China's museums are world-class — but the good ones require booking. Plan ahead.
The big five
- Palace Museum (Forbidden City), Beijing — book 1–7 days ahead via the official WeChat mini-program with your passport; 40,000 tickets/day sell out in peak season. Closed Mondays
- Shaanxi History Museum, Xi'an — free and brutally popular; slots release 7 days ahead and vanish in minutes. Basic exhibition is the priority
- National Museum, Beijing (Tiananmen) — free, book ahead; the ancient China hall is superb
- Sanxingdui Museum, near Chengdu — mind-bending 3,000-year-old bronze masks; new hall opened recently
- Shanghai Museum — bronzes and ceramics, free with reservation
Booking how-to
- Almost everything books through official WeChat mini-programs — search the museum's Chinese name inside WeChat
- Passport number required; bring the physical passport to enter
- Slots release at fixed times (often 20:00, 7 days ahead) — set an alarm
- Can't book? Trip.com and GetYourGuide sell guaranteed-entry options with tours
Special: Mogao Caves, Dunhuang
China's greatest Buddhist art site. Regular tickets (8 caves + 2 films) release 30 days ahead and summer slots sell out weeks in advance — book early or take the emergency ticket (4 caves, no films).
Visiting tips
- Closed Mondays is nearly universal
- No flash photography; some halls ban photos entirely
- English audio guides available at major sites (¥40ish); the QR-code audio tours usually have English too