The Ultimate Guide to Visiting the Great Wall of China

Arguably the most recognizable symbol of China, the Great Wall has served as a major tourist attraction since the 1800s. As the longest man made structure in the world, it is easy to see why! Today, sections of the Great Wall are still the most visited tourist attractions in the country. The Great Wall of China earned a spot as one of the New 7 Wonders of the World in a global survey.

For generations, this great engineering feat has captured imaginations around the world. As the most fantastical place I’ve heard of as a kid, the Great Wall was definitely at the top of my list of things to see when I grew up.

Many Beijing itineraries often highlight the Great Wall of China as a MUST-visit destination. In this post, I list everything you need to know before planning your visit!

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What is the Great Wall of China?

What foreigners know today as the Great Wall of China is a collection of fortification systems. Contrary to popular belief, you cannot see the Great Wall of China from space nor is it one continuous wall. It is generally built across the historical northern borders of China.

The official length of the Great Wall is 21,196 km (13,170 mi). It is estimated that about 9% of the Wall has been lost forever to erosion and natural disasters. Additionally, in the 1950s, the government encouraged farmers to take portions of the Wall, using the pillaged materials to construct new homes. Approximately only 8% of the Wall is considered to be in good condition.

In recent history, the Chinese government has put conservation efforts in place to preserve this World Wonder.

Who built the Great Wall of China?

The Wall as we know it today was first commissioned by the First Emperor of China in 221 BC. Subsequent dynasties commissioned additions to the Great Wall, most notably – the Hans between 202 BC and 220 AD, the Northern Qi between 550 and 574, the Jurchen Jin between 1115 and 1234 and the Ming from 1369 to 1644.

Construction techniques used during the Ming dynasty were by far the most sophisticated and the strongest. They used bricks and stones instead of the rammed earth employed by the dynasties before them. The most prevalent pictures of the Great Wall as we know it today are all Ming era additions.

Forced labor was instrumental in constructing the Great Wall of China. It is estimated that millions of soldiers, peasants, and convicts were conscripted in order to build the Wall. Throughout Chinese history, many dynasties sentenced convicts to work on the Great Wall as punishment. According to accounts, if a convict died while serving their sentence, a member of their family had to take their place. It is estimated that hundreds of thousands of people died while constructing the Great Wall. This earned it the nickname of “longest graveyard in the world”. It’s worth noting, however, that researchers have not found any human remains within the Great Wall of China itself.

Why was the Great Wall of China built?

The main purpose of building the Great Wall was to defend against hostile armies and to unite the new empire under the First Emperor. Subsequently, the Wall served purposes such as border control, imposition of taxes on goods transported along the Silk Road, regulation of trade, and immigration control.

The Great Wall was a fantastic defence mechanism. However, it couldn’t prevent discontentment within the Chinese empire. In 1644, the last Ming emperor died by suicide when their capital of Beijing fell to a peasant rebellion. The commanding Ming general formed an alliance with the Manchus from north of the Wall to help get rid of the rebels in Beijing. The general left the gates of the Great Wall open to let the Manchus in.

The Manchus did expel the rebels out of Beijing… but they also defeated what remained of the Ming resistance. They then established Qing dynasty. Under the Qing dynasty, the Chinese empire expanded north beyond the Wall, towards Mongolia. This made the Great Wall of China obsolete, leading to the discontinuation of construction.

I toured China with G Adventures and absolutely loved my visit. While the exact itinerary I chose is currently not available, this comparable tour will take you to the country’s highlights.

Where is the Great Wall of China?

Generally speaking, the Great Wall lies on the northern borders of historic China. It is so long that it crosses 23 degrees of longitude and 15 provinces/principalities/autonomous regions. The Wall stretches from China’s border with the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea at its easternmost point to Lop Lake near present day Mongolia at its westernmost point.

More like this: check out 5 Tips for Visiting Chichén Itza

4 Tips for Visiting The Great Wall of China

If you are ready to start planning your visit to the Great Wall of China, here are my 4 essential tips to help:

1) Decide on which section is right for your visit.

To preserve this World Wonder, authorities manage the Great Wall through various sections. Some sections have been fully restored while others have retained most of its original construction. Deciding on which sections are worth visiting depends on personal preference as each section is unique.

In this section, I expand on the pros and cons of the 5 sections that are commonly accessed via Beijing.

Badaling

This section for the Great Wall has been heavily restored and has been open to the public since 1958. It is the closest section to Beijing and is the easiest to access via public transportation. Badaling is the most popular with local visitors and is the most visited section of the Great Wall. Authorities had to impose a daily cap of 65,000 visitors.

They have outfitted the Badaling section with fast-food restaurants, souvenir shops, handrails, and heavily restored brickwork. It has been made more accessible for those with limited mobility. There is also a cable car and a “pulley car” that you can ride to and from the Wall.

