How to book Forbidden City tickets as a foreigner (2026)
Tickets open 7 days ahead at 20:00 China time and sell out fast. How to book with a passport, no Chinese phone number needed.
The Forbidden City (officially the Palace Museum) only sells a fixed number of tickets per day, and every ticket is tied to a passport. There are no tickets at the gate. If you arrive without a booking, you will not get in.
When tickets are released
Tickets go on sale 7 days ahead at 20:00 China time (UTC+8). For popular dates, including weekends, summer and Chinese public holidays, they can sell out within minutes. Work out what 20:00 in Beijing is in your own time zone and set an alarm.
How to book
- Open the official English site, intl.dpm.org.cn.
- Choose your date and a morning or afternoon slot.
- Enter each visitor’s name and passport number exactly as printed in the passport.
- Pay and keep the confirmation.
Beijing’s government confirms that foreigners can book on this site without a Chinese phone number. Agencies such as Trip.com also sell tickets, usually for a small markup, which helps if the official site gives you trouble.
Price and opening hours
- ¥60 from April to October, ¥40 from November to March. The Treasure Gallery and Clock Gallery cost ¥10 each.
- Open 08:30–17:00 in summer and 08:30–16:30 in winter, with last entry an hour before closing.
- Closed on Mondays, except on public holidays.
On the day
Enter through the Meridian Gate on the south side. The nearest metro is Tian’anmen East (Line 1). Use the lane for manual passport checks if the ID scanners do not read your passport. You leave through the north gate, right opposite Jingshan Park, which has the best view back over the palace roofs.
Plan on three to four hours. Tiananmen Square, just to the south, needs its own free booking, released at 12:00 China time. See our Forbidden City page and the reservations center for every sight in Beijing that needs a booking.
Sources
- Palace Museum official ticketing (English) (intl.dpm.org.cn)
- Beijing 12345 hotline FAQ on booking for foreigners (english.beijing.gov.cn)
Checked against these sources on 2026-09-27. Rules change often, so confirm on the official site before you go.
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