Which one to choose in Beijing
Temple of Heaven vs Miaoying Temple (White Pagoda Temple)
Two temples in Beijing. Temple of Heaven has 108 tickets and tours to book; Miaoying Temple (White Pagoda Temple) has 1 ticket or tour to book. The table and the two notes below put them side by side; the full pages have what to see, the ticket and the timing for each.
Beijing, China
The Temple of Heaven sits in a large walled park in southern Beijing, and the ticketing reflects that. A cheap park-only ticket lets you walk the grounds; the through ticket, the one most visitors want, adds the three main ceremonial buildings: the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, the Imperial Vault of Heaven and the Circular Mound Altar. Tickets are sold in advance online under real-name registration, so you need your passport details to book and the passport itself at the gate. Prices are slightly lower in winter.
Online products fall into a few groups. Ticket resellers handle the booking for you, which is useful if you cannot use the Chinese apps.
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Beijing, China
Miaoying Temple is run as a museum and you pay a modest admission at the ticket window by the gate on Fuchengmennei Street; foreign visitors normally need their passport, as at most Beijing sights. There is no skip-the-line product and none is needed, because queues here are short compared with the Forbidden City or the Temple of Heaven.
What is offered online is a small-group cultural experience in the hutong quarter that surrounds the temple. These sessions usually take place in a local family home within sight of the white stupa and combine a tea tasting with an introduction to Chinese calligraphy, led by a host who explains the neighbourhood and its history.
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