How to book Nanjing Museum tickets with a foreign passport
You need a real-name reservation, and you make it in one place: the museum's official WeChat mini-program, named 南京博物院官方微信小程序 on the museum's pages. You need WeChat on your phone for this. The rule covers everybody, including visitors who qualify for concessions and their companions. You cannot walk in without a booking.
The booking page on the museum's website (ticket.njmuseum.com.cn) shows one line: "please scan the QR code below with WeChat on your phone to book" (请使用手机微信扫描下方二维码进行预约). A 2024 Nanjing government report says the website booking service was cancelled from 2024-09-20 and the mini-program became the only channel.
The museum's 2026-09-17 notice also says it has not authorized any third-party platform or individual to sell tickets. Book only through its own mini-program.
What the pages say about passports
The Chinese Visit page says holders of a foreigner's permanent residence ID card or a foreign passport (and Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan travel permits) 自行预约, "book by themselves". The English page says such visitors "should book ticket as well". Neither page describes the screens, fields or ID-type options inside the mini-program for a foreign passport.
The Chinese Visit page describes face-matching entry for a Chinese ID card, a Jiangsu third-generation social security card or a Hong Kong, Macao or Taiwan resident card. For a foreign passport it describes a check at a window instead (see below).
Visitors aged 70 and over, disabled visitors, veterans and some other groups use a separate "优待观众预约" (concession booking) in the mini-program. The Visit pages do not say whether foreign passport holders can use it, and they list no foreigner discount.
When do Nanjing Museum tickets come out, and can I buy at the door?
- Release time: every day at 18:00, for visit days up to 7 days ahead, not counting the same day. The 2026-09-17 notice gives an example: on the 1st you can book the 8th.
- Sold out: the notice says tickets go "约满即止" (until they are all booked) and that no tickets are released on the visit day. There are no door sales to fall back on.
- Sessions: morning 9:00-13:00 or afternoon 12:00-16:00. You must enter during your booked session, and a missed session means entry is refused. Morning ticket holders must enter before 13:00.
- One entry a day: the same ID number can enter and leave only once per day.
The Chinese Visit page gives 025-84807923 for booking questions.
Booking limits and missed-booking bans
The Chinese Visit page sets these limits: one ID number can be booked at most 2 times within 7 days, and one account can book at most 5 people within 30 days, with no repeated ID details. The English page words the 2-in-7-days limit per account instead of per ID number; the limits here follow the Chinese page.
Cancelling an order yourself, or not showing up, counts as a missed booking (未履约). Three missed bookings on one ID number within 90 days means that ID number cannot book for 90 days. Two missed bookings within 7 days, or 5 within 30 days, on one account means that account cannot book for 180 days.
Where to go on the day with a foreign passport
The museum's three texts name the place differently. None of them says whether they mean the same desk. Here is each in its own words:
- Chinese booking-notes tab: bring your original passport and the booking confirmation to the 服务中心绿色通道服务窗口 (the green-channel service window at the service center), complete the procedures, then enter.
- Chinese booking-method tab: show your valid original ID and the booking confirmation at the 正门东侧绿色通道服务窗口 (the green-channel service window east of the main gate) for manual verification (人工核验入馆).
- English Visit page: present the original ID card or passport and the ticket "at the service window of the service center".
The Chinese and English Visit pages give no directions to these windows inside the grounds.
Children aged 14 and under
The Chinese pages say anyone aged 14 and under (未满14周岁（含14周岁）) cannot book alone. An adult books a parent-child ticket (亲子票), and the child is checked in together with the adult. Each adult can bring at most 3 minors. The English Visit page does not mention this rule, and the Chinese pages do not say how a child with a foreign passport is handled.
Is Nanjing Museum free? Which exhibitions cost extra?
Under national rules, the permanent basic exhibitions and special exhibitions mainly featuring the museum's own collection are free (常设的基本陈列和以院藏文物为主的专题展览免费开放). Temporary exhibitions and performances run on a market basis are not in the free scope. The English page says the museum "may charge" for some temporary exhibitions and events. The Visit pages give no price for them. Free entry still needs a reservation.
Nanjing Museum opening hours and closed days
- Regular hours: 9:00-17:00, with ticket check stopping at 16:00 (English: "no entry after 16:00").
- Closed: all day Monday, but open on Mondays that are national statutory holidays. Closed on Chinese New Year's Eve (除夕) and the first day of the Lunar New Year (大年初一).
- School and public holidays: the Chinese booking notes say hours in the winter and summer school holidays and on statutory holidays are announced separately (另行通知). Check the museum's notices before you go.
A dated example: Mid-Autumn and National Day 2026
This is not the regular schedule. The museum's notice of 2026-09-17 gave 9:00-20:00 (no entry after 19:00) on Sept 25-26 and on Oct 1-6, with Monday Oct 5 open. The notice set 9:00-17:00 (no entry after 16:00) again on Sept 27 and from Oct 7. It also says real-name session booking and the release rules stayed the same during the holiday.
Background from 2024: a Nanjing government page of 2024-07-04 said most graded scenic areas no longer needed real-name booking from 2024-07-03, but Nanjing Museum stayed on the list of places that keep it.
Intangible heritage gallery
The 2026-08-31 notice says the intangible heritage gallery (非遗馆) exhibition hall continues renovation, with the reopening date to be announced on the museum's official platforms, so check the museum's notices before planning to see that hall.
What you can't bring into Nanjing Museum, and where to leave luggage
Luggage. Large luggage must not go into the museum. The Chinese notes say to leave it at the large-luggage storage (大件行李寄存处) to the right of the main gate (正门右侧), before ticket check. The security tab and the English page say "the service center provides storage service". Prohibited items handed over at security must be collected before closing, which the page gives as 5:00 p.m.
Not allowed, or to be deposited:
- firearms, military or police equipment and their replicas; ammunition, pyrotechnics, explosives and their replicas; knives and mechanical tools; lighters, matches and other flammable or explosive items; corrosive and toxic items;
- pets (if you have a guide dog, contact staff);
- professional photo gear: tripods, monopods, selfie sticks, lights, reflectors, video cameras; also drones;
- flagpoles, loudspeakers, wireless interpreter sets, headsets, walkie-talkies;
- sports equipment, toys, folding table-and-chair sets, ridable suitcases, folding carts, scooters, balance bikes.
Electric wheelchairs and mobility scooters are not allowed in the halls. At the X-ray check, take liquids, laptops, tablets, large electronics, cameras, umbrellas and valuables out and put them in a security tray for hand inspection. Don't put them on the conveyor belt.
Inside: no flash photography, no eating or drinking in exhibition halls, no smoking, and no touching exhibits. The Chinese page also bans smelly food such as instant noodles, self-heating hot pots, boxed meals and durian.
How to get to Nanjing Museum by metro or bus
The address is 江苏省南京市玄武区中山东路321号 (321 Zhongshan East Road, Xuanwu District, Nanjing). Take Metro Line 2 to Minggugong station and walk 300 meters east from Exit 1. By bus, routes 5, 34, 36, 55, 59 and 80 go to Zhongshanmen station (中山门站).
For drivers, the car park entrance is at the west gate, open Tuesday to Sunday 9:00-18:00. The Chinese Visit page links to a parking fee page, but neither Visit page gives a fee. They also give no walking time from the metro station and no taxi advice. If you are planning the rest of your days, see our Nanjing travel guide.
