Great Wall of China Tours: Mutianyu, Badaling & More
The Great Wall is not one place. It is 21,196 km of wall, built over centuries and listed by UNESCO since 1987, and the sections within reach of Beijing offer completely different days out: a restored family walk, a crowded classic, a photographer's ridgeline hike, or a wall lit up at night. Pick the section first, then the tour format — getting those two choices the wrong way round is how people end up on a coach to the wrong wall.
First visit: Mutianyu — restored, wooded, less crowded than Badaling, with a cable car up and a toboggan down. Easiest trip: Badaling, the only section with a high-speed train to its door. Real hike: Jinshanling, 130 km out, partly restored ridgeline. Night visit: Simatai above Gubei Water Town. A direct bus starts from about $11; small-group day tours with tickets and lunch run from roughly $18 to $90; private tours from about $138. The ¥140 cable car or toboggan at Mutianyu is often extra — check before you pay.
The sections at a glance
Every tour from Beijing goes to one of these sections. If a listing does not name its section, ask — "Great Wall tour" without a section is not a product you can compare.
| Section | From central Beijing | Entry | Character | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mutianyu | About 70 km, 90 minutes | ¥45 | Restored, wooded, cable car and toboggan | First visit, families |
| Badaling | About 70 km, about 1 hour | ¥40 peak / ¥35 off-peak | Restored, the most visited of all | Easiest trip, train travellers |
| Jinshanling | 130 km, 2–2.5 hours | ¥65 peak / ¥55 off-peak | Partly restored ridgeline, 67 watchtowers | Photographers, hikers |
| Simatai | About 120 km, 2+ hours | ¥40 by day; ¥160 at night with return cable car | Steep, partly original, night opening | Evening tours, overnight trips |
| Jiankou | About 70 km, about 2 hours | No ticket office | Wild, unrestored, dangerous in places | Guided hiking tours only |
1. Mutianyu — the first-timer pick
Mutianyu is the section most English-language tours use, and for a first visit it is the right call: the wall is fully restored, the hills are wooded rather than bare, and it draws a fraction of Badaling's crowds. The day has a shape that works for almost everyone — ride up, walk the ridge for two or three hours, ride or slide down — and it works for children and older visitors as well as fit walkers.
Two practical facts decide the day. First, admission is real-name online booking only, up to 30 days ahead, and you enter with the same passport you booked under — there is no ticket window to fall back on, so a tour that does not handle the booking leaves you with a job to do. Second, the two ways up belong to different companies with non-interchangeable tickets: the enclosed cable car goes to Watchtower 14 (¥100 one way, ¥140 return), while the open chairlift goes to Watchtower 6 (¥100 one way) and the toboggan slides down from there (¥100 one way, or ¥140 for chairlift up and toboggan down). A cable car ticket will not put you on the toboggan, and a chairlift ticket will not board the gondola — so decide which descent you want before you buy. The internal shuttle from the entrance complex to the foot of the wall costs ¥15–20 on top of the ¥45 entry.
Hours run 07:30–18:00 on weekdays and 07:30–18:30 at weekends from 16 March to 15 November, and 08:00–17:30 from 16 November to 15 March, with ticket sales ending an hour before closing. The stretch between Watchtowers 19 and 20, closed for conservation work, reopened on 25 October 2026. The toboggan closes in rain or snow and does not take riders over 60 — the enclosed cable car is the fallback in both cases.
2. Badaling — the easiest to reach
Badaling is the most visited section of the Wall, the first opened to tourists (in 1957), and the simplest to reach on your own: it is the one section with a high-speed train to its door, about 30 minutes from Beijing North station, and bus 877 runs from Deshengmen. That convenience is also the drawback — it is the most crowded section by a wide margin, and the main crowd surge starts around 09:30, so an early start matters more here than anywhere else.
Entry is ¥40 in peak season (1 April–31 October) and ¥35 off-peak (1 November–31 March), and no reservation is required: tickets are sold at the gate, with cash, mobile payment and foreign cards accepted, or in advance through the official "Throughout the Great Wall" WeChat mini-program using your passport. The gate runs 06:30–16:30 in peak season and 07:30–16:00 off-peak. One dated warning: the north cableway is closed for maintenance from 15:00 on 20 October to 25 December 2026, so check which lift is running before you plan around it.
The China Great Wall Museum at the foot of the wall reopened on 24 October 2026 after rebuilding, free to enter with no booking during its trial run, and closed on Tuesdays — a useful add-on if your tour allows an hour at the base, but it needs a separate plan from the wall ticket itself. See Beijing in 3 days for how a Wall day fits into a Beijing stay.
