How to Book Tickets for Beijing’s Forbidden City and Great Wall

Ticket rules differ between Beijing’s Palace Museum (the Forbidden City) and Great Wall sites. For the Palace Museum, plan around a fixed seven-day booking window; for the Great Wall, choose a section first. Mutianyu and Badaling have different arrangements, and the Beijing government’s current Badaling page says advance reservations are not required. 142255

Forbidden City: book seven days ahead

Use the Palace Museum’s official “Palace Museum” WeChat mini-program. Tickets become available seven days before the visit at 8 p.m. Beijing time. The museum says it does not sell same-day tickets and has not authorized third parties to handle ticket reservations. 14

Reservations are tied to each visitor’s real name and identification document. Foreign visitors can reserve using a passport, and visitors must bring the original valid ID used for the booking to enter. The museum is normally closed on Mondays, except statutory holidays. 14123

Plan around the release time: choose your visit date in advance, then be ready to book when its reservation window opens. Check the museum’s official information again before your visit in case its arrangements change. 14

Mutianyu: reserve through its official ticketing channel

Mutianyu’s official site says real-name tickets can be reserved up to 30 days ahead. It accepts passport details for foreign visitors; enter each visitor’s name and document number accurately, and bring the original document used for booking. 22

Review the ticket details before paying, including any options you want to add. The booking information applies to Mutianyu specifically—it is not a general Great Wall ticket. 22

Badaling: advance booking is listed as optional

Beijing’s official visitor page for Badaling says no reservation is required and tickets can be purchased on-site. That differs from third-party travel guides that describe advance booking as mandatory, so use the official Beijing page as the reference for the published rule and check official Badaling channels for your travel date. 553342

If you prefer to arrange tickets before arriving, check whether an official booking option is available for your date. Do not assume that a rule for one Great Wall section applies to another.

Before you go

• Confirm the exact site and section: the Palace Museum, Mutianyu, and Badaling do not share one booking system.
• Use the official channel for the attraction you plan to visit. For the Palace Museum, the museum specifically warns that it has not authorized third-party ticket agents. 14
• Enter the visitor’s own identification details, and bring the original booking document when the attraction requires it. 121422
• Recheck official visitor information close to your visit, especially if your plans depend on a particular booking window or on-site purchase policy.