# Tiananmen Square, Beijing

> Tiananmen Square is Beijing's vast ceremonial heart, between Tiananmen Gate and Mao's Mausoleum, with the Great Hall of the People and the National Museum on either side. Entry is free but needs a real-name booking with your passport, 1–7 days ahead. Open daily 5:00–22:00; the flag rises at sunrise. Allow 45 minutes, half a day with the extras.

Web page: https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/tiananmen-square

- City: [Beijing](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing), China
- YesGo score: 68/100 (Yes, go)
- Time on site: 45 min
- With kids: Fine with kids
- Entry: Free, with a real-name reservation only
- Booking window: 1–7 days ahead; new dates open daily at 12:00 Beijing time
- Where to book: WeChat mini-program 天安门广场预约参观, the Jingtong (京通) mini-program, Beijing Daily or Beijing Time apps, or the PC booking system
- ID: Original passport — the one you booked with
- Hours: 5:00–22:00; you enter in your booked slot
- Flag raising: At sunrise; needs the separate 升旗 slot
- Tiananmen Gate tower: ¥15, concession ¥5; separate booking; closed Mondays
- Mao Mausoleum: Free, book 1–6 days ahead; Tue–Sun 8:00–12:00
- National Museum: Book up to 7 days ahead; Tue–Sun 9:00–17:00, last entry 16:00
- Metro: Line 1 — Tiananmen East or Tiananmen West; Lines 2 and 8 — Qianmen
- Address: East Chang'an Avenue, Dongcheng District (东长安街)
- Coordinates: 39.90457, 116.39139
- Facts checked: 04.11.2026

## Key facts

- **44 ha** — 880 m north to south, 500 m east to west (source: Russian and Chinese Wikipedia (English Wikipedia gives a smaller figure))
- **Free** — entry to the square, with a real-name booking 1–7 days ahead (source: Beijing Municipal Government (english.beijing.gov.cn))
- **Sunrise** — the national flag goes up at dawn and comes down at sunset, so times change daily (source: Visit Beijing, citing the Tiananmen Area Administration Committee; English Wikipedia)
- **1420** — Chengtianmen, today's Tiananmen Gate, was built (source: English and Russian Wikipedia)
- **1651** — the rebuilt gate was renamed Tiananmen, “Gate of Heavenly Peace” (source: English and Russian Wikipedia)
- **32 m** — height of Tiananmen Gate (source: English and Russian Wikipedia)
- **1 Oct 1949** — the People's Republic was proclaimed from the gate; Mao's portrait has hung there since (source: English and Russian Wikipedia)
- **1959** — the square was rebuilt and enlarged, with the Great Hall and today's National Museum built alongside (source: English and Chinese Wikipedia)
- **37.94 m** — height of the Monument to the People's Heroes, unveiled in 1958 (source: English and Russian Wikipedia)
- **8 reliefs** — around the monument's base, from the Opium War to 1949 (source: English and Russian Wikipedia)
- **1977** — Mao's Mausoleum opened on the site of the demolished Gate of China (source: English and Chinese Wikipedia)

## Do you need a ticket or reservation for Tiananmen Square?

There's no ticket: the square is **free**, but you can't walk in without a **real-name reservation** for a specific date and time slot. Bookings open 1–7 days ahead, with each new date released at 12:00 noon Beijing time, according to the Beijing government. Same-day booking isn't possible, so sort it out at least the day before.

There are four slots: **flag raising** (from before sunrise until the ceremony ends), **morning** (until noon), **afternoon** (until the flag-lowering session) and **flag lowering** (towards sunset). You must turn up on your booked date and in your slot — a morning booking won't get you into the flag ceremony.

The fenced square has checkpoints on every side. Staff scan your QR code, check your **original passport** against the booking and put bags through an X-ray. Guides say you can't re-enter once you leave, so see what you came for before heading out.

Some guides report that a same-day booking for the Mao Mausoleum, National Museum or Forbidden City can get you onto the square in daytime. We found nothing official on this — book the square separately.