3. Jinshanling — the hiker's wall
Jinshanling sits 130 km northeast of Beijing, across the border in Hebei, and it is a different kind of day: 10.5 km of wall alternating between restored and wild stretches, with 67 watchtowers along a ridgeline, and a fraction of the visitors Mutianyu gets. The classic walk is the through-hike from Gubeikou to Jinshanling, about 10 km in 4–5 hours, and the longer traverse on toward Simatai runs about 6 km more. Entry is ¥65 in peak season and ¥55 off-peak, with the cable car ¥60 extra. It is the hardest of the restored sections to reach on your own — no train, no direct city bus — which is why most visitors come by private car or on an organised hiking tour.
Who should skip it: anyone who wants a gentle first Wall. The walking is real, the wall is uneven, and the day is long — two to two and a half hours each way plus four to six hours on the ridge. Who should choose it: photographers, fit walkers, and anyone on a second trip who has already done Mutianyu. Prime windows are late April to May and September to October, when the light is clear and the autumn colours are at their best.
4. Simatai at night — the Wall lit up
Simatai is the one section you can walk after dark, lit along its ridge above Gubei Water Town, a rebuilt canal town about two hours northeast of Beijing. Day entry is ¥40; the night Wall ticket is ¥160 including the return cable car, and the water town's admission (about ¥150) is bought separately. The night tour needs booking at least a day ahead, and it is weather-dependent — treat it as a separate plan from a day visit, ideally as an overnight trip rather than a late return to the city. By day the cable car is ¥130 one way or ¥200 return.
One route warning matters for hikers: the historic through-route from Jinshanling down into the Simatai scenic area and Gubei Water Town was closed after the water town's development. Today's Jinshanling-to-Simatai traverse ends around the East Five-Window Tower of Simatai West, from where you descend and transfer back — you cannot walk all the way into the water town. Confirm the current open route and exit point with your guide before departure.
5. Jiankou and Gubeikou — the wild Wall, guided only
Jiankou is the wild section: unrestored, steep, crumbling in places, with no ticket office, no facilities and no way up except on foot with a guide. Gubeikou, the start of the classic traverse to Jinshanling, is in the same category — battle-scarred, partly ruined, and best walked as the first leg of a guided hike rather than as a destination on its own. Organised hiking tours to these sections run roughly ¥400–1,200 per person including transport. They are not a first visit, not a family day out, and not a do-it-yourself walk: the risk is real, the route-finding matters, and access rules change. If a listing offers Jiankou as a casual half-day from Beijing, that is a listing to avoid.
What a Great Wall tour costs
Tour prices are quoted per person and move with the season and the departure date, so treat the figures below as the order of magnitude to sanity-check a quote against, not as a price list. The comparison that matters is the same one on our China tours price guide: land-only headline against the all-in figure, once the cable car, the toboggan, lunch, tips and your transport to the meeting point are added.
| Format | What you get | Typical price | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Direct bus | Round-trip bus, no guide, tickets at your own cost | From about $11 | Confident travellers who want the cheapest day |
| Large-group coach tour | Bus, guide, entry, sometimes lunch; fixed timetable | Roughly $30–$80 | Budget first-timers who accept the pace |
| Small-group tour (8–10 people) | Hotel pickup, guide, entry, lunch, more time on the Wall | Roughly $55–$110 | Most first-timers — the best balance |
| Private car + guide | Your own car, guide and timetable; choose your section | From about $138 | Families, photographers, Jinshanling and Simatai |
| Hiking tour | Guide, transport, wild sections such as Jiankou or Gubeikou | Roughly ¥400–1,200 | Fit walkers only |
Example listings checked 11 November 2026, all "from" prices for a Mutianyu day from Beijing: the MuBus direct bus from $11; a small-group Mutianyu day tour with tickets and lunch from $18 on GetYourGuide; a Viator small-group Mutianyu tour with lunch at $78; a Viator small-group Mutianyu and Summer Palace tour at $89; and a Viator private Mutianyu and Summer Palace tour from $138. The spread is the point: a $18 tour and a $138 tour are different products, and the difference is group size, what is included, and how long you actually get on the Wall.
Check guided Great Wall tours against the section you just picked
Match the listing to the section, the group-size cap and the inclusions — entry, cable car or toboggan, lunch, hotel pickup — then compare the all-in figure, not the headline. A cheaper tour that drops the lift tickets is not the same product as one that includes them.
