So, you’re visiting Beijing and you’re thinking of visiting the Great Wall of China, but not sure which section to visit? You’ve come to the right place, as I’ll share my experience visiting Badaling Great Wall and show you what you can expect at Badaling.
Located about 60km from downtown Beijing, Badaling is Great Wall of China’s most popular section. Badaling is said to be the most prominent representative of China’s Great wall.
Badaling is the most-preserved and well-maintained section of the Great Wall. The stairs and ramps are not as steep as compared to other sections. There are railings along the wall to help visitors with the climb.
We chose to visit Badaling because it’s relatively easier than other sections, and there are quite many transport options to get to Badaling from Beijing.
Badaling Great Wall Brief History
Badaling Great Wall was opened to public since 1953. A total of 3.74km and 18 watchtowers are open for public to visit today.
In 1961, Badaling Great Wall was listed as one of the cultural relics under state protection. In 1982, Badaling Great Wall was approved to be Key National Scenic Area by the State Council.
In 1987, Great Wall of China was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage List. In 2007, it was included in the New Seven Wonders of the World.
To date, Badaling Great Wall has welcomed more than 200 million visitors from within and outside of the country, along with more than 500 state and government leaders.
Badaling Great Wall Opening Hours
Badaling Great Wall is open daily, all-year round. However, do take note of the opening hours because they are closed quite early.
If you’re a night owl, it’s time to reset your body clock because early birds catch the worm.
| High Season (1 Apr – 31 Oct) | Low Season (1 Nov – 31 Mar) |
|---|---|
| Gate Open: 6.30am | Gate Open: 7.30am |
| Gate Close: 4.30pm | Gate Close: 4pm |
| Cable car: 9am to 4.30pm | Cable car: 9am to 4pm |
How to Get to Badaling Great Wall from Beijing
1. By High Speed Train (Bullet Train)
The fastest way to get to Badaling Great Wall from Beijing is by High Speed Train (or Bullet Train). You can take the bullet train from either Qinghe Railway Station or Beijing North Railway Station.
This is the method that we chose to get to Badaling. Read my experience taking the bullet train from Beijing to Badaling and vice versa.
Locals can purchase the ticket in advance through app. However, as tourists, we were unable to purchase the high speed train ticket from AliPay. Therefore, we went to Beijing North Railway Station to purchase the ticket