## How foreigners book Tiananmen Square with a passport

1. Install **WeChat** and update it to the latest version, as the Beijing government advises. Search for **天安门广场预约参观** and open the official mini-program with the state emblem — not the paid “booking agent” listings.
2. Choose an individual booking, a date within the next 7 days and a slot: 升旗 (flag raising), 上午 (morning), 下午 (afternoon) or 降旗 (flag lowering).
3. The form is in Chinese. Change **证件类型** (ID type) from the Chinese ID card to **护照** (passport), or your passport number won't save.
4. Enter your name exactly as printed, the passport number without spaces, your nationality and a mobile number for the SMS code. Foreign numbers work, but codes can be slow.
5. One form takes up to 10 people. Add children too — minors must be booked.
6. Screenshot the QR code. If the app defeats you, most hotel front desks will book it with your passport details.

## How to get to Tiananmen Square by metro

1. Take **Line 1** to **Tiananmen East** or **Tiananmen West** on Chang'an Avenue at the north end of the square. From Wangfujing it's one stop west.
2. From the south, use **Qianmen** on Lines 2 and 8, then walk north past Zhengyangmen Gate and the mausoleum.
3. From Capital Airport (PEK): Airport Express to **Beixinqiao**, Line 5 south to **Dongdan**, then Line 1 two stops west to Tiananmen East. Or ride to Dongzhimen and take Line 2 to Jianguomen, then Line 1.
4. From Daxing Airport (PKX): Daxing Airport Express to **Caoqiao**, Line 10 to **Gongzhufen**, then Line 1 east to Tiananmen West.
5. For a summer flag raising the metro isn't running yet: take a taxi (DiDi works inside Alipay with a foreign card) or the night buses 夜1, 夜2 or 夜17, which stop by the square.
6. Find the checkpoint named in your booking, show the QR code and passport, and clear the bag check — allow at least half an hour at weekends.

> **What you can't bring through security** Lighters and matches, knives and blades, and drones are banned outright. Large backpacks and wheeled luggage are turned away, and there's no left-luggage at the checkpoints. Drinks may be checked; guides also mention tripods and anything printed with slogans. The Mao Mausoleum is stricter still: no bags or cameras inside.

## Tiananmen Square opening hours and flag raising time

The square is open **daily from 5:00 to 22:00**, but you're admitted only in your booked slot. The flag goes up **exactly at sunrise** and comes down at sunset, so the times shift every day — in early November it's around 6:45 up and 17:15 down, and in summer the raising is far earlier. The Tiananmen Area Administration Committee publishes each day's times, which Visit Beijing reposts; check the night before.

For the raising, the square opens roughly an hour before sunrise and the best spots by the flagpole go early. The ceremony itself lasts only a few minutes, as the honour guard marches out of Tiananmen Gate. If a pre-dawn start doesn't appeal, book the **flag-lowering** slot instead: it's quieter, and the evening light on the gate is the best of the day for photos.

Around Chinese public holidays — especially the first week of October — flag slots go within minutes of release.

## What to see on Tiananmen Square

- **Tiananmen Gate** — the red wall and golden roof with Mao's portrait and two slogans: “Long live the People's Republic of China” and “Long live the great unity of the peoples of the world”. Marble bridges cross the moat in front.
- **The national flagpole** at the north end, facing the gate, where the dawn and dusk ceremonies happen.
- **Monument to the People's Heroes** — the granite obelisk, almost 38 m tall, at the centre of the square. The front inscription is in Mao's hand; reliefs around the base show China's struggles from 1840 to 1949. It is sometimes fenced off.
- **[Mao's Mausoleum](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/mao-mausoleum)** — the square, colonnaded hall in the southern half, open mornings only by separate booking.
- **[The Great Hall of the People](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/great-hall-of-the-people)** — the parliament building whose colonnade runs the length of the west side.
- **[The National Museum of China](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/national-museum-of-china)** on the east side, home to one of the country's great collections of antiquities.
- **Zhengyangmen (Qianmen)** — the old city gate beyond the mausoleum, with pedestrianised Qianmen Street behind it.

## Tiananmen Gate tower, Mao Mausoleum and National Museum: separate bookings

**[Tiananmen Gate tower](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/tiananmen-gate)** — climb to the rostrum where the People's Republic was proclaimed. Tickets are ¥15, concession ¥5, booked through the official WeChat account 天安门城楼参观预约 or Jingtong. Tickets for the next 7 days are released at 17:00; there are no same-day sales. Closed on Mondays except public holidays. Local guides give 8:30–16:30 from November to March, with last entry at 16:00, and to 17:00 from April to October. The route is one-way: from the gate you exit north towards the Forbidden City, not back to the square.