Operating Hours and Fees

Jiankou

This section of the Great Wall is technically not open to tourists. It is not ticketed or maintained. Nature has reclaimed portions of this stretch. Nevertheless, adventurous trekkers and photographers have hiked this stretch of the Wall over to the Mutianyu section.

If you do choose to take on the epic hike, do so with a guide and with companions. Battlements are unstable and should anything happen to you, help is a long way away. This hike is also not for those with a fear of heights.

Operating Hours and Fees

Mutianyu

This section of the Wall was fully restored and opened in the 1980s. You can get a glimpse of the unrestored Ming walls beyond Tower 23 (enter at your own risk!). Mutianyu is the most popular section with foreign visitors and is the ideal section for first time visitors. This stretch of the Wall is about 3 kms (almost 2 miles) long and is less busy than Badaling.

Mutianyu is known for its amazing panoramic views (especially after the steep climbs to Towers 1 and 23) and for its high concentration of guard towers. The hike from the Jiankou section to Mutianyu is quite famous and is HIGH on my China bucket list.

For those traveling with their little ones, many consider this section to be the most kid-friendly. The area between Towers 4 to 19 is relatively flat and is suitable for those with limited mobility. On site, there are a couple fast food options. You can also opt to take a cable car, a chairlift or climb 800 steps to get to and from the Wall. In addition, there are toboggans you can ride down from Tower 6.

For those that are short on time, allocating a half day of your Beijing itinerary is sufficient for this stretch of the Wall.

Operating Hours and Fees

Jinshanling

Sections of this 10.5 km (6.5 mi) stretch of the Wall have been restored, though there are portions that were left untouched. Relative to Badaling and Mutianyu, this section is further away from Beijing and therefore a little tougher to reach. Though this also means that it is far less busy than Badaling and Mutianyu.

Many locals claim that Jinshanling is the most scenic among all the sections mentioned on this list. A hike from Gubeikou to Jinshanling is also quite famous and less strenuous than the Jiankou-Mutianyu hike. Note: the entrance fees at Gubeikou does not cover access to Jinshanling and vice versa.

To save time and energy, there is a cable car available to take people to and from the Wall. Regardless, you will need to allocate a full day to your Jinshanling visit to make the trek from Beijing worth it.

Operating Hours and Fees

Simatai

This section of the Wall has retained much of its original appearance and is famous for its steep climbs and extraordinary views. Visitors can observe various patterns of construction here. It is also the only section of the Wall that offers a nighttime tour (although it is limited to Towers 5 and 6).

Due to its steep terrain, it is not advisable for those traveling with small children, the elderly, or individuals with limited mobility to visit this section. Additionally, it is not recommended during windy and rainy conditions as it becomes very slippery. For these reasons and because Simatai is a two hour drive from downtown Beijing, it is one of the less busy sections of the Wall.

If you are planning a visit to Simatai, make sure to buy your ticket 24 hours in advance as there is a daily limit to the number of visitors for this section.

Operating Hours and Fees

2) How to get there…

This section varies greatly on which parts of the Great Wall you wish to see. Below, I explain how to reach each section from downtown Beijing.

Badaling

By private car/organized tour group – this is the easiest option as you can arrange to get to the Wall as soon as it is opened to beat the crowds.

If the mention of “tour group” conjures visions of getting herded from place to place, it’s actually not that bad. Your guide will likely provide information about the place, be available for questions, but you usually have the freedom to explore on your own. Just make sure to meet at the designated meeting times so you do not miss your ride back to Beijing!

To help find organized tour groups to Badaling, check out this site.

By public transportation – you can take the 877 bus from Deshengmen bus station. This is a non-stop bus that would take 1-1.5 hours to get to Badaling.

There is also a tourist bus that you can catch southwest of Qianmen Arrow Tower, south of Tiananmen Square. This is slightly pricier than the 877 bus but each bus has tour guide on board.

Jiankou

By organized tour – as previously mentioned, if you plan on visiting Jiankou, I HIGHLY recommend going via an organized tour. To help find small, organized group hikes from Jiankou to Mutianyu, check out this link.

Mutianyu

By private car/organized tour – this is the option I chose for my visit to the Great Wall. It was absolutely hassle free that at the time of writing I struggled to remember how I organized my personal adventure!

To help find organized tours to Mutianyu, check out this site.

By public transportation – there are 2 options available for those wanting to take public transportation to Mutianyu:

• The Mutianyu Great Wall Shuttle from Dongzhimen Wai Bus Station. This bus departs daily at 8:30 am and returns to Beijing at 4:00 pm. It goes directly to Mutianyu from Beijing. The downside to taking this route is that 7.5 hours is WAAAY too long at Mutianyu. In my opinion, you only need to allocate 4 hours MAXIMUM at Mutianyu to get the most out of your day.
• The 916/916 Express from Dongzhimen Transportation Hub to the Huairou North Avenue Bus Station. Departures starts at 8:30 am daily for this route. You will need to transfer to the H23 bus line when you reach Huairou Bei Da Jie stop (it is the 15th stop on the 916 Express). The H23 bus does not come as often as the 916, so some patience is needed. You will need to get off at the Mutianyu roundabout.

