Beijing's Palace Museum: New Changes for Reservations

By Billy Jiang, October 26, 2023

Attention to all those planning a visit to the Palace Museum in Beijing!

The museum has recently introduced changes to its reservation system, altering the requirements for reservation and visiting times.

Starting from November 1 this year, the Palace Museum has implemented further improvements in its time-based reservation system.

Announcement made by the Palace Museum. Screenshot by That's

Here's what's new: morning reservations is for morning visits, with the cut-off time for entry at 12 noon; Afternoon ticket holders can enter from 11am onwards.

Why this change? And why in November, which is traditionally a less busy season for tourism?

According to information disclosed by the Palace Museum to local Beijing media, the reason behind this change lies in visitor patterns.

Since implementing daily visitor limits and real-name verification ticketing in 2015, almost 50% of the visitors with afternoon tickets had been entering the museum in the morning.

In other words, nearly 65% to 75% of visitors used to crowd the museum in the morning.

Under the new admission time standards, the Palace Museum divides its daily reservations into two time slots: the morning entrance is open until 12pm, and the afternoon entrance begins at 11am.

This new setup provides visitors with a more comfortable buffer time, so you won't find yourself waiting for too long outside the museum.

So, when is the peak time for entering the Forbidden City Museum?

Currently, during the morning slot, the peak occurs between 8am and 10.30am.

If you're planning a visit, it might be a good idea to avoid these hours.

Have you recently visited the Palace Museum? Share your experience with us! For more updates on local life in Beijing, be sure to follow our WeChat official account, ThatsBeijing.

[Cover image by Billy Jiang]