 上海博物馆东馆 Required

Shanghai

Book via: Official website or WeChat mini program
Bring: Passport
Official site: www.shanghaimuseum.net

Shanghai Disneyland 上海迪士尼乐园 Recommended

Shanghai

Book via: Official Shanghai Disney Resort website or app; tickets are for a set date and prices vary by day
Bring: Passport
Official site: www.shanghaidisneyresort.com

Oriental Pearl Tower and Shanghai Tower observation decks 东方明珠 / 上海中心观光厅 Optional

Shanghai

Book via: Online or at the ticket office; book ahead for sunset on weekends
Bring: Passport

Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum (Terracotta Army) 秦始皇帝陵博物院（兵马俑） Required

Xi'an

Book via: Official website or WeChat mini program, real-name tickets
Bring: Passport
Official site: www.bmy.com.cn

Shaanxi History Museum 陕西历史博物馆 Required

Xi'an

Book via: Official website or WeChat mini program; the main exhibition is free and the hardest ticket in Xi'an to get
Closed: Mondays
Bring: Passport
Official site: www.sxhm.com

Xi'an City Wall 西安城墙 Optional

Xi'an

Book via: At the gates or online; bike rental on the wall is separate
Bring: Passport

Mount Hua 华山 Recommended

Xi'an

Book via: Official channels online, real-name; cable cars are ticketed separately; holidays sell out
Bring: Passport

Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding 成都大熊猫繁育研究基地 Required

Chengdu

Book via: Official website or WeChat mini program, real-name tickets; go at opening time, when the pandas are most active
Bring: Passport
Official site: www.panda.org.cn

Sanxingdui Museum 三星堆博物馆 Required

Chengdu

Book via: Official WeChat mini program, real-name tickets; about an hour from Chengdu
Bring: Passport

Leshan Giant Buddha 乐山大佛 Recommended

Chengdu

Book via: Official channels online, real-name; boat views are sold separately
Bring: Passport

Wuhou Shrine and Du Fu Thatched Cottage 武侯祠 / 杜甫草堂 Optional

Chengdu

Book via: Online or at the gate
Bring: Passport