Cluster · Beijing
Tiananmen & the Forbidden City
Morning cluster: security and passport checks at the square, then the palace from its timed entry; long open axes with little shade, so go in the first slot.
Rules in force · 8Hutong lanes are too narrow for cars and often unpaved or…
- China ↗Most nationalities need a visa, a unilateral visa-free entry (the list and end dates change) or the transit exemption below. Confirm your route on the official sites before you buy a ticket.
- China ↗Transit stay without a visa: up to 240 hours (10 days) for citizens of about 55 listed countries who pass through China to a third country or region, with a confirmed onward ticket and a stay inside the permitted area (Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei count as one area). It replaced the 144-hour rule in December 2024, which some older pages still quote. Use the transit lane at immigration, show the onward ticket, and check the current nationality list. Hong Kong and Macau count as separate regions; check whether your ticket qualifies.
- China ↗Foreign visitors must register their address with the police within 24 hours; hotels do it at check-in with your passport. Carry the original passport at all times: hotels, trains, museums, Tiananmen Square and police checks ask for it.
- China ↗Set up Alipay or WeChat Pay with a foreign card before you fly. QR payment is the default in shops, taxis and many stalls, and some places refuse cash or a foreign card. Carry cash as a backup.
- China ↗Google, WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and many news sites are blocked. Use an eSIM with roaming (it routes through your home network) or install and test a VPN before you fly; VPN sites and app stores are hard to reach inside China, and only government-approved VPNs are officially permitted.
- North China ↗Great Wall sections are exposed and steep: wind, ice and midday heat change the day. Go early and pick the section by the weather, not the brochure.
- Beijing ↗Hutong lanes are too narrow for cars and often unpaved or uneven: large suitcases go from the car to the door, never on a walk.
- Beijing ↗Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City and many sights check the passport against the ticket at the gate; bring the original, not a photo.
Bound and physics
Tiananmen Gate and the south of the square through the palace's first courtyards; not the palace's northern half.
- Slope
- flat
- Stairs
- Few, at hall terraces
- Shade
- low
- Surface
- paved courts and stone
- Sleep here or visit
- visit
Rescue anchors
A — Tiananmen Gate square benches (security zone)
seated_rest · valid: always
B — Tiananmen East Station exit (WC)
toilet · seated_rest · valid: always
C — Meridian Gate benches
seated_rest · shelter · valid: always
D — Taihe Gate first courtyard shade
seated_rest · shelter · toilet · valid: always
E — Ancestral Temple side café (field-verify)
seated_rest · food · valid: always
F — Zhongshan Park east gate café (field-verify)
seated_rest · food · valid: always
G — Chang'an Avenue south-west toilets (field-verify)
toilet · valid: always
H — West wall lane benches (field-verify)
seated_rest · valid: always
always: 95% covered, max p90 6.9′, worst cell 10.5′ · heat: 95%
Nodes in this cluster
- Forbidden City (Palace Museum) — Book a timed ticket with your passport before you fly and take the first slot; 3 hours through the central axis; closed on Mondays outside holidays and summer.
Edges out (directed)
- Wangfujing & Dongdan
- Walk or subway east · ~20 min
- Nanluoguxiang & Gulou hutongs
- Taxi north · ~20 min
Sleep within reach
- Wangfujing — 25–34 min
Red lines here
- No flags, banners or umbrellas as signs in the security zone; follow police instructions.
- Passport is checked against the ticket at the palace gate.