Tiananmen Square Booking Guide 2026: Avoid Entry Mistakes
Don't get turned away at Tiananmen Square! I'll share how to successfully book your visit, the pitfalls I faced, and essential tips for a hassle-free experience in 2026.
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Don't get turned away at Tiananmen Square! I'll share how to successfully book your visit, the pitfalls I faced, and essential tips for a hassle-free experience in 2026.
Beijing Tiananmen How to Book & Important Notes |
Hello, Nihao! This is Lilyri.
Guess who booked Tiananmen but couldn't get in?
That would be me!
I'll tell you everything: how foreigners can book, why I failed to enter,
safe methods, and even super valuable tips!👍🏻
What you'll find in this post ✔️ How to Book Beijing Tiananmen ✔️ Why I couldn't enter despite having a reservation ✔️ Essential things to note before visiting Tiananmen ✔️ How to see the area without a reservation ✔️ When a Tiananmen & Forbidden City tour might be more convenient |
Tiananmen Square is free to enter,
but a real-name advance reservation is required.
Individual visitors can make reservations starting 7 days before their visit.
You can select your date and entry time slot via the '天安门广场预约参观' WeChat Mini Program.
[Detailed Booking Method]
When you search on WeChat, two options like the ones below will appear.
It's the top one!
Left) Press the blue 'Agree' button,
Right) Then press '个人预约' (Individual Reservation) at the very top.
If you press the "..." in the top right corner of the screen, you'll see a translation option,
so you can do it in English!
You'll need to verify once with your Korean phone number.
Left) Agree,
Right) then select your date.
Same-day reservations are NOT possible!!!
Next, you'll choose your entry gate.
Gates 1 and 2 are closer,
but many people also choose Gate 3 to see the entire square from a distance.
Next, you'll enter your personal information.
Use your passport and fill in the details.
Here, I kept encountering an error, or perhaps a bug,
saying "incorrect phone number format."
So I tried various Korean number formats:
010********
10********
8210********
and went through all sorts of trouble trying different variations.
Then I found a blog that said using a Chinese phone number works...
specifically, one starting with '13'.
I had an online Chinese number, so I used that.
I used a Chinese number and proceeded,
and even used the same Chinese number for my travel companion.
But then another error popped up, saying it was different from the Korean number I had verified with...
Interestingly, after trying a few more times, it just went through somehow (?!)
And finally, complete!
Tiananmen Square, not easy from the very beginning of the reservation process......
Was this foreshadowing.....?
Official web reservations may not smoothly support international phone number registration,
so for foreign travelers,
the personal reservation menu on WeChat is generally more convenient.
Enter your English name and passport number exactly as they appear on your passport,
and be sure to bring that same passport on the day of your visit.
Ah! Also, **Tiananmen Square, Tiananmen Gate Tower,**
and the **Forbidden City each require separate reservations.**
If you're planning to visit the Forbidden City,
you'll need to secure a separate admission ticket.
Make sure to screenshot your reservation confirmation
and double-check the date, time, and designated entrance.
Upon arrival, you'll enter after your reservation is confirmed
and you pass through security checks.
I wasn't able to go inside this time,
but **if it's your first time visiting Beijing,**
I definitely recommend adding it to your itinerary.
It's one of the most iconic places that comes to mind
when you think of Beijing, and truthfully,
the atmosphere with all the surrounding security felt
quite different from other tourist spots.
Especially if you're **combining it with a visit to the Forbidden City,**
it creates a fantastic route, flowing seamlessly
from the Tiananmen area.
The Forbidden City is truly massive, and rather than
just walking through buildings, listening to historical
explanations will make it a much more memorable experience.
So, if the reservation process seems daunting
or if you want to experience both Tiananmen and the Forbidden City efficiently,
I think opting for a guided tour is a great choice.
❣️ Check Prices for Beijing Tiananmen & Forbidden City Tours
I had booked my entry for the afternoon
on the day I arrived in Beijing.
I thought I'd have plenty of time if I arrived at the airport,
picked up my luggage, checked into my hotel,
and then headed to Tiananmen.
However, getting from my plane at Beijing Capital Airport T3
to actually exiting the airport took a surprisingly long time.
(The airport itself is absolutely massive!)
Traffic wasn't an issue, and my luggage came out relatively quickly,
but by the time I got to my hotel and dropped off my bags,
time was already running short.
It was around 4:30 PM when I dropped off my suitcase,
and when I asked the hotel how to get to Tiananmen,
they told me that my reserved entry time was already almost over,
and I probably wouldn't be able to get in if I went.
That's when I realized that not just the reservation date,
but the entry time was crucial.
The last entry was at **5:00 PM**.
And I had absolutely no idea! 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
The problem was that out of my 4-night itinerary,
that was the only day I could visit Tiananmen.
Ultimately, I had to give up on entering
Tiananmen Square this trip.
For places like Tiananmen, where reservation times are critical,
it's much safer to schedule your visit for the second day of your trip or later, if possible.
Even if you can't enter Tiananmen Square,
there are still ways to see Tiananmen itself.
Locally, I saw quite a few people cycling
along Chang'an Avenue in front of Tiananmen. 🚲
I tried to do it once, but I failed because I needed extra authentication
when trying to rent a shared bicycle. Haha, well... However,
I've seen many Koreans successfully rent and ride bikes in China,
so I highly recommend this method too! As for how to rent a bike...
you'll have to check another blog!
And the second tip is to pass by Tiananmen Square in a taxi.
When you hail a DiDi taxi in China, you can often
select your preferred route, so you can choose a path
that takes you right past Tiananmen!
However, please note that traffic control is frequent around the Tiananmen area,
so there's no guarantee you'll definitely take your desired road!
This is a completely different experience from actually entering the square,
so only consider it as a Plan B if you've missed your reservation
but still want to see Tiananmen from a distance.
But if you're not just looking at photos,
If you truly want to experience Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City,
then a guided tour might be the most comfortable option.
It reduces the stress of handling reservations yourself,
and the convenience of being able to combine Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City
into a single day's visit is also a huge plus.
Especially the Forbidden City – once you're inside,
there's a continuous flow of spaces that can look quite similar,
making it easy to just walk past things without truly appreciating them if you don't have explanations.
I've even seen reviews where someone failed to book Tiananmen Square tickets
and ended up booking an English-guided tour just to get in.
I actually visited 18 years ago, so this time, I boldly decided to skip it (perhaps using my 'failure' to book as a convenient excuse, haha!).
but if this is your first trip to Beijing,
I definitely recommend visiting Tiananmen Square.
❣️ Check Beijing Tiananmen Square & Forbidden City Tour Prices
WeChat Tiananmen Square Reservation Link
https://mp.weixin.qq.com/miniprogram/landing_page/YBIlpqJWoVO9vrt3t6ixytaJ/en
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Individual visitors can make a real-name advance reservation starting 7 days before their visit through the '天安门广场预约参观' WeChat mini-program. You must enter your passport's English name and passport number, and bring the passport used for booking on the day of your visit.
Korean phone number format errors frequently occur. The author resolved this by using a Chinese number after several attempts with formats like 010, 10, and 8210. Additionally, an error stating that the number differs from the verified Korean number might appear, but sometimes it can be bypassed after a few attempts.
The author could not enter because they did not arrive by the reserved entry deadline of 5 PM. This was due to the long time it took to exit Beijing Capital Airport T3 and the tight schedule after arriving at the hotel. For places like Tiananmen Square where reservation times are crucial, it is safer to schedule your visit for the second day of your trip or later.
If you miss your Tiananmen Square reservation, you can ride a bicycle past Chang'an Avenue in front of Tiananmen Gate, or take a DiDi taxi along a route that passes in front of Tiananmen Gate. However, traffic controls are frequent in the Tiananmen area, so there's no guarantee that you will pass exactly on your desired road.
Using a guided tour can reduce the burden of managing the reservation process yourself, and allows you to conveniently see both Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City on the same day. Especially for the Forbidden City, which is vast, it's easy to overlook important details without explanations, but with a guide's commentary, it becomes much more memorable.
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