How to Book Attractions in China as a Foreigner

Booking an attraction in China is often less about finding a ticket than matching the right person, passport, date, time slot, and entry gate. Some places sell through an English website. Others use an Official Account or Mini Program inside WeChat or Alipay. Many retain an offline counter, but that does not mean same-day capacity will be available.

Use the attraction's own current instructions for the final decision. Ticket windows, platforms, release times, child rules, and cancellation terms are not standardized nationwide.

Start with the official website

Search for the attraction's official website, then follow its ticket link. This is safer than searching Mini Programs by a translated English name or scanning a QR code from a social post.

The official site should tell you:

• whether advance reservation is required;
• how many days ahead tickets are released;
• the daily opening and closing days;
• available entry periods;
• accepted identity documents;
• the official WeChat or Alipay account name;
• ticket categories and concessions;
• refund and change rules.

If an official English page links to a multilingual booking platform, use that link. The Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum, for example, launched a multilingual platform specifically for overseas visitors. Beijing also introduced an English city attraction-ticket platform inside the JingTong WeChat Mini Program, initially bringing together official channels for dozens of municipal attractions.

Passport details are part of the ticket

Real-name booking is common. Enter:

• the visitor's name exactly as the booking form instructs;
• nationality;
• passport number;
• document expiry date, if required;
• date of birth, if required for a concession.

Do not translate a name into Chinese or substitute the purchaser's details for the visitor's. If the form separates surname and given names, follow the labels rather than guessing from the visual order.

Take the original passport used for booking. Some venues admit visitors by scanning that passport. Others issue a QR code or order number and still check the passport. A screenshot of “payment successful” is not a substitute for the correct identity document.

If a passport was replaced after booking, contact the seller before the visit. Do not assume the old booking will transfer automatically.

Official Accounts and Mini Programs

Chinese attractions often publish announcements through a WeChat Official Account and sell through a linked Mini Program. The English name may not find the correct account.

A safer route is:

1. Open the attraction's official website.
2. Copy its exact Chinese name.
3. Follow the website's own QR code or named account.
4. Check that the Mini Program shows the same operator and attraction.
5. Read the visit date, entry gate, and refund terms before paying.

An Official Account may post notices but send ticket sales to a different Mini Program. A reseller may also appear in search results. Check whether you are buying an attraction ticket, a guided tour, a transport bundle, or a reservation service with an added fee.

Mini Programs can have different document support. If a form offers only a Chinese Resident Identity Card, do not enter a fake number. Look for Passport, Foreign Passport, or Other Document, then try the official English site, offline counter, phone service, Alipay route, or a recognized platform that explicitly supports your document.

Release dates, time slots, and sold-out days

Popular museums and heritage sites can sell in advance, particularly during public holidays, summer, and weekends. “Seven days ahead” can mean a rolling release at a specific time, not any time on the seventh day. The attraction may close on a regular weekday or release morning and afternoon sessions separately.

Before building a non-refundable itinerary around one place:

• check the ticket-release rule;
• verify the local time at which sales open;
• create and test the required account;
• add every visitor and passport in advance if the platform permits it;
• keep another date or attraction available.

Do not buy from an unofficial seller simply because the official allocation is sold out. A third-party ticket may be a tour allocation with conditions, or it may not be valid at all.

China's Ministry of Culture and Tourism has said attractions should retain ticket counters for inbound visitors and others who prefer offline purchases. This is useful when an online form cannot process a passport. It is not a promise that a sold-out attraction must create extra capacity. Contact the venue before traveling across a city to the counter.

Children and concession tickets

Child admission rules may use age, height, school status, nationality, or a combination. A child who enters free may still need to be added to the order for capacity and identity control.

For every child, check:

• whether a reservation is required even when the price is zero;
• the applicable age or height on the visit date;
• which original document must be shown;
• whether the child must enter with the booking adult;
• whether a student or youth discount is limited to particular documents.

Carry the child's passport. Do not select a Chinese student concession merely because the visitor is a student abroad.

The Beijing government FAQ for Beihai and Jingshan parks illustrates why details matter: its online order supports named passport holders, includes specific adult-and-child limits, and also describes same-day counter sales. Those rules belong to those parks and should not be copied to another venue.

Payment, confirmation, and QR codes

Official channels may accept Weixin Pay, Alipay, a Chinese bank card, an overseas card, or a platform-specific combination. The State Council has directed major attractions to improve mobile payment, bank-card, and cash access, but each checkout still has its own implementation.

After paying, verify that the order status says confirmed or ticketed. Save:

• the order number;
• the visitor list;
• visit date and time slot;
• entry gate;
• QR code, if one is issued;
• cancellation deadline;
• support number.

Some QR codes are dynamic. Save the order information as well as a screenshot, and make sure you can reopen the issuing app without relying on hotel Wi-Fi.

Cancellation and changes

Read the policy before payment. Attractions may:

• allow free cancellation until a stated deadline;
• charge a fee closer to the visit;
• treat a change as cancel-and-rebook;
• refund only to the original payment method;
• require every visitor in one order to be canceled together;
• refuse refunds after the booked entry time.

Cancel through the original sales channel and keep the cancellation record. A refund can be approved before it appears on an overseas card. If a venue closes because of weather, maintenance, or crowd control, follow the official notice rather than assuming a refund method.

When the booking fails

The passport is rejected

Recheck document type, name order, number, and expiry date. Remove accidental spaces. If the platform genuinely does not support the document, use an official alternative rather than altering the identity.

The Mini Program is only in Chinese

Use camera translation to understand navigation, but have critical dates, visitor categories, and refund terms checked. Look for the attraction's English site or service desk.

The payment fails

Try another officially supported method. A card being linked to WeChat or Alipay does not guarantee every Mini Program transaction. Do not repeatedly pay until you have checked whether an earlier order was created.

There is no QR code

The passport may be the admission credential. Read the confirmation and bring the original document.

The day is sold out

Check another official session or date, then ask whether legitimate same-day counter capacity exists. Build the day around places that do not require the same scarce reservation.

A booking routine that travels well

For each major attraction, make a one-line record:

Official channel | Release time | Passport accepted | Visit slot | Entry gate | Cancel by

Book the least flexible places first, then add neighborhoods, parks, and meals around them. Recheck opening notices the evening before, especially during severe weather and public holidays.

Official sources

• State Council and Ministry of Culture and Tourism measures for passport booking and offline ticket counters: https://english.www.gov.cn/news/202403/29/content_WS6606c572c6d0868f4e8e5990.html
• Ministry of Culture and Tourism report on Beijing's English attraction-ticket platform: https://www.mct.gov.cn/wlbphone/wlbydd/xxfb/qglb/bj/202512/t20251203_963529.html
• State Council report on the Terracotta Warriors multilingual overseas booking platform: https://english.www.gov.cn/news/202404/03/content_WS660d1cb4c6d0868f4e8e5b87.html
• Beijing government park-ticket FAQ for foreign passport holders and children: https://english.beijing.gov.cn/12345hotline/faqs/index.html
• Beijing government illustrated guide to official park-ticket channels: https://english.beijing.gov.cn/quickguideservices/purchaseparktickets/purchaseticketsonline/202312/P020240110378356190293.pdf

Last reviewed: 24 July 2026. Always apply the individual attraction's current ticket and refund terms.