# Beijing Attraction Reservation & Ticket Cheat-Sheet

Source: 小红书 post by 京城小助手 (saved Sep 2026). Core warning: 北京会惩罚每一个不提前预约的人 — Beijing turns away anyone who didn't pre-book. Almost all top sites are passport-linked reservations with hard advance windows; walk-ups are rejected at the gate.

## Key rule for our trip
Forbidden City (Day 12, Fri 23 Oct) is the hard constraint: book exactly **7 days ahead → 16 Oct**, passport-linked, official "故宫博物院" WeChat mini-program/website. Set reminder. This is already in the itinerary booking checklist.

## Reservation table

| Attraction | Ticket | Hours | Reservation | Metro |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 天安门城楼 Tiananmen Gate Tower | ¥15 | 8:30–17:00 | 提前7天约 (7-day window) | L1 Tiananmen E/W |
| 天安门广场 Tiananmen Square | Free | 5:00–20:30 | 提前7天约 (7-day window) | L1 Tiananmen E/W |
| 国家博物馆 National Museum | Free | 9:00–17:00 | 提前7天约 (7-day window) | L1 Tiananmen East |
| 故宫 Forbidden City | ¥60 | 8:30–17:00 | 提前7天约 (7-day window) — ours: 16 Oct for 23 Oct | L1 Tiananmen East |
| 天坛 Temple of Heaven | 联票 ¥34 (combo incl. park+inner sites) | 6:00–22:00 | 无需预约 (none) | L5 Tiantan East Gate |
| 人民大会堂 Great Hall of the People | ¥30 | 7:30–15:00 | 提前3天约 (3-day window) | L1 Tiananmen West |
| 雍和宫 Yonghe Lama Temple | ¥25 | 9:00–17:00 | 无需预约 (none) | L2/L5 Yonghegong |
| 颐和园 Summer Palace | ¥30 | 6:00–20:00 | 无需预约 (none) | L4 Beigongmen |
| 圆明园 Old Summer Palace | ¥10 | 6:00–21:00 | 无需预约 (none) | L4 Yuanmingyuan |
| 清华/北大 Tsinghua & PKU | Free | 8:00–16:00 | 提前7天约 (7-day window) | L4 PKU East Gate |
| 景山公园 Jingshan Park | ¥2 | 6:00–21:00 | 无需预约 (none) | L8 Art Museum |
| 鸟巢 Bird's Nest | ¥100 | 10:00–22:00 | 无需预约 (none) | L8 Olympic Park |
| 水立方 Water Cube | ¥30 | 10:30–20:30 | 无需预约 (none) | L8 Olympic Park |

## Applied to our itinerary (Days 12–14, 23–25 Oct)
- **Forbidden City (Day 12)**: book 16 Oct, passport-linked. Only reservation that can break the itinerary if missed. Gate tower (¥15) is separate from palace ticket (¥60) — we only need the palace.
- **Summer Palace (Day 12)**: no reservation needed; hours 6:00–20:00 so the 14:00–17:00 slot is safe.
- **Temple of Heaven (Day 14)**: no reservation; use 联票 ¥34 combo (park entry alone doesn't include Hall of Prayer / inner altars). Our 08:15–10:15 slot is well within 6:00–22:00.
- **Yonghe Lama Temple (Day 14, optional)**: no reservation — truly drop-in-able, low risk as an optional stop.
- Tiananmen Square entry now needs a 7-day-advance reservation even though free — relevant because Forbidden City security queues run through the square area; check whether the palace ticket covers square access or book the square separately on the same 16 Oct reminder.
- Prices are entry only; Mutianyu Great Wall (Day 13) is private-driver + cable car, not covered by this table.

## Caveats
- Info from a social post (Sep 2026) — reconfirm hours/release times in the final week per the itinerary checklist ("Recheck all attraction opening days/hours, reservation requirements").
- Reservation windows = how far ahead booking opens; slots go fast for Forbidden City and National Museum, book at release time.