Beijing is justifiably the best place to explore the Great Wall. You can visit many different sections of the wall which is one of the largest allures for visiting Beijing. Different sections of the Great Wall present different features and different scenery. Badaling and Juyong Pass are the most visited and easily accessible parts of the Great Wall. However, compared with the Badaling-Juyongguan Tour, other Great Wall Tours cost a little bit more because of their distance and accessibility. The scenery of the Mutianyu Great Wall is extremely beautiful in autumn while the section between Jinshanling and Simatai requires more physical stamina to climb. The Water Great Wall Huanghuacheng, as well as the miniature of the Great Wall Huangyaguan, is becoming more popular with hikers due to the magnificent scenery surrounding these areas. Different sections of Beijing's Great Wall can satisfy different interests. Choose your favorite section with the guidance of the table below:
Great Wall at | Juyongguan | Badaling | Mutianyu | Simatai |
Location & Distance from Beijing's city center | Northwest, 50 km | Northwest, 75 km | North, 95 km | North, 120 km |
Driving time from Beijing(one way) | About 1.5 hours | About 1.5 hours | About 2 hours | About 2.5 hours |
Condition | Well - preserved | Best - preserved | Intact | Ruined |
Travel time | 2.5 hours | 2.5-3 hours | 2-3 hours | 4 hours |
Difficulty | Moderate climbing | Moderate climbing | Moderate climbing | Strenuous hiking |
Cable car | No | Available | Available | Available |
Toboggan | Available | Available | Available | Available |
Best time to go | All year round | All year round | All year round | Summer, Autumn |
Great Wall at | Jinshanling | Huanghuacheng | Huangyaguan | Jiankou |
Location & Distance from Beijing's city center | North, 150 km | North, 95 km | Northeast, 150 km | Northeast, 90 km |
Driving time from Beijing(one way) | About 2.5 hours | About 2.5 hours | About 3 hours | About 2.5 hours |
Condition | Original Ming Dynasty appearance | Intact | The longest restored section | Unrestored |
Travel time | 4 hours | 2 hours | 2 hours | 4.5-5 hours |
Difficulty | Strenuous hiking | Moderate climbing | Moderate climbing | Moderate climbing |
Cable car | Available | No | No | No |
Toboggan | Available | No | No | No |
Best time to go | Summer, Autumn | Summer, Autumn | Summer, Autumn | Summer, Autumn |
All of our tours can be customized according to your budget, timeframe, and other requests. Our private tour service featuring private English-speaking tour guide, AC vehicle, and licensed driver all the way means you don’t have to travel with strangers and will enjoy the privacy with families or friends, and the comfort and flexibility to control your own sightseeing pace.
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