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Before you book: the checks that decide the day
Section — named in writing. "Great Wall tour" is not enough. Mutianyu, Badaling, Jinshanling and Simatai are different days at different prices, and a listing that will not name its section is hiding the cheapest one. Lift tickets — which one, and included or extra. At Mutianyu the ¥140 cable car return and the ¥140 chairlift-and-toboggan combo are separate products from separate companies; confirm which your tour includes, because buying the wrong one at the gate costs a second ¥140. Group-size cap — a number, not a word. "Small group" is marketing until a number is attached; eight to ten people is a different day from thirty. Shopping stops — ask directly. Some budget coach tours make their margin by routing you through jade, silk and tea showrooms on the way back; an evasive answer means yes. Time on the Wall — hours, not "visit". A tour that gives you two hours on the ridge and a tour that gives you five are not the same day, whatever the headline says.
Tickets — who books them. Mutianyu needs a real-name online booking under your passport, up to 30 days ahead; Badaling needs none. If your operator cannot say who holds your booking, fix that before payment. Entry — settle it before the tour, not with it. Most operators will not arrange your visa: check China visa-free entry for your passport, or apply for an L tourist visa via the step-by-step application guide. Getting there — rail beats road on the Badaling leg. The high-speed train from Beijing North takes about 30 minutes; see China trains: booking, stations and what to expect before choosing between rail and a coach for any leg you arrange yourself. Paying on the day — set up before you fly. Lift tickets, shuttle fares and lunch are often paid on the spot, so have Alipay and WeChat Pay working before departure. And if the Wall is one stop on a longer trip, compare the full route first on best China tours by length or how to plan a China tour.
Booking checklist
- Section named in writing Mutianyu, Badaling, Jinshanling or Simatai — not just "the Great Wall"
- Lift tickets confirmed Cable car and chairlift/toboggan are separate, non-interchangeable tickets at Mutianyu
- Group-size cap in writing "Small group" is marketing until a number is attached
- Shopping stops asked directly An evasive answer means yes
- All-in price compared Entry, lifts, lunch, tips and transport to the meeting point
- Mutianyu booking owned Real-name online booking, passport at the gate, up to 30 days ahead
- Time on the Wall stated Two hours and five hours are different days
- Entry route settled Visa-free, 240-hour transit, or L visa — checked for your passport
- Weather plan agreed The toboggan closes in rain or snow; night tours are weather-dependent
Frequently asked questions
Which Great Wall section is best for a first visit?
Mutianyu. It is restored, wooded and far less crowded than Badaling, with an enclosed cable car up and a toboggan down, and most English-language tours from Beijing go there. It is about 70 km from central Beijing, roughly 90 minutes by road. See how to choose a China travel agency if you want an operator to arrange the whole day.
How much does a Great Wall tour from Beijing cost?
A direct bus to Mutianyu starts from about $11 per person. Small-group day tours with tickets and lunch run from roughly $18 to $90, and private tours with a guide and car from about $138. The cable car or toboggan at Mutianyu, ¥140 return, is often extra — check before you pay, and compare the all-in figure on our China tours price guide.
Do I need to book Great Wall tickets in advance?
At Mutianyu, yes: admission is by real-name online booking, up to 30 days ahead, and you show the same passport at the gate. At Badaling no reservation is required and tickets are sold at the gate. A tour normally handles the booking for you — confirm that in writing.
Is the Great Wall open at night?
Two sections offer it. Simatai runs a regular night tour above Gubei Water Town, and Mutianyu runs night sessions in summer. Both are weather-dependent and need booking at least a day ahead, so treat them as a separate plan from a day visit.
Can I hike the wild, unrestored Great Wall?
Yes, but only on an organised hiking tour with a guide. Sections such as Jiankou and Gubeikou are unrestored, steep and dangerous in places, with no ticket office and no facilities. They are not a first visit and not a do-it-yourself walk.
When is the best time to visit the Great Wall?
April to May and September to October: mild temperatures, clear air and the hills at their best. Avoid National Day week (1–7 October) and May Day, when every section is at capacity, and expect Mondays to be busier, because the Forbidden City is closed that day.
Where to confirm all of this
Entry prices, opening hours and lift schedules change by season, and the north cableway closure at Badaling and the night-session calendar at Mutianyu both run to fixed dates — recheck before you travel. The sources worth bookmarking are the Mutianyu and Badaling scenic areas' own ticket notices and the official "Throughout the Great Wall" booking platform for entry prices, hours and the real-name booking rules, the Jinshanling and Simatai scenic areas' pages for their entry and cable car prices, and the operators' own listings on Viator and GetYourGuide for current tour prices and inclusions. For the rest of the trip, see Beijing in 3 days and China visa: everything you need.
If anything on this page conflicts with what an official source tells you for your dates, the official source is right.