By air
Beijing Capital (PEK), ~1.5 h to Mutianyu
East Asia · China
Great Wall of China, China
The wall that rides the ridges
Getting there
Best time to visit
April to May and September to October — mild and clear
Don't miss
Mutianyu
Jinshanling
Badaling
Jiankou
Things to do
Hiking Mutianyu and the toboggan down
Sunset at Jiankou
Where to eat
What to pack
Hiking shoes, water, a sun hat
A quieter corner
Jinshanling towards Simatai, a wilder section
Questions travellers ask
Which section of the Great Wall should I visit?
Mutianyu, where you can hike and then ride the toboggan down. For a wilder section, walk Jinshanling towards Simatai, or catch sunset at Jiankou.
How far is Mutianyu from Beijing's airport?
About 1.5 hours from Beijing Capital (PEK).
What should I bring for a day on the Wall?
Hiking shoes, water and a sun hat. For lunch, try a farmhouse meal in the villages below.
When is the weather best for walking the Great Wall?
April to May or September to October, when it's mild and clear.
About Great Wall of China
- Mountains
Where it is
The Great Wall of China runs in many branches across northern China, from Liaodong in the east to Lop Lake in the western deserts; its best-known restored sections, such as Mutianyu and Badaling, climb the mountains north of Beijing.
History
Rival states were building defensive walls by the 7th century BC, and after uniting China in 221 BC the first emperor, Qin Shi Huang, joined many of them together. Later dynasties extended and rebuilt the defences against peoples of the northern steppe, and most of the brick and stone wall seen near Beijing today was built under the Ming dynasty between the 14th and 17th centuries. It was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1987.
People
The villages below the wall north of Beijing are home to Mandarin-speaking families who grow chestnuts, walnuts and fruit, and many now run guesthouses and restaurants for hikers. Along its full length the wall crosses the lands of Han Chinese, Manchu, Mongol and Hui communities.
Known for
- The restored ramparts of Mutianyu and Badaling
- Wild, unrestored sections such as Jiankou
- Hiking between the watchtowers
- Shanhaiguan, where the wall meets the sea
- Jiayuguan fortress in the far west
Did you know?
An official Chinese survey announced in 2012 put the combined length of all the walls built over the centuries at more than 21,000 km.
We haven't written a guide for this place yet — you can still plan a trip here.