Important tips on taking public transport to Mutianyu:

• Dongzhimen Wai Bus Station is harder to find than the Dongzhimen Transportation Hub though they are only 800 m apart.
• If you’re taking the 916/916 Express to Mutianyu, there will most likely be people who seemingly speak good English and will try to convince you to get off the bus before the proper stop at Huairou. Once off the bus, their taxi driver friends will offer to drive you to Mutianyu for slightly elevated prices.
  
  Not the end of the world if you get lured off the bus… You can wait for the next bus at the stop where you got off or take the taxi drivers up on their offer (though you would most likely be out 50 CNY on top of the 12 CNY bus ticket you paid for).
• When you get off at the Huairou Bei Da Jie stop, there will be PLENTY of taxis offering to drive you to Mutianyu if you don’t want to wait for the H23 bus. I have read a fellow traveller’s account of waiting 80 minutes (!!!) for the H23, BTW.
• If you choose to wait for the H23 bus, the bus stop is directly across the China Mobile Building. This will be the same stop you need to get back to Beijing.
• When you’re headed back to Beijing, make sure to take the 916 Express as it will go back to Dongzhimen Transportation Hub. The regular 916 will drop you off elsewhere.

Jinshanling

By private car/organized tour – as the Jinshanling section is further away from downtown Beijing, an organized tour is probably the easiest option.

To help find small group tours to Jinshanling, check out this link.

By public transportation – there is a tourist bus that departs daily from Dongzhimen Wai Bus Station at 7:40 am. It will take you directly to Jinshanling and the ride takes about 2.5 hours. The bus departs for Beijing at 4:00pm.

Simatai

By private car/organized tour – of all the sections mentioned in this post, Simatai is the furthest away. I recommend going by private car as it is QUITE the drive.

To connect via a small group tour, check out this site.

By public transportation – there are 2 options for those wanting to take public transportation to Simatai:

• The tourist bus to Gubei Water Town. This bus departs from Dongzhimen Wai Bus Station 4 to 6 times daily depending on what season it is. As I understand it, there are no clear signs for where to wait for this bus, so you will need to ask for assistance. The bus ride takes about 3 hours.
• The 980 bus from Dongzhimen to Miyun, 51 bus from Miyun to Simatai. This route is only recommended if you missed all the tourist busses to Gubei Water Town for the day. The ride is approximately 4 hours long and requires a transfer.

Important tip: Be wary of OVERTLY helpful locals as they might try to lure you off the bus. Once off the bus, they might try to convince you that you are now stranded and be forced to pay for the overpriced taxi ride that you wanted to avoid in the first place…

3) Best times to visit…

The best times of the year to visit the Great Wall are April, May, September, and October as the weather is most favourable during these times of the year.

Apricot flowers are in full bloom in early April and cover the mountain slopes around Jinshanling. The leaves turn red around late October if you wanted to see the Great Wall snaking through autumn colours.

If you want to avoid crowds, avoid coming on weekends, August, and on public holidays. Also, if you want to avoid crowds at Badaling and Mutianyu, arrive early!

4) What to bring…

Bring the following to make for a comfortable day trip to the Great Wall:

• Cash – bring enough for entrance fees, tickets for shuttle busses/cable cars/chairlifts/toboggans, souvenirs, refreshments, and exact change for the bus.
• Passport – upon entry, they may ask for this. This is especially true if you bought your ticket online and need to print them on site.
• Comfortable shoes – the Great Wall was built on mountainous, uneven terrain. Having shoes with good traction could help you explore more. In addition, a visit to the Great Wall = guaranteed hours spent on foot. I highly recommend wearing a comfy pair of shoes.
• Comfortable clothing – depending on the time of year for your visit, it could get very hot and humid or brisk and chilly on the Wall. Dress accordingly. Also, there are MANY steep parts of the Wall that may require climbing. I would forgo that short dress if the goal is to do some exploring without flashing everyone.
• Snacks and water – you will most likely be spending at least two hours on site. Pack snacks and water accordingly. With the exemption of Simatai and Jiankou, there are vendors on site that sell water and snacks at higher market prices.
• Sun protection – bring your sunscreen, hat, sunglasses and lip balm.
• Insect repellent – during the warmer, humid months there are critters that bite. I went mid-September and my legs and forehead (!!!) were feasted on by tiny black bugs that fly.
• Camera!

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Are you currently planning your adventure to the GREAT WALL OF CHINA? I would be happy to answer any questions you may have. Do you have any tips for fellow travellers headed to the Great Wall? Please share them in the comments below!