**Mao Mausoleum** (Chairman Mao Memorial Hall) opens **Tuesday to Sunday, 8:00–12:00**. Entry is free; book 1–6 days ahead in the 毛主席纪念堂预约 mini-program. Leave bags and cameras in the lockers near the square. The line moves fast and you file past without stopping.

**National Museum** opens **Tuesday to Sunday, 9:00–17:00**, last entry 16:00, staying open to 17:30 from June to October. Book on the museum's website up to 7 days ahead; tickets release at 17:00. Enter by the North Gate, from Tiananmen East station, Exits C or D.

The gate tower is paid in WeChat Pay or Alipay, which accept most foreign Visa and Mastercard cards once linked; Russian-issued cards don't work in China.

## Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City: how they connect

They sit on one axis. From the square, take the underpass beneath Chang'an Avenue to **Tiananmen Gate**, walk through its central arch, past Duanmen Gate and on to the **Meridian Gate** (Wumen), the south gate of the [Forbidden City](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/forbidden-city). Allow about 15 minutes from the middle of the square, plus security.

The Forbidden City is a separate, passport-linked booking on the Palace Museum website, with no same-day sales: ¥40 from November to March, ¥60 from April to October, closed Mondays. A good order is the square first, the Meridian Gate for the 8:30 opening, then the view over the palace roofs from [Jingshan Park](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/jingshan-park) by the north exit.

## Is Tiananmen Square worth it, and how long do you need?

Yes, if you treat it as the front door to the Forbidden City rather than a sight in its own right. The square itself is an enormous paved space with no shade, few seats and a lot of security; 45 minutes is plenty. What makes it memorable is the scale, the gate with its portrait, and above all the flag ceremony at dawn or dusk.

Add the gate tower, the mausoleum and a walk north into the Forbidden City and it fills a morning or a whole day. If you're short of time, skip the mausoleum and book the Forbidden City first — it's the harder ticket to get.

## A short history of Tiananmen Square

The gate came first. It was built in **1420** as Chengtianmen, the southern entrance to the Imperial City, fronted by a narrow walled courtyard closed to ordinary people. Destroyed in 1644, it was rebuilt and in **1651** renamed Tiananmen, the “Gate of Heavenly Peace”.

On **1 October 1949** Mao Zedong proclaimed the People's Republic from the gate, and his portrait has hung there ever since. In 1958–59 the old walls were cleared, the square was enlarged to roughly today's size, and the Great Hall of the People and the museum went up on either side. The Monument to the People's Heroes was unveiled in 1958 and the mausoleum opened in 1977.

The square has hosted parades and mass rallies.

## Before you go: checklist

- [ ] Square booked for my date and slot, ID type set to passport
- [ ] For the ceremony — the 升旗 slot, not morning
- [ ] The same original passport with me
- [ ] Screenshot of the booking QR code
- [ ] Gate tower, mausoleum and museum booked separately if wanted
- [ ] No lighter, knife or large backpack
- [ ] Water and a hat — there's no shade

## Square, gate tower, mausoleum or museum

|  | Tiananmen Square | Gate tower | Mao Mausoleum | National Museum |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Entry | Free | ¥15, concession ¥5 | Free | Free with booking |
| Booking | 1–7 days, from 12:00 | Up to 7 days, from 17:00 | 1–6 days | Up to 7 days, from 17:00 |
| Hours | 5:00–22:00 | 8:30–16:30 Nov–Mar | 8:00–12:00 | 9:00–17:00 |
| Mondays | Open | Closed | Closed | Closed |
| Time needed | 45 minutes | About 1 hour | About 1 hour with the queue | 3 hours or more |

Only the square is open every day from dawn to night; the rest close on Mondays. On a first visit the square and the gate tower on your way into the Forbidden City are enough. The mausoleum is for those curious about 20th-century China; the museum deserves its own half day.

## Beijing's historic sights compared

Every historic sight in Beijing rated by YesGo.

