TEMPLE OF HEAVEN (TIANTAN PARK) · TIANTAN GONGYUAN
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VERIFIED2026.09.11Temple of Heaven, Xiannongtan & Liulichang · 39.882°N 116.407°E
TicketedClosure day
The altar complex where Ming and Qing emperors prayed for the harvest each spring and thanked Heaven at the winter solstice: 273 hectares walled off south of Qianmen in 1420, with the blue three-tiered Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests at the north end, the Circular Mound and the Echo Wall at the south, and a 360 m raised causeway between them. It is two things at once: a UNESCO site with the largest sacrificial buildings in China, and from 6:00 the neighbourhood's park, where retirees sing, dance and play cards under the cypresses before the halls open at 8:00. There are two tickets (a park ticket and a combined ticket with the halls), and the halls, unlike the park, close on Mondays.
ClosedHalls closed Mondays except public holidays; park open dailyVerified · 2026-09Source ↗
IDReal-name; passport holders exchange at the ticket window.Verified · 2026-09Details ↓Source ↗
LandmarkSouth of Qianmen, east of Yongdingmen Inner St, on the Central Axis
Address1A Tiantan East Rd (East Gate), Dongcheng; South Gate on Tiantan Rd, West Gate on Tiantan West RdVerified · 2018-06Source ↗Navigate ↗
EntranceEast Gate is Line 5 Tiantan East Gate station, Exit A, and the closest to the Hall of Prayer; South Gate is the ceremonial entrance (Circular Mound first) but 1 km from the nearest metro; West Gate faces the Natural History Museum
Last verified 2026-09-11
How to book
Municipal park: Tiantan's WeChat official account / mini-program and the '畅游公园' platform online (park centre notice, Dec 2025), plus gate windows — whether the windows sell to walk-ups on peak days is not stated on the page we read; foreign visitors exchange tickets at the window with a passportVerified · 2025-12Source ↗
ID details
Real-name; passport holders exchange at the ticket window. Real-name online tickets on the municipal platform (passport acceptance not confirmed; see city rules); foreign visitors exchange tickets at the window with a passport (tourism-bureau page). Whether that sentence also gives over-60s from abroad the free ticket is a matter of reading, so treat it as unconfirmed and ask at the window. See the city tips note on concessions.
Beat the crowds
6:00-8:00 the park is locals only and the halls are shut — the best two hours for the atmosphere and the worst for the buildings. Tour groups hit the Hall of Prayer 9:30-11:30; after 15:00 on a weekday the causeway is nearly empty. On Mondays the halls are closed, so the park is quiet but you see only exteriors.
Language
Bilingual signs and panels at the three main halls; audio guides in several languages rented inside the gates (price not checked); the tourism-bureau page and park notices are Chinese.