- Brief description: ancient Chinese fortification, built and rebuilt between the 5th century B.C. and 16th century. It protected the northern frontier of the empire from attacks by Mongolian and Manchurian nomads. It is said that it extended for more than 20,000 km, from the Korean border to the Gobi Desert. At the peak of the Ming dynasty, one million warriors guarded it. Today only 9,000 km divided in various sections remain, some of which can be visited. Some claim that it is the only man-made construction that can be seen from space. While this is untrue, the Wall is still a genuine wonder.
- Recommended section: we recommend visiting the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall, because it has far fewer people than Badalin and it is better preserved than Simatai (Simatai offers the most authentic experience, but it is quite in ruins, and some sections are difficult to access and others are closed to the public). Once there, buy your ticket and take the suttle bus to the foot of the wall (10CNY one way, 15CNY return - worth it, as it is more than 3km walk). Then take the cable car up (you can hike but we don't recommend it. It takes almost an hour, the way is semi-steep, and it's better to devote the time to visiting the wall itself). The way down you can do on foot or cable car, although there is a slide that is fun. Highly recommended to bring water from Beijing (it's much more expensive there) and something to eat so you can have a picnic on the wall. Wear comfortable footwear for rigorous walking.
- Note: some people prefer the Badaling section for seeing the Ming tombs along the way. In our opinion it's much more touristic, and the tombs aren't really much to write home about. For this reason we recommend the Simatai or Mutianyu sections. In any case, if you want to go to Badaling, is best to rent a taxi from Beijing for about 500CNY and do the whole tour on it (there are cheaper tours but they make uncountable stops in the way to make you buy souvenirs).
- Duration of visit: 3 hrs for the wall.
- Hours: it's a good idea to leave Beijing around 8-9 in the morning. Open from 08.30 to 17.00.
- Cost: 40CNY for the wall (kids from 6-18 years old 20CNY, kids under 6 years old enter free); 100CNY for the cable car (kids 50CNY, adult return trip 140CNY, kids return trip 70CNY); 100CNY for the slide.
- How to get there:
- The most convenient way is hiring a taxi for around 320CNY (you'll have to do a bit of negotiating). It takes around 1 hour to get there. You can hire it either at the hotel or at the bus station. Pay half the money before leaving and the other half back (that way you can be sure that they will be waiting for you after you Great Wall visit).
- If you prefer to go by public transport, then go to the Dongzhimen station (subway lines 2 and 13) and take Bus 916 Express to Huairou North Avenue (Huairou Beidajie) Station (60-70min, 16CNY). From here, negotiate with a taxi or minivan to take you to the wall (20min, 40-50CNY per person). Alternatively, you can take bus line h23, h24, h35 or h36 to Mutianyu Roundabout. From there, walk 500m to the ticket office of the scenic area.
- If you want to skip all the transfers, then it is better to take the tourist bus at Dongzhimen Wai Bus Station. It is a direct bus that leaves at 08:30 and takes 1h30min-2h (30CNY). The bus returns at 4:00 p.m. and tickets are purchased directly on the bus.
- Another option is to do it on a private tour with a guide in English. It will cost you much more (about €260 for a group of up to 3 people or €320 for a group of up to 5 people), but the truth is that it is the easiest way. Civitatis has tours to either Badaling, Mutianyu, Simatai or Jinshanling.
