Tiananmen Square: Reservation, Security and How Long to Stay

Tiananmen Square costs nothing to enter, but you cannot just walk in. Since late 2021 every visitor has needed a free real-name reservation, made one to seven days ahead, and foreign visitors book with their passport. Most people book through the official WeChat mini-program, because the web portal asks for a Chinese phone number. Once you are through security, 30 to 90 minutes is enough for the square itself. Most visitors then continue north through Tiananmen Gate to the Forbidden City, which needs its own ticket.

For the rest of the trip, see the Beijing travel guide.

How the reservation works

The process below follows the Tiananmen Area Management Committee's reservation rules as reported by Beijing government English pages and several 2026 traveller guides. Rules here change more often than at most Beijing sights, so read the notice in the mini-program when you book.

1. Open the official channel. In WeChat, search for the mini-program 天安门广场预约参观 (Tiananmen Square visit reservation) and pick the official one. The Jingtong app and other Beijing government apps link to the same system. The web version rejects most foreign phone numbers.
2. Choose individual booking (个人预约) and accept the notice.
3. Pick a date and slot. Bookings run one to seven days ahead, and new dates are released at 12:00 noon Beijing time. The day is split into flag-raising, morning, afternoon and flag-lowering slots. You need the specific flag slot if you want to watch either ceremony.
4. Enter each visitor. ID type: passport. Type the name and number exactly as printed. One order can hold up to seven people, with no more than four adults.
5. Save the confirmation. A screenshot is fine. On the day, the original passport is what staff check.

If WeChat will not cooperate, ask your hotel front desk to book with your passport details. That is the usual fix, and far safer than sending passport photos to a stranger in a chat group.

Official guidance also says a valid same-day reservation for certain designated sights in the Tiananmen area can be used for square entry. Travellers report mixed results with Forbidden City tickets, though, so book the square separately. It is free, and you avoid an argument at the checkpoint.

Security and getting there

Entry is through security checkpoints at the edges of the square, with a passport check and a bag scan. Waits are short on a weekday morning and long on public holidays, especially the National Day week in early October. Carry a small bag. Large luggage, lighters and drones cause problems, and the notice has the full list of banned items.

Metro access:

• Line 1: Tiananmen East or Tiananmen West, which put you on Chang'an Avenue at the north side, near Tiananmen Gate.
• Line 2: Qianmen, at the south end, by Zhengyangmen.

Follow the signed visitor routes from the station exits. Pick your side of Chang'an Avenue before you surface, because crossing over means using the underpasses and may mean another check.

What you are looking at, south to north

• Zhengyangmen (Qianmen) gate and arrow tower, the southern bookend. The tower in the photo above is often mistaken for Tiananmen Gate, which is at the opposite end.
• Chairman Mao Memorial Hall, on the axis. It has its own queue, rules and opening days, and bags have to be left outside. Many visitors skip it.
• Monument to the People's Heroes, the granite obelisk in the middle.
• Great Hall of the People to the west and the National Museum of China to the east. The museum is free but has its own reservation system and could fill a full day on its own.
• Tiananmen Gate, on the north side of Chang'an Avenue, with the portrait. This was the front gate of the old Imperial City. The Forbidden City's own entrance, Meridian Gate, is a further walk north through Duanmen.

The square was enlarged to its present size, commonly quoted at about 440,000 square metres, for the 1959 National Day, and it is part of the Beijing Central Axis World Heritage listing of 2024. In practice that means a very large paved area with almost no shade and very few benches.

Flag-raising: worth the early alarm?

The flag is raised at sunrise and lowered at sunset, so the time shifts through the year: around 04:45 in June and after 07:30 in late December. You need the flag-raising slot in your reservation, and you need to be at security well before sunrise. The ceremony lasts a few minutes, and the crowd on clear weekends and holidays can be very large.

Do it if the ceremony means something to you, or if you are going into the Forbidden City straight afterwards and want an early start anyway. The palace opens at 08:30, so you will have time for breakfast near Qianmen in between. Skip it if sleep is worth more to you. The flag-lowering ceremony at sunset is less crowded on most days and needs no early start.

How it fits the day

Plan the square as the first part of a palace morning. Book an early square slot and your Forbidden City ticket for the same date, enter from the Qianmen side, cross the square, go through Tiananmen Gate and continue to Meridian Gate. As a rough guide, allow about an hour from Qianmen station to the palace ticket check, more on holidays. After the palace, exit north to Jingshan, then go on to Yonghe Temple or the hutongs.

The Temple of Heaven is a few stops south and works better on another morning. Mutianyu and the Summer Palace are separate days.

Things to confirm before you go

• A reservation for the correct date and slot (flag slots are separate).
• The passport used in the booking, in your hand at security.
• Sunrise or sunset time for your date if you want a ceremony.
• Separate bookings for the Memorial Hall, National Museum or Forbidden City if they are on your list.
• Holiday crowd notices, especially 1 to 7 October.

Frequently asked questions

Do foreigners need a reservation for Tiananmen Square?

Yes. Book free in the official WeChat mini-program one to seven days ahead using your passport, or ask your hotel to book for you. Walk-up entry is usually refused.

What time are new Tiananmen reservation dates released?

At 12:00 noon Beijing time each day. Holiday flag-raising slots go quickly, so book as soon as your date opens.

How long do you need at Tiananmen Square?

Thirty to ninety minutes including security, unless you add the flag ceremony, the Memorial Hall or the National Museum.