Mutianyu Great Wall of China: How To Visit
Choosing a Section
Before you can visit the wall, you need to know where the wall is. The wall stretches over 13,000 miles in several sections, and would take months to walk across. There are hundreds of potential places to visit the wall. Luckily, the Great Wall of China is quite near Beijing, which is where nearly all tourists who visit the wall will be staying.
There are several sections you can reach from Beijing, each with its own pros and cons. The most popular section is Badaling, which is also the most accessible. This is the most visited section, and so it is usually quite crowded. The second most popular section is Mutianyu. This section is slightly less busy and a bit harder to access, but offers some of the best views and interesting experiences. We chose the Mutianyu section because it was a holiday and we were worried about crowds. The other sections accessible from Beijing are Juyongguan, Jinshanling, Simatai, and Huanghuacheng. These are hard to get to, but have less tourism and therefore a more authentic experience.
How to Get There
Depending on which section you visit, getting there can be a piece of cake or a nightmare. Badaling is so popular because it can be reached by the high-speed rail line, as well as the 877 non-stop bus. For the smaller sections, you will have to hire a taxi driver for a day. Taxis can be pre-booked using DiDi taxi for about 30 USD. However, at the time we booked, it was cheaper through Klook so that’s what we did. They will pick you up and drop you off at your hotel, which can be arranged ahead of time. It was also nice to have a driver who could help us buy our tickets with no hassle.
Mutianyu Great Wall
The Mutianyu section of the Great Wall was built in the late 1300s. It contains some of the best preserved wall and watchtower sections, as well as stunning views due to the steep mountains. There are many amenities around the wall, with cafes, souvenir shops, restaurants, and museums. At the base, you get on a shuttle bus that takes you as high as possible. The section is open for 2 miles, giving a good amount of room to spread out and explore for several hours. Given this is the second most popular section, it can get very busy. We recommend arriving as early as possible which can be arranged with your driver. We arrived at 6am right as it opened which really helped.
Ways to Get Up Mutianyu Great Wall
From the bus stop, there are three ways to get up the wall. You can simply hike up, which isn’t a particularly long hike but very steep. There is also an enclosed cable car, which takes you to the west far west. The last option is a chair lift that arrives at the east side of the wall. If you wish to take the toboggan down, you must take the chair lift, because toboggan tickets can only be bundled with the lift, not the cable car.
We chose to take the cable car, because Yemisi is deathly afraid of heights. However, we also wanted to take the toboggan and didn’t realize they were separate tickets, so our guide purchased the lift tickets instead. Even though she was so scared she powered through, and thankfully it wasn’t a terrible ride.
Walking Mutianyu Great Wall
When we arrived at the top of the lift, the mountain was covered in mist. We slowly walked towards the wall and it finally dawned on us that we were on THE Great Wall of China. We chose to walk the east side because we didn’t have much time and wanted the best views. Walking on the wall can be pretty treacherous because it’s so steep and the steps are so large, but that’s what makes this section so stunning.
After we crested the first hill, the view of the wall finally hit us. It’s beyond words to experience in person. I always assumed the wall was embellished by movies and shows, making it seem more grand and magical, but it truly is mind-blowing to see. The way the wall meanders over the hills and crests gently through the mountains as it goes on forever is hard to grasp. Both of us agreed in that moment the hype is real. Because we arrived so early, we had the place almost entirely to ourselves which was an amazing experience. According to people we met later that day, it was unbelievably crowded by mid day so we really recommend getting a head start.
This section of the wall has several well preserved watch towers which enhance the vibe further. In between are some of the steepest staircases I’ve ever seen in my life. Climbing up was a real challenge, and getting down was even harder. But the views make the effort worth it. If you’re looking for less of a challenge, you can take the chair lift and go west a bit, which offers a more gradual walk for a portion.
Given that the Mutianyu Great Wall is 600 years old it is in incredible condition. It really appears as though the wall was just built a decade ago, with fully intact steps. I’m not sure how much has been restored and what is original, but the misty mountains and winding wall made me feel like I was living in a traditional Chinese painting. We were able to explore for about an hour, but you could easily spend 3-4 if you took your time on every stretch.
Tobogganing
After we were done, we headed down to the lift where we got in line for the toboggan. Our guide warned us that the line could be 2 hours long, but because we arrived so early the line was very short. Riding the toboggan is very simple. You hop on, pull the lever to go, push to stop. They don’t even train you, they simply let you go. Thankfully there are many workers along the track to keep people safe.
I didn’t expect the toboggan to be so much fun. You can go fast, like really fast. The ride is around 5-10 minutes, and flying around the corners is so much fun. It can get pretty scary if you let it get out of control. Regardless, you can take your time if you don’t want to risk it, but it’s a ton of fun no matter how you ride. Just being able to say you’ve tobogganed down the Great Wall of China is amazing.
Final Thoughts
Visiting the Mutianyu Great Wall was a moment we will never forget. We expected it to be less impressive than movies and pictures make it out to be, but it is truly one of the greatest structures in the world. The experience of having a private drive from the city was great, and they really helped us have a smooth experience. The toboggan was just the icing on the cake. If you get a chance to visit Beijng we highly recommend taking the time to see the Great Wall of China.
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