Assume nothing, check each sight’s own notice, and carry every family member’s original passport. Whether a senior or child reduction applies to a foreign visitor depends on the attraction, so the habit of checking matters more than any single rule.
If you hope that Mum and Dad will pay less, or that a toddler enters free, that is a fair hope and worth a few minutes’ checking.
Do foreign visitors qualify?
Sometimes yes, sometimes no. Rules sit with each attraction, and they change. Do not budget on a reduction until you have seen it on the official page or heard it from the ticket office.
Our budget planner lets you enter the standard price first and treat any reduction as a bonus.
Which documents should you carry?
Bring the original passport for every person, adults and children. Passports or ID cards are needed to buy tickets and enter the Terracotta Army museum[1]. International visitors to the Forbidden City must bring the original passport used for the booking[2].
Some sights also limit the number of tickets one document can buy. Mutianyu, for example, limits booking to one ticket per document per day[3]. Each family member should therefore book under their own passport.
How do you ask at the ticket office?
Keep the question short. You can say, or show on your phone: “Is there a senior or child ticket for foreign passport holders?” Ask before you pay, and ask what proof they need.
If the staff member does not speak English, show this on your phone: 请问外国护照有老人票或儿童票吗？ A translation app helps, and our offline translation guide lists some that work in China.
What about booking online?
Reduced categories may or may not appear in the booking page. Choose them only when your passport can prove eligibility.
Use the same name on the ticket and the passport, because the ticket is checked against it. Our guide to checking advance booking shows how to find the official page.
How should seniors and children pace the day?
A reduced ticket is a small saving. A tired parent or toddler costs more. Plan one main sight a day, book a mid-morning rest, and hold the afternoon loosely.
Read how to plan hotel changes for seniors and with young children before you add extra moves.
What to do next
List each sight with its official page, and write beside it what proof you will carry. Visit the prep topic hub for related checks, and message us if you want a second pair of eyes on the list.