- [Tiananmen Square](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/tiananmen-square) — YesGo score 68/100 (Yes, go) · 45 min · Free, passport booking
- [Forbidden City](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/forbidden-city) — YesGo score 61/100 (Yes, go) · 3 h 30 min · ¥40 Nov–Mar, ¥60 Apr–Oct
- [Chairman Mao Memorial Hall](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/mao-mausoleum) — YesGo score 55/100 (Yes, go) · 30 min · Free, booking required
- [Temple of Heaven](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/temple-of-heaven) — YesGo score 52/100 (Yes, go) · 2 h · ¥10–15, ¥28–34 with halls
- [Great Hall of the People](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/great-hall-of-the-people) — YesGo score 51/100 (Yes, go) · 1 h · ¥30, students ¥15; WeChat booking
- [Tiananmen Gate](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/tiananmen-gate) — YesGo score 49/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · ¥15, concession ¥5, booking only
- [National Museum of China](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/national-museum-of-china) — YesGo score 44/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h 30 min · Free, passport booking
- [Wangfujing Street](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/wangfujing-street) — YesGo score 43/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free
- [Beijing hutongs](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/beijing-hutongs) — YesGo score 42/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · Free; rickshaw about ¥100–200
- [Nanluoguxiang](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/nanluoguxiang) — YesGo score 40/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · Free, open 24 hours
- [Houhai Lake and Shichahai](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/houhai-lake) — YesGo score 38/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · Free
- [Jingshan Park](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/jingshan-park) — YesGo score 37/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · ¥2, ¥10 during exhibitions
- [Lama Temple (Yonghe Temple)](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/lama-temple) — YesGo score 36/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · ≈ ¥25, booked in WeChat
- [Drum and Bell Towers](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/beijing-drum-and-bell-towers) — YesGo score 34/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h · ¥30 for both towers
- [Old Summer Palace (Yuanmingyuan)](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/old-summer-palace) — YesGo score 34/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h 30 min · ¥10, ¥25 with the ruins
- [Beihai Park](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/beihai-park) — YesGo score 33/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h · ¥5–10, ¥15–20 with the island
- [Confucius Temple and Imperial Academy](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/beijing-confucius-temple) — YesGo score 33/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 15 min · ¥30, one ticket with the Guozijian
- [Summer Palace](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/beijing-summer-palace) — YesGo score 33/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 3 h 30 min · ¥20–30, ¥50–60 through ticket
- [Prince Gong's Mansion](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/prince-gong-mansion) — YesGo score 33/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 1 h 30 min · ¥40, book ahead with passport
- [798 Art Zone](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/798-art-zone) — YesGo score 32/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h 30 min · Free; some exhibitions charge
- [Great Wall at Badaling](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/badaling-great-wall) — YesGo score 27/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 3 h · ¥40 entry; ¥35 November–March
- [Beijing Zoo](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/beijing-zoo) — YesGo score 26/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 3 h · ¥10–15, ¥14–19 with pandas
- [Ming Tombs](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/ming-tombs) — YesGo score 23/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h 30 min · ¥20–40 per site, ¥30–60 in summer
- [Great Wall at Juyongguan](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/juyongguan-great-wall) — YesGo score 20/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 2 h 30 min · ¥35 entry; ¥40 April–October
- [Great Wall at Mutianyu](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/great-wall-mutianyu) — YesGo score 19/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 4 h · ¥40–45 entry; cable car ¥100–140
- [Gubei Water Town and Simatai Great Wall](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/gubei-water-town) — YesGo score 16/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 4 h · ¥140 entry; ¥170 with Simatai wall

## Tiananmen and the Forbidden City in a day

The square in the morning, then the Tiananmen Gate tower, the Forbidden City and the view from Jingshan Park. Add them to your route — YesGo fits in the timing and transfers.

1. [Tiananmen Square](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/tiananmen-square) — YesGo score 68/100 (Yes, go) · 45 min · Free, passport booking
2. [Tiananmen Gate](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/tiananmen-gate) — YesGo score 49/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · ¥15, concession ¥5, booking only
3. [Forbidden City](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/forbidden-city) — YesGo score 61/100 (Yes, go) · 3 h 30 min · ¥40 Nov–Mar, ¥60 Apr–Oct
4. [Jingshan Park](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/jingshan-park) — YesGo score 37/100 (Yes, if nearby) · 45 min · ¥2, ¥10 during exhibitions

## Good to know

Tiananmen is strictly the name of the gate; the square takes its name from it. The gate tower and the Forbidden City are separate tickets — one doesn't get you into the other. The official square booking is free, so there's no need to pay an agent unless you want them to do the paperwork.

