Tiananmen Square: Reservation, Security and What to See

Tiananmen Square is free to visit, but as of November 2026 every visitor needs a real-name reservation made 1 to 7 days ahead, with new dates released daily at 12:00 noon. Foreign visitors book and enter with their passport. Take Metro Line 1 to Tian’anmendong or Tian’anmenxi station, and book a separate slot if you want to see the flag-raising.

The square and the buildings around it

The square runs 880 m from north to south and 500 m across, about 440,000 square meters of open stone, and it calls itself the world’s largest urban square. To the north is Tiananmen, the Gate of Heavenly Peace, with the Forbidden City behind it. The National Museum of China fills the east side, and the Great Hall of the People faces it from the west. The Chairman Mao Memorial Hall stands toward the southern end.

For most visitors the square is also the front door to the Forbidden City. A one-way route leads north across the Jinshui (Golden Water) Bridges, through the gate and on to the Meridian Gate, where the palace visit begins. Our Forbidden City tickets guide explains that booking, which is separate from the square’s.

How to reserve a visit (as of November 2026)

Reservations are made on the Tian’anmen Square Visit Reservation Service Platform, and the visit itself is free.

• When: 1 to 7 days before your visit. Available dates update every day at 12:00 noon, so that is the moment to book a popular day.
• Where: the WeChat mini-program “天安门广场预约参观”, the Jingtong (京通) mini-programs on WeChat, Alipay or Baidu, the Beijing Daily and Beijing Time apps, or a PC booking system.
• Who: every person in your group, by name and ID number. Foreign visitors use their passport.
• On the day: bring the original passport you booked with. It is checked at the reservation point and again at the police security check.
• Date: come on the date you booked. Visitors who arrive on a different day are turned away, so plan the square for a day you are sure of.

A Beijing tourism notice says that a valid same-day booking for the Mao Memorial Hall, the National Museum, the Palace Museum, Zhongshan Park or the Working People’s Cultural Palace also lets you into the square that day. We still book the square separately for our guests, in case the checkpoint staff ask to see a square booking. After your visit, a free electronic visit certificate appears in your reservation record within 7 days.

The square may close temporarily for major state or foreign-affairs events. If that happens on your date, we rearrange the order of your sightseeing.

Security: what to leave at your hotel

Everyone passes a security check on the way in. These are the items not allowed:

• lighters (the one most travelers forget)
• drones and other small aircraft
• knives, controlled tools and dangerous goods
• anything that may affect public order

Keep your passport somewhere easy to reach, not deep in a bag. The square’s security entrances are numbered, and travelers report that a reservation usually gets you in at any of them, not only the one you picked when booking.

The flag-raising ceremony

The national flag is raised over the square every morning at sunrise. To watch it you need a separate flag-raising (“升旗”) slot, booked 1 to 7 days ahead on the same platform. A normal daytime booking does not cover it.

Because the ceremony follows sunrise, the time changes through the year. Times published by the Tiananmen Area Management Committee for 2026 show the range:

So expect anything from before 5 am in midsummer to around 7 am in winter. The flag is lowered again in the late afternoon, at 17:08 on 5 November, for example, and the flag-lowering has its own slot too.

Getting there before dawn takes a little planning. The metro does not run early enough for summer sunrise ceremonies; the night buses 夜1, 夜2 and 夜17 run to Tian’anmen East and West in the small hours. With a private car and driver, you are collected at your hotel, which makes an early start far easier, especially with children or grandparents. For the flag-lowering, Metro Line 1 to Tian’anmendong or Tian’anmenxi works well.

Chairman Mao Memorial Hall

The Chairman Mao Memorial Hall reopened to the public on 1 September 2026 after an internal renovation. As of November 2026 it opens Tuesday to Sunday, 8:00 to 12:00, mornings only, and is closed on Mondays. Hours on national holidays and commemorative days are announced separately.

• Reservation: free, real-name, 1 to 6 days ahead through the hall’s WeChat service account, its WeChat booking mini-program or the People’s Daily Mao Memorial Hall web page. Enter at your booked time with your passport.
• What to carry: no bags, cameras, video cameras, water bottles, drinks or liquids of any kind. Leave them at the bag storage on the east side of the square before you join the line. Phones are allowed if switched off or on silent.
• Conduct: dress neatly, keep quiet and keep walking through the viewing hall.

