Tickets
Forbidden City tips from 1,700 traveller reviews
Most visitors loved it; the bad days came from queues and tour operators. Forbidden City tips from 1,734 traveller reviews, and six checks before a tour.
Travel tips
Guides
Practical, independent guides for planning your Beijing trip and booking tickets.
Last verified:
Tickets
Tickets
Great Wall tips from 1,200 traveller reviews
The top complaint: shopping stops on cheap group tours. Great Wall tips from 1,245 traveller reviews: when to go, cable car extras, and what to check.
Tickets
Summer Palace & Temple of Heaven tips from travellers
Skip resold tickets: travellers paid two to three times the gate price. Summer Palace and Temple of Heaven tips from 791 traveller reviews.
Tickets
Tiananmen Square tips from traveller reviews
Getting in is the hard part: go early, without a bag, and see the square before the palace. Tiananmen Square tips from 192 traveller reviews.
Tickets
Book Beijing tickets: official sites, WeChat or Trip.com?
Each sight has its own official channel. How to book Beijing tickets as a foreigner, when WeChat helps, and what to check before using GetYourGuide or Viator.
Tickets
Forbidden City booking form for foreigners, field by field
The Forbidden City booking form for foreigners, field by field: passport details that often go wrong, paying with a foreign card, entry on the day and fixes.
Tickets
Forbidden City ticket release time explained
Forbidden City tickets go on sale 7 days ahead at about 20:00 Beijing time. Convert the ticket release time to your time zone and be ready when it opens.
Tickets
Forbidden City vs Palace Museum: are they the same?
Yes, the Forbidden City and the Palace Museum are the same place and the same ticket. Why both names appear when booking, and how not to buy the wrong one.
Tickets
Mutianyu vs Badaling: which Great Wall section?
Mutianyu suits most first-time visitors: fewer crowds, a cable car and a toboggan. Mutianyu vs Badaling compared on crowds, distance, tickets and transport.
Tickets
Passport mistakes when booking tickets in Beijing
Your passport is your ticket at Beijing’s main sights. The passport mistakes that cost travellers their visit, from typos to renewed passports.
Tickets
How to get to the Summer Palace: metro, gates and route
No need to book: buy your ticket at the gate with your passport. How to get to the Summer Palace by metro, which gate to use, and a simple route.
Tickets
Best time to visit the Temple of Heaven
Go early: in the morning locals fill the park with tai chi and games. The best time to visit the Temple of Heaven, the hours of the inner sites, and Mondays.
Tickets
Do you need to book Tiananmen Square?
Yes: entry to Tiananmen Square is free but needs a real-name reservation. How foreigners book Tiananmen Square, the time slots and the passport rules.
Tickets
Universal Beijing Resort tickets: a guide for foreigners
Prices change by date, and foreign cards are where people get stuck. How foreigners buy Universal Beijing Resort tickets, the Express pass and the metro.
Planning
Planning
Hutong tour tips from 700 traveller reviews
Food tours top the list; the one real risk is the rickshaw price. Hutong tour tips from 713 traveller reviews of food, bike and rickshaw tours in Beijing.
Planning
3 days in Beijing: a first-timer’s plan
3 days in Beijing is enough for the Forbidden City, the Great Wall and the Temple of Heaven, if you get the order right. The day-by-day plan and what to book.
Planning
4 days in Beijing: adding the Summer Palace
4 days in Beijing lets you add the Summer Palace and slow down. Where the extra day fits, why it needs no booking, and how to space the busy days.
Planning
5 days in Beijing: the plan with a buffer day
With 5 days in Beijing, keep one day free: it saves you if tickets sell out or it rains. The plan for the four main sights, plus ideas for the free day.
Planning
7 days in Beijing: a relaxed week
7 days in Beijing at an easy pace: the main sights, a second Great Wall section, a buffer day and slow mornings, with a booking timeline for the week.
Planning
Beijing to Mutianyu: bus, car or tour
By car Mutianyu is about 1.5 hours from Beijing; by public bus, 2 to 3 hours each way. Beijing to Mutianyu by bus, car or tour, and what happens on arrival.
Planning
One day in Beijing: two plans that work
Don’t try to see everything in one day in Beijing. Pick one of two plans, the imperial centre or the Great Wall, and book these tickets before you arrive.
Practical
Practical
Internet in China for tourists: what works
Many apps you use every day, like Google, don’t work on Chinese networks. Internet in China for tourists: what to expect and how to set up your phone first.
Practical
Mobile data in China: roaming, eSIM or local SIM?
Roaming, travel eSIM or local SIM: the connection you choose decides whether Google and WhatsApp work. Mobile data in China for visitors, simply explained.
Practical
How to pay in China as a foreign visitor
You can pay with your own Visa or Mastercard through Alipay or WeChat Pay. How to pay in China as a foreign visitor, what to set up first, and when to use cash.
Visa & entry
Visa & entry
Beijing layover tour tips from 459 traveller reviews
Most travellers who reached the Great Wall had 8 to 12 hours between flights. Beijing layover tour tips from 459 travellers: immigration time, drivers, checks.
Visa & entry
China 30-day visa-free entry: who qualifies
Citizens of eligible countries can visit China without a visa for up to 30 days. Who qualifies, what you may do, and how it differs from visa-free transit.