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View all →How to book Forbidden City tickets with a passport
Every Forbidden City visitor needs an advance reservation — there is no same-day sale. Tickets cost 60 yuan April to October and 40 yuan November to March, released at 20:00 Beijing time exactly seven days before your visit.
Booking China attraction tickets with a passport, not a Chinese ID
Chinese attractions run on real-name booking, but a passport works at almost all of them — through the official English site, an Alipay travel portal or an authorised platform. Here is the order to try, and the two Beijing venues where you cannot buy at the gate.
Where to stay in Beijing: match the base to your trip
Four Beijing bases compared by metro line, price and trade-off, plus airport train fares and what the hotel does with your passport at check-in.
Where to stay in Shanghai: Jing'an vs the Bund vs Lujiazui
Jing'an for most first trips, People's Square for walking to the Bund, the French Concession for cafés, Lujiazui for the view. What each Shanghai hotel area actually costs you in metro time and noise.
Hotel registration rules for foreigners in China
Chinese hotels register foreign guests themselves and must file your details with the local police within 24 hours. What to bring, what changes if you stay outside a hotel, and what to do if a front desk refuses you.
Getting from Beijing's airports to the city: PEK vs Daxing
Capital Airport's express train runs ¥25 to Dongzhimen in about 25 minutes; Daxing's runs ¥35 to Caoqiao in 19. Fares, taxi meters, last trains and night buses for both Beijing airports.
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