## Tips

- Set an alarm for 12:00 Beijing time exactly 7 days out — weekend and holiday flag slots go fast.
- Arrive an hour before your slot: weekend security lines are slow.
- Do the square first, then walk north through Tiananmen Gate into the Forbidden City — you never have to double back.
- The mausoleum closes at noon, so make it your first stop if you want to go.
- Google Maps is blocked in China without roaming or a VPN — save an offline map and 天安门广场 in characters.
- For photos of the gate, book the flag-lowering slot: the evening sun lights up the portrait and the red wall.
- Pair it with the [Temple of Heaven](https://yesgo.io/china/beijing/temple-of-heaven), about 25 minutes away by metro via Dongdan.

## Questions

### Is Tiananmen Square free?

Yes. Entry is free, but you need a real-name reservation for a date and time slot, made 1–7 days ahead. Only the Tiananmen Gate tower (¥15) and the Forbidden City charge.

### How do foreigners make a Tiananmen Square reservation?

In WeChat, open the 天安门广场预约参观 mini-program, pick a date and slot, set the ID type to 护照 (passport) and enter your details as printed. Show the QR code and your original passport at the checkpoint.

### Can I visit Tiananmen Square without a reservation?

No. Checkpoints turn away anyone without a booking, and same-day booking isn't available. Book at least a day ahead, or ask your hotel to do it.

### What time is the flag raising at Tiananmen Square?

At sunrise, so it changes every day — around 6:45 in early November, much earlier in summer. You need the dedicated 升旗 slot; the square opens about an hour before.

### What are Tiananmen Square's opening hours?

Daily from 5:00 to 22:00, but you are admitted only during your booked slot: flag raising, morning, afternoon or flag lowering.

### Which metro station is closest to Tiananmen Square?

Tiananmen East or Tiananmen West on Line 1, at the north end; Qianmen on Lines 2 and 8 at the south end.

### Can you go inside Tiananmen Gate?

Yes — the gate tower costs ¥15 and needs its own booking via the 天安门城楼参观预约 WeChat account. It's closed on Mondays and leads one-way north towards the Forbidden City.

### Can you visit Mao's Mausoleum?

Yes, free, Tuesday to Sunday from 8:00 to 12:00, with a booking 1–6 days ahead. No bags or cameras inside.

### How do I get from Tiananmen Square to the Forbidden City?

Take the underpass to Tiananmen Gate and walk north through it to the Meridian Gate — about 15 minutes. The Forbidden City needs its own advance booking.

### How long do you need at Tiananmen Square?

About 45 minutes for the square. With the flag ceremony, gate tower and mausoleum, half a day; with the Forbidden City, a full day.

## How we checked

Free entry, square hours, booking channels and gate-tower prices come from the Beijing Municipal Government; the 1–7-day window and noon release from the government's booking notice and Visit Beijing. An undated Tiananmen committee notice mentions booking the flag raising 1–9 days ahead; we show 1–7, as in newer sources. Passports as the ID for foreigners come from Beijing Bendibao and travel guides — official pages only say “valid ID” — so that row is marked checking. The government's gate-tower card lists 5:00–22:00, which are the square's hours; the tower's own hours come from Bendibao. The official gate-tower site blocks bots and wasn't opened. Mausoleum bag and camera rules, the tripod and re-entry rules, and square access via museum bookings come from guides only. Size: Russian and Chinese Wikipedia give 880 × 500 m (44 ha), English Wikipedia 765 × 282 m; we show the first and flag the difference.

## Sources

- Beijing Municipal Government, english.beijing.gov.cn — Tian'anmen Square (hours, free entry, booking channels, metro) and Tian'anmen Rostrum (ticket prices), 2026
- Beijing Municipal Government — tips on booking the square (1–7 days ahead, released at noon), 2024; rostrum reopening notice (Mondays, booking, 17:00 release), 2025
- Visit Beijing (北京旅游网), citing the Tiananmen Area Administration Committee — flag raising and lowering times, 升旗 slot, banned items, night buses, 2026
- Chairman Mao Memorial Hall, official page on cpc.people.com.cn — hours, booking 1–6 days ahead
- National Museum of China, en.chnmuseum.cn — hours, booking, entrance, metro
- Palace Museum, intl.dpm.org.cn — Forbidden City hours, prices and booking
- Beijing Bendibao (bj.bendibao.com), 2026 — ID for foreign visitors, gate tower hours, one-way route
- Trip.com and Wanderin China, 2026 — booking steps for foreigners, slots, security
- English, Russian and Chinese Wikipedia: Tiananmen Square, Tiananmen, Monument to the People's Heroes, Mausoleum of Mao Zedong; Wikidata Q164055

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