Inside, the ground floor has the North Hall with a white marble seated statue of Mao, the viewing hall with the crystal coffin, and the South Hall. Memorial rooms on the second floor are dedicated to Mao, Zhou Enlai, Liu Shaoqi, Zhu De, Deng Xiaoping and Chen Yun. The building, opened in 1977, is ringed by 44 granite columns. Because visitors move steadily through the viewing hall, the visit is short.

National Museum of China

The National Museum on the east side of the square is free, though some temporary exhibitions charge a fee. As of November 2026:

• Hours: 9:00–17:00, last admission 16:00. From 1 June to 31 October it stays open until 17:30, last admission 16:30. Closed on Mondays, except Chinese public holidays.
• Booking: on the museum’s website, up to 7 days ahead. New tickets are released daily at 17:00. One account can book up to 5 people, which suits a family.
• Time slots: 9:00–11:00, 11:00–13:30 and 13:30–16:00 (until 16:30 from June to October).
• Entry: at the North Gate during your slot, with the original passport you booked with. Visitors 60 and over can use the Priority Access lane at the North Gate.
• Bags: hand luggage is checked into storage after security, for a small fee by size.
• Photos: allowed in exhibitions of the museum’s own collections, without flash, selfie sticks or tripods.

The address is 16 East Chang’an Street; use Metro Line 1, Tian’anmendong station, Exit C or D. The museum’s English visitor page, en.chnmuseum.cn, has the full rules.

Planning around Mondays and reservation slots

Mondays are the one day to plan carefully. The Forbidden City, the National Museum and the Mao Memorial Hall are all closed on Mondays outside public holidays, so save the square and its neighbors for Tuesday to Sunday. A typical order is the Mao Memorial Hall first thing in the morning, then the walk north across the Golden Water Bridges into the Forbidden City, or an afternoon slot at the National Museum.

On our Forbidden City private tour and our 3-day private Beijing tour, we book the square with your passport details, reserve the palace through our licensed travel agency’s group booking with each guest’s passport details and consent, and plan the order around your reservation slots. You travel in a private car or van with a driver, just your group, with an English-speaking guide who can explain the buildings around you. There are no shopping stops, and you can slow down or take a break whenever you like. Traveling with grandparents or young children? Our Beijing for seniors and families guide has more pacing ideas, and our list of things to do in Beijing covers the rest of the city.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a reservation to visit Tiananmen Square?

Yes. As of November 2026 every visitor needs a free real-name reservation made 1 to 7 days ahead on the Tian'anmen Square Visit Reservation Service Platform. New dates are released daily at 12:00 noon. Foreign visitors book with their passport and bring it on the day.

Is Tiananmen Square free?

The visit is free, but you must reserve in advance. The National Museum of China on the east side is also free with a booking, and the Chairman Mao Memorial Hall is free with its own reservation. Some temporary exhibitions at the museum charge a fee.

How do I see the flag-raising ceremony?

Book the separate flag-raising slot 1 to 7 days ahead on the square's reservation platform; a daytime booking does not cover it. The ceremony follows sunrise, so in 2026 it was at 04:48 on 28 June and 06:48 on 5 November. The metro does not run early enough in summer.

What items are not allowed in Tiananmen Square?

Lighters, drones and other small aircraft, knives and controlled tools, dangerous goods and anything that may affect public order. Everyone passes a security check on entry, and you need the original passport you booked with.

Is the Mao Memorial Hall open?

It reopened on 1 September 2026 and, as of November 2026, opens Tuesday to Sunday from 8:00 to 12:00. Book 1 to 6 days ahead. Bags, cameras, water bottles and other liquids are not allowed, so leave them at the bag storage on the east side of the square.

Can I visit Tiananmen Square on a Monday?

The square itself does not list a Monday closure, but the Forbidden City, the National Museum and the Mao Memorial Hall are closed on Mondays outside public holidays. Plan a day around the square for Tuesday to Sunday so you can see its neighbors too.

Which metro station is closest to Tiananmen Square?

Take Metro Line 1 to Tian'anmendong (Tiananmen East) or Tian'anmenxi (Tiananmen West). For the National Museum, use Tian'anmendong, Exit C or D. For a sunrise flag-raising, a private car or the night buses are the practical choices.

Facts checked: 5 November 2026. Ticket prices, opening hours and entry rules can change; we re-check before every booking.