Great Wall tours from Beijing: which section and how to go

Which section to choose

For a first visit, Mutianyu is the best all-rounder: fully restored, quieter than Badaling, with a cable car up and a toboggan down. Badaling is the quickest to reach. Jinshanling and Simatai are for travelers willing to drive farther for a wilder ridge or a night visit.

Ticket prices, rides and booking rules

Adult prices as of October 2026. Badaling, Jinshanling and Juyongguan charge less in winter.

Most tickets are real-name, so bring the passport you booked with. At Mutianyu you scan it at the gate, and each passport can hold one ticket per day.

As of October 2026, Beijing's official English visitor page says Badaling needs no reservation and sells tickets on site, where the windows take cash, mobile payment and foreign bank cards. The official Changcheng Neiwai (长城内外) ticketing platform on WeChat also accepts passports. Under-18s and over-60s enter free, foreign visitors included, but still need a ticket.

At Mutianyu, the enclosed cable car (up to Tower 14) and the chairlift and toboggan (top station between Towers 5 and 6) are run by different companies, and their tickets are not interchangeable. Children 1.2 m (3 ft 11 in) and under ride the shuttle and cable car free. At Simatai, daytime combos of water town entry, wall ticket and return cable car cost about ¥280-300. For paying by phone, see how to pay in China.

How to get to Mutianyu by public transport

The public bus route takes about 3 hours each way and costs under ¥20 (about $3):

1. Take the metro to Dongzhimen and walk to the Dongzhimen transport hub.
2. Ride Express Bus 916 to the Huairou Beidajie stop, about 1.5 hours.
3. Change to bus H23 (H3 and H71 also go) and get off at the Mutianyu scenic area stop (慕田峪景区).
4. From the visitor center, take the shuttle bus to the wall entrance, where you scan your passport.

Local buses back to Huairou stop running in the late afternoon, so check the last departure when you arrive. Seasonal tourist buses also run from Dongzhimen and Qianmen; confirm times before you go.

How to get to Badaling by train or bus

The fastest way is the high-speed train to Badaling Great Wall station: about 20 minutes from Qinghe station or 30-40 minutes from Beijing North, with second-class seats around ¥20-30 (about $3-5). Seats are reserved and can sell out close to the date, so book on China Railway's 12306 site with your passport. The platforms are 102 m underground and the gates close 12 minutes before departure, so allow time on the way back.

Bus 877 runs non-stop from Beitucheng metro station (Lines 8 and 10) in about 70 minutes for ¥12 (about $2). Buses leave Beitucheng from 6 am (6:30 am from November 16) until 12:30 pm, and the last bus back leaves Badaling at 5 pm, or 4:30 pm from November 16. Older guides send you to Deshengmen, but the line moved to Beitucheng in 2025.

Skip the S2 suburban train. Since October 25, 2025, it starts at Nankou, far outside the center, instead of Huangtudian.

Jinshanling, Simatai, Huanghuacheng and Juyongguan

These are easiest with a car. Jinshanling sits about 125 km northeast of Beijing, in neighboring Hebei province. Weekend and holiday tourist buses run only in the warmer months, so in winter plan on a car.

Simatai is inside Gubei Water Town, and you enter the town first. From November to April, night visits run from 5:30 pm until about 8:10 pm Sunday to Thursday and 8:40 pm on Fridays and Saturdays. Night tickets are capped and sell out at peak times, so book at least a day ahead, and plan on a car or a night in the town.

Huanghuacheng, about 70 km north of the city, is where the wall drops into a reservoir, and it usually draws few visitors. Juyongguan, about 60 km away, is a rebuilt fortress pass with a steep loop and no cable car. Public buses reach both, but with transfers.

Private driver, private guide or group tour

You don't need a tour for Mutianyu or Badaling. A private car pays off when there are three or more of you, or when you want to reach a quieter section like Jinshanling at opening time.

Be wary of very cheap group tours. Some make their money from commissions at shops, such as jade, silk or tea stores. China's Tourism Law (Article 35) bans tours priced unreasonably low to profit from shopping kickbacks, and bars agencies from scheduling shopping stops unless you agree or ask for them. If it happens anyway, you can ask the agency to handle returns and refund you up front within 30 days of the trip ending.

Before you pay, get a written itinerary that says "no shopping stops" and lists the tickets and rides included. If you'd rather have a local team plan and book this, tell us your dates.

Best time of day and season

Arrive when the gates open: 7:30 am at Mutianyu (8 am from November 16 to March 15) and 6:30 am at Badaling (7:30 am from November to March). Go on a weekday, and avoid Chinese public holidays: National Day week (October 1-7), the May Day holiday and Chinese New Year, which falls on February 6, 2027.

April-May and September-October are the most comfortable months. Winter brings the smallest crowds and the lowest prices, but Beijing averages a 2°C (36°F) high and -7°C (20°F) low in January, and the exposed ridges feel colder in the wind. Summer is hot, with July averaging 32°C (89°F) highs and the most rain of the year.

Rides can stop for storms, snow or strong wind, and Mutianyu closed on several days in summer 2026, so check official notices the day before. For the rest of the country, see the best time to visit China.

What to bring

• The passport you booked with.
• A phone with Alipay or WeChat Pay set up, plus some cash as a backup.
• Water, snacks and shoes with good grip for steep, uneven steps.
• Layers: a windproof jacket, hat and gloves in winter; a sun hat and sunscreen in summer.

Accessibility and mobility

No section is step-free. Mutianyu's enclosed cable car has an elevator at the lower station and puts you on the wall at Tower 14, but from there the walkway is steps and slopes in both directions. Badaling has an aerial cable car and a ground-level funicular.

Mutianyu's chairlift and toboggan are not advised for people over 60 or with heart conditions or high blood pressure, and children under 10 must ride the toboggan with an adult. At Juyongguan, the east side is the gentler walk, about an hour, while the west side has steps higher than knee height. For family logistics, see China with kids.

Hiking Jiankou and other wild sections

Jiankou's jagged, crumbling ridge shows up in many Great Wall photos, but it is not open to visitors. Beijing's Great Wall conservation regulations, in force since March 1, 2026, target illegal climbing of unrestored and unopened sections, and authorities can use electronic fences that send warning texts to phones entering closed areas. The ridge has claimed lives, and we don't recommend it.

For a similar view without the risk, hike Jinshanling, or walk Mutianyu to Tower 20, where the open section ends and the wall continues west toward Jiankou.

Our pick

• First-timers: Mutianyu. Restored, manageable crowds, cable car up and toboggan down.
• Families: Mutianyu, for the toboggan and free rides for small children. Badaling works if you want a quick train ride and free entry for under-18s.
• Hikers: Jinshanling, a 10.5 km ridge with fewer people.
• Photographers: Jinshanling in early or late light, or Simatai lit up at night.
• Short on time: Badaling by high-speed train, done in half a day.

To build a full trip around the wall, see our 10-day classic first trip.