Calvin’s Hub

A trip to Beijing would not be complete without a visit to one of the seven wonders of the world, the Great Wall of China.

The Great Wall is so long that it spans across over ten cities and provinces in China. In Beijing alone, there are nine sections of the Great Wall that tourists can visit. Each section caters to different types of tourists, from those with old companions to those who are outdoorsy and adventurous.

Badaling or Mutianyu?

The most popular sections for first-time visitors will have to be Badaling and Mutianyu. So which one should you choose?

The Badaling section of the Great Wall is where most tour groups go. It is easy on the legs with its wide and even floor and even has handrails for support. There are plenty of hotels and restaurants in the immediate area and the Badaling Expressway makes it a popular choice for tourists.

If you want less people and modern elements on your photos then Mutianyu is the way to go. One of the unique thing about this section is the wheeled toboggan ride going down.

For us, we chose to go to Mutianyu.

GETTING THERE:
Make your way to Dongzhimen station in Line 2. Take the tour line Bus no. 936 to Mutianyu. Do note that the bus goes in different direction so better ask first if it will stop at Mutianyu itself.

The bus ride takes about 3 hours and there’s a one-hour interval for each bus but it is considerably cheaper at only 6 RMB. Here is a nice DIY to Mutianyu.

Instead of commuting, we hired a car for 500 RMB to take us to Mutianyu and wait for us to finish to take us back to the city. We left at around 8AM and it took almost 2 hours to reach Mutianyu.

Mutianyu Great Wall

Like at Badaling, you can ride the cable car to take you to the top of the wall which I highly recommend. You can get a round-trip cable car ticket or a one-way ticket and another ticket to toboggan your way down the other side.

The problem with a round trip cable car ride is that you have to go back the way you came just to go down. On the other end of the Mutianyu section you can choose whether to toboggan, ride the ski lift (both requires a ticket) or walk down.

If you’re a boring person, ride the ski lift (Ropeway – 30 RMB) down, hehehe. We chose to ride the toboggan (Chute – 40 RMB) and it was a whole lot of fun.

It took us about 2 hours to walk and take lots of photos. Check it out:

TOTAL COST:
Hired car: 500 RMB
Entrance Fee: 35 RMB
Cable Car (one-way): 40 RMB
Toboggan Ride: 40 RMB

We asked our driver to take us to a mall for our lunch. In the afternoon, we went to the Old Summer Palace for our final Beijing destination.

Part 12: Old Summer Palace

• Touring Beijing in Winter Part 1: The Plan
• Touring Beijing in Winter Part 12: Old Summer Palace
• Touring Beijing in Winter Part 4: Going to Datong
• Touring Beijing in Winter Part 2: Pros and Cons

Filed under: Travel