Forbidden City ticket release time explained

For most Forbidden City visits, everything comes down to the ticket release time: tickets for each date go on sale at a set time, and popular dates can sell out. Here is the rule, how to convert it to your time zone, and how to be ready. The full booking steps are in Forbidden City tickets.

The rule in one sentence

Tickets for a visit date go on sale 7 days before the visit date, around 20:00 Beijing time.

Example: for a visit on a Wednesday, tickets go on sale on the Wednesday of the week before, around 20:00 Beijing time. Where you live, that can be a different time and even a different day: the release time calculator gives you the exact moment in your time zone.

Why the time is approximate

Sources agree on the day, but only give an approximate time: around 20:00 Beijing time. Treat it as a target, not a promise: open the site a few minutes before.

How to be ready

1. Check your date is not a closing day: Mondays, except Mondays that are public holidays.
2. Set a reminder with the calculator’s calendar button.
3. Prepare the details: an email address (to receive a verification code), and for each visitor: name, country/region and passport number. Up to 5 visitors per booking.
4. Have payment ready: bank card, WeChat Pay or Alipay; payment must be completed within 30 minutes of reserving.
5. Book quickly. The daily quota is limited, and don’t count on buying at the gate: booking in advance is the only reliable way to get in.

If you miss the release

• Unpaid tickets are often released back around 20:05–20:30 Beijing time on release day.
• Try the days before and after: tickets for each new date go on sale every day.
• Book a Forbidden City tour that includes entry.

Other attractions

Only the Forbidden City has a fixed release time. The Great Wall at Mutianyu, the Temple of Heaven and the Summer Palace work differently: see our release time calculator for each one.