China's reservation rules, explained for foreign visitors
A lot of China's best sights — museums, the Panda Base, even some free mountains — now run real-name, timed-entry reservation. Walk-up tickets are often gone or simply not sold. Here is how the system works and exactly how far ahead to book for 24 major attractions, 18 of them mandatory.
If a sight says "reservation required", same-day and on-site tickets are usually not an option — especially on weekends and Chinese holidays. Book before you travel, not when you arrive.
How the system works
Since 2020 most state-run museums and many scenic areas moved to a real-name booking model. You reserve a timed slot against your passport (or other travel document) and show the original document at the gate.
- WeChat mini-program / official account. The dominant channel. Search the sight's official name in WeChat; the booking mini-program is usually linked from its official account. Many now accept foreign passports directly, but some still require a mainland ID — the entries below flag where passports are explicitly supported.
- Official website. Used by the big museums (Forbidden City, Hunan Museum, Shaanxi History Museum). Often has an English or passport channel.
- OTAs (Trip.com / Ctrip, Meituan, Douyin). Authorised for some sights (Panda Base, Tianjin Eye, Canton Tower). Convenient if you already have the app, but the official channel is always safest.
- On-site window. Only reliable for smaller gardens and off-peak days. Treat as a backup, never the plan.
How far ahead to book
A useful rule of thumb by sight type:
| Type of sight | Book | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Top museums (free, real-name) | 5–7 days ahead | Slots cap daily entries; weekends vanish fast |
| Panda Base / wildlife | 14 days ahead | One-ID-per-day cap; morning slots sell out first |
| UNESCO / signature scenic (Zhangjiajie, Laojunshan) | 7–10 days ahead | Peak-period "no reservation, no travel" |
| Free mountains / isles (Yuelu, Orange Isle) | 3 days ahead | Daily slot release; holiday nights near-impossible |
| Forbidden City / Tiananmen | up to 90 / 1–7 days | Palace opens 90 days out; square needs a separate slot |
These are general patterns. The table below gives the sourced window for each sight. Always re-check the official channel 1–2 days before — release times and rules change.
Per-attraction booking windows
Every row is sourced from the official channel named. "Mandatory" means real-name reservation is required — no walk-in.
| Attraction | City | Book ahead | Channel | Req. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forbidden City (Palace Museum) — One ticket per ID per day; no same-day sales. Tuesday closed. | Beijing | up to 90 days ahead | official website / WeChat mini-program (passport accepted) | Yes |
| Tiananmen Square — Free, but real-name reservation is required — no reservation, no entry, and same-day slots are rarely available. | Beijing | 1–7 days ahead | official reservation platform (WeChat mini-program) | Yes |
| Shaanxi History Museum — Free but not ticket-free; one ID per day. No-shows are barred from rebooking for 180 days. | Xi'an | 5 days ahead (slots released 17:00) | official 'Shaanxi History Museum' WeChat account | Yes |
| Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda — Every visitor must pre-book a real-name ticket — one ticket per ID per day. Morning slots sell out first. | Chengdu | up to 14 days ahead | official WeChat account / mini-program (also Meituan, Ctrip, Douyin) | Yes |
| Du Fu Thatched Cottage Museum — Reservation-and-time-slot ticketing; gate purchase possible while slots remain. | Chengdu | up to 14 days ahead | official WeChat service account '杜甫草堂博物馆' | Recommended |
| Hongyadong (Hongya Cave) — Free for all visitors, but a timed reservation is required on weekends and public holidays. | Chongqing | up to 5 days ahead (weekends & holidays) | official WeChat account (free real-name timed slot) | Yes |
| Yangtze River Cableway — Timed and quota-limited; walk-up queues hit 2+ hours in peak season — book 2 days ahead. | Chongqing | up to 2 days ahead | official WeChat account 长江索道 | Recommended |
| Hunan Museum (Mawangdui) — Free, real-name timed reservation mandatory. Foreign passports are supported via the non-mainland-ID channel. | Changsha | up to 5 days ahead (was 7 until 2026-07-27) | official website / WeChat service account | Yes |
| Yuelu Mountain (free 5A area) — Mountain entry is free but a real-name reservation is required (slots released daily 20:00). | Changsha | up to 3 days ahead | WeChat account/mini-program '岳麓山 橘子洲旅游区' | Yes |
| Orange Isle (Juzizhou) — Free isle, real-name reservation required. Fireworks/weekend nights are near-impossible to book. | Changsha | up to 3 days ahead | WeChat account/mini-program '岳麓山 橘子洲旅游区' | Yes |
| Canton Tower — Time-slotted; online tickets run ~10% below the $21.10 window price. | Guangzhou | 1–3 days ahead | official WeChat mini-program / website | Recommended |
| Lingyin Temple & Feilaifeng — Free of gate ticket since 1 Dec 2025, but reservation is mandatory. No-show can block rebooking for 30 days. | Hangzhou | at least 1 day ahead (up to 7) | official real-name, time-slot reservation | Yes |
| Laojun Mountain (Laojunshan) — Official line: "no reservation, no travel" in peak periods. Never authorizes third-party sellers. | Luoyang | 7 days ahead | official '老君山风景名胜区' WeChat account | Yes |
| Luoyang Museum — CLOSED for renovation from 2026-10-19 for about one year — verify before planning a visit. | Luoyang | 3 days ahead (slots 07:00) | official WeChat account (passport supported) | Recommended |
| Nanjing Museum — Free permanent displays, but every visitor needs a real-name reservation. | Nanjing | up to 7 days ahead | official WeChat mini-program | Yes |
| Laoshan Scenic Area (South Route) — Entry by real-name online reservation. | Qingdao | up to 7 days ahead | WeChat accounts 'Laoshan Scenic Area' / 'Qingdao Laoshan' | Yes |
| Suzhou Museum (I.M. Pei main branch) — Free, but the main branch is reservation-only. 2 consecutive or 4 no-shows in 90 days triggers a 90-day ban. | Suzhou | up to 7 days ahead | official real-name reservation | Yes |
| Humble Administrator's Garden — Gate purchase possible while slots remain. | Suzhou | up to 7 days ahead | official Suzhou Gardens site / 'Jun Dao Suzhou' mini-program | Recommended |
| Tiger Hill — Slots released daily 00:00. | Suzhou | up to 7 days ahead | official Suzhou Gardens site / 'Jun Dao Suzhou' mini-program | Recommended |
| Tianjin Eye — Real-name, one ticket per passport per day; bring the original document. | Tianjin | up to 3 days ahead | official WeChat account / OTAs (passport accepted) | Yes |
| Hubei Provincial Museum — Free, strictly advance real-name reservation only. Home of the Marquis Yi bianzhong bells. | Wuhan | up to 5 days ahead | official timed-slot reservation | Yes |
| South Putuo Temple (Nanputuo) — Real-name, time-slot entry since 9 Feb 2026; bring the PHYSICAL document. | Xiamen | up to 4 days ahead | WeChat mini-program 'South Putuo Temple Reservation Platform' (only official channel) | Yes |
| Wulingyuan Core Scenic Area — Multi-day pass; the official site is the only authorised seller. | Zhangjiajie | up to 10 days ahead | official site (bookings >10 days must call the ticket centre) | Yes |
| Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon & Glass Bridge — Advance time-slot booking required in peak season. | Zhangjiajie | 3–5 days ahead (peak season) | 'Zhangjiajie Yiji You' mini-program | Yes |
Several sights ban rebooking after no-shows: Shaanxi History Museum bars you for 180 days, Suzhou Museum for 90 days, Lingyin Temple for 30 days. Cancel in the app if your plan changes — don't just not show up.
Still unsure what to book for your route?
Email [email protected] with your dates and city list — we'll flag the mandatory reservations and the release times for your specific trip (reply within 2 business days, free).
Page last reviewed: 2026-10-17.