You can’t visit Beijing without a trek to at least one of the Great Wall sections! And short notice is OK!
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It is the favorite of recent travelers. Here, you’ll find majestic mountainous vistas, a cable car for quick-and-easy access, a fun slid ride down, and (best of all) fewer tourists. One TripAdvisor user describes Mutainyu as “less [crowded] than at Badaling and far from the roads and villages so you can really enjoy a peaceful walk. This section has cable car up and down to the starting tower and optional unique toboggan ride down.
Recommendation: A great place to explore the great wall for hours. Especially good for first time visitors.
Tours that include this water town:
Badaling portion of the Great Wall is well preserved from the Ming Dynasty with original appearance. It is of the most gorgeous and magnificent parts of the Great Wall and features 12 towers, a cable car, museum and many other features.
Recommendation: Not usually my first choice, but still an amazing section of the great wall.
Tours that include this water town:
Juyongguan (pass) is in the 18-kilometer (11 mi)-long Guangou Valley. The pass is one of the three greatest mountain passes of the Great Wall of China. It is unique in that there is the Cloud Platform gate, also known as the “Crossing Street Tower”. It was built in 1342 during the Yuan Dynasty, and made of white marble with a height of 9.5 metres (31 ft).
Recommendation: Wonderful for 2nd visit to the wall. It’s also easy to access.
Tours that include this water town:
It is said “The Great Wall is the best of the Chinese buildings, and Simatai is the best of the Great Wall.” It has history about 1500 years with 35 beacon towers and 5.4 km long. The Simatai Great Wall is the only ancient wall that retains the original appearance of the Ming Great Walll, and is famous for its strangeness, specialty and danger. Only watchtowers East 2 to East 10 open to public. It is decorated with lights at night. The Simatai West section is not opened to public.
The cable car up and down is optional, ticket is RMB180 per person.
Recommendation: A great choice! Just a little further than Mutianyu, but some think it’s worth it.
Tours that include this water town:
The Jiankou Great Wall is a non-ticketed section that runs from the 23rd tower of Mutianyu Great Wall to Beijing Knot. It is mostly unrestored, with recent restoration done in 2015-2019 which helped preserve a 750m long-section. Due to natural factors such as weathering and erosion this hike is known to be dangerous and one of the steepest sections of the Great Wall and offers a scenic route that overlooks the mountains and other sections of the Great Wall.
Recommendation: Most authentic and least crowded. Only 75-90 Min from Shanghai, it’s worth the trip.
Tours that include this water town:
Huanghuacheng is actually a village and home to a tourist section of the Great Wall officially called the Lakeside Great Wall. The section derives its name from the man-made reservoir lakes at the location in close proximity to the Great Wall. This section has far fewer visitors than Mutianyu and Badaling, but has unique sights including submerged parts of the Great Wall under the lake water and the view after a steep hike to a high guard tower.
Recommendation: Most authentic and least crowded. Only 75-90 Min from Shanghai, it’s worth the trip.
Tours that include this water town:
The Jinshanling section of the Great Wall is 10.5 km long with 5 passes, 67 towers and 3 beacon towers. The initial section of the wall has been restored to original condition, but the condition of the wall deteriorates towards its natural state as it approaches Simatai. The entrance fee is 65 RMB. A cable car (40 RMB) has been constructed to take visitors to the highest point along the wall. You can also cross a unique suspension bridge for 5 RMB.
Recommendation: Most authentic and least crowded. Only 75-90 Min from Shanghai, it’s worth the trip.
Tours that include this water town:
From USD60/pax
A visit to historic section of the Great Wall with hotel pickup/dropoff, cable car to start and our amazing guide.
From USD180/pax
Use your brief stay in Beijing to explore two iconic sites with airport pickup/dropoff.
From USD140/pax
You’ll visit a beautiful section of the Great Wall and historic tombs from over 1000 years ago.China’s deep history.
From USD120/pax
This tour is perfect for 1st-time travelers with limited time. You’ll explore three iconic sites & China’s 1000’s of years of history.
We’re not a big tour agency… just me and some of my professional tour guide friends. We love sharing authentic China and our goal is to make sure you have a great time based on your interests – guaranteed! All of us agree to a code of conduct that focuses on you, our guest, and not on taking you places you don’t want to see or touristy shopping areas. And because our overhead is so low, we can offer you great prices along with customized service.
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P:(China) +86 186-2171-9434
P: (US EST): 1-980-395-3733