How do I reserve Lingyin Temple and Feilai Peak in 2026?

At a glance

• The published free-admission zone includes Lingyin Temple (灵隐寺), Yongfu Temple (永福寺) and Taoguang Temple (韬光寺) within the Feilai Peak scenic area. [1]
• The operator permits passport reservations, opens places at 08:00 seven days ahead and does not accept same-day reservations. Choose the date and morning or afternoon period offered by the program. [1]
• The visitor notice gives 07:30–17:30 opening, with admission stopping at 17:00. The original passport is used for identity checking at entry. [1]
• From 1 February 2026, online waiting-list registration replaced the on-site registration windows. The waiting-list deadline is 20:00 on the day before entry. [2]

How to do it

1. Before travelling to the scenic area, open Alipay or WeChat and search exactly 杭州灵隐飞来峰. Use the official scenic-area mini-program, choose your real visit date and select the offered morning or afternoon period. Keep the visit flexible until a reservation succeeds.
2. Add each traveller using the correct document type. For a foreign passport, select the passport option and enter the name and number required by the form. Keep that same passport available for the visit; a photo is useful for typing but not a substitute at admission.
3. If the date is full, use the program’s online waiting-list function for an available future period. Submit before 20:00 on the previous day, then look for a successful reservation in the account. A pending waiting-list application is not an admission confirmation.
4. Save the confirmed date, period and visitor details. Arrange your ride to the Lingyin–Feilai Peak visitor entrance shown in that confirmation, rather than navigating only to a temple building deep inside the area. Follow the admission signs and show your original passport for verification.
5. If your plans change, cancel in the mini-program before 17:00 on the previous day. The February update suspends a first missed booking for 30 days; a successful waitlist for next-day entry cannot be cancelled. Choose that option only when you can attend. Keep West Lake or another city outing available if your waiting-list request does not succeed.

If your situation is different

If you want only Lingyin Temple, use the same scenic-area reservation process. You enter the Feilai Peak area first; an old guide describing two separate paid tickets does not describe the free-admission policy now published.

If the passport form fails, save the precise error and ask the scenic-area inquiry service at 0571-87969691 about that passport booking. Describe the document type, visit date and failed step; do not send money to an unrelated account claiming it can bypass admission.

If visiting with someone who qualifies for an exemption, read the operator’s document-specific exemption list before travelling. An exemption for that person does not automatically cover the entire group. Book ordinary accompanying visitors through the normal process.

Common mistakes

• Arriving without a reservation because admission is free. Free access still uses capacity and identity controls; secure the visit first.
• Following the old on-site-registration advice. That fallback was removed from 1 February 2026; use the online waiting list for a future visit period.
• Going to the entrance with only a pending waiting-list screen. Wait for the confirmed entry booking before treating the visit as secured.
• Buying a separate incense-admission voucher from an old guide. Start from the operator’s free-admission notice and official reservation program instead.

Quick questions