Forbidden City tickets: book at 8pm, exactly 7 days ahead — or you don’t get in

🏯 Forbidden City tickets: book at 8pm, exactly 7 days ahead — or you don’t get in If the Forbidden City is on your Beijing list, don’t leave the ticket until arrival day. **THE TRAP** There are no tickets at the gate and no same-day tickets. Every date goes on sale at 20:00 Beijing time, exactly 7 days before — so if you want next Sunday, your moment is 8pm this Sunday. Turn up without a booking and you will spend the morning on Tiananmen Square instead. **THE FIX** Set an alarm for 19:58, seven days before your visit, and book on the official Palace Museum site (English version) or its WeChat mini-program, with a passport number for every visitor — then bring that same original passport to the gate. Pick the morning or afternoon session when you book, and note the morning session must enter by 12:00. In winter the ticket is ¥40. **ONE MORE TRAP** The Forbidden City is closed every Monday, so don’t burn your 8pm booking on a Monday visit. And if your date shows sold out at 20:02, check again around 20:20 — unpaid orders time out and come back. If it is still gone, pick another day rather than paying a reseller a big markup: the museum says it has authorised no third-party seller. — Kat

Forbidden City tickets: book at 8pm, exactly 7 days ahead — or you don’t get in

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