Tiananmen Square
天安门广场
Free, but you need a WeChat real-name booking to get in
⚠ No same-day booking; passport
- Hours
- Entry by booked slot: flag-raising / morning / afternoon / flag-lowering & evening; exact times follow sunrise and sunset (e.g. December: morning 7:27am–noon, afternoon noon–4:30pm)
- Tickets
- Free. Real-name booking 1–7 days ahead on the 天安门广场预约参观 WeChat mini-program; bring your passport. The Tiananmen rostrum, Mao Mausoleum and Forbidden City each need separate bookings
- Address
- South of East Chang'an Avenue, in front of Tiananmen; you enter through the checkpoint chosen when booking
The square is free but you can't just wander in. You book a date, a time slot and a security checkpoint on a WeChat mini-program, then show your passport at that checkpoint. Inside, Tiananmen with Mao's portrait is to the north, the Great Hall of the People to the west, the National Museum to the east and the Monument to the People's Heroes in the middle. Every lamp post carries a cluster of cameras, and the mood is strict. The flag-raising at sunrise and lowering at sunset need their own time slot when you book.