Do you need to book Maijishan Grottoes in advance?
Yes — Maijishan Grottoes in Tianshui runs on real-name advance reservation. Release rule: Real-name online reservation; daily cap (around 6,400 into the cliff cave-zone), so book ahead in season rather than at the gate. A foreign passport works as the real-name ID. Book on the official channel linked below — there are no authorised resellers.
Verified 2026-06-13 · rules change; confirm on the official channel before you travel
The booking rule, in detail
- Reservation
- Required in advance
- Tickets release
- Real-name online reservation; daily cap (around 6,400 into the cliff cave-zone), so book ahead in season rather than at the gate
- Foreign passport
- A foreign passport works as the real-name ID.
- Official channel
- https://www.mjssk.cn/
How a foreign visitor actually books it
There's no simple buy-at-the-gate path for the cliff anymore: the official channel is the 麦积山石窟 / 麦积山旅游 WeChat mini-program (run by the Dunhuang Academy, the same body as the Mogao Caves), real-name, with a daily quota. The official notices talk about entry on a mainland ID card (本人二代身份证) and don't spell out a passport path, so treat the app route as Chinese-first and not guaranteed smooth for a foreigner. In practice foreigners are admitted on a passport as ID — but since we can't confirm a passport online flow from the official channel, plan to have your hotel help with the app, or sort it at the on-site 峡门 ticket window with your passport in hand.
What else to know
officialBookingUrl is the official Maijishan site (mjssk.cn); the actual booking happens in its WeChat mini-program, not on the web page. Two ticket types matter: the A-ticket (about ¥80 full / ¥40 half) includes the cliff cave-zone (窟区) and the famous scaffolding walkways glued to the rock; the cheaper B-ticket (about ¥25 full / ¥12.5 half) only lets you view from below without climbing the walkways. A separate return shuttle (观光车) runs between the 峡门 service centre and the cliff base. 'Special caves' (特窟) carry extra fees on top, paid and arranged separately. Some caves close without much notice for conservation — Cave 127 went offline for digitisation from June 2026. Hours: 08:30-17:30 peak (Apr 1-Oct 31), 09:00-17:00 off-season (Nov 1-Mar 31). Guide/讲解 service is an extra fee, foreign-language guide around ¥160 per group.
If the official channel does not work
The two reliable fallbacks are your hotel front desk, which books these through domestic apps every day, and the on-site manual window where one still exists. What does not work is buying from someone who approaches you or from a marketplace listing: entry is real-name, so a ticket registered to another person’s ID will not admit you. The mechanics are in buying tickets the official way and booking without WeChat.
Full city context, hotels that register foreigners, and what to eat: Tianshui guide. Release times across every city we track are in Reservation Radar.