Tiananmen Square Booking Guide 2026: Avoid Entry Mistakes

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

1. How to Book Beijing Tiananmen

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.

2. Should You Definitely Visit Beijing's Tiananmen?

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

3. Why I Couldn't Enter Tiananmen

& What to Watch Out For

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.

4. Travel Hacks I Learned After My Trip

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.

5. If You Really Want to Go Inside:

Tiananmen & Forbidden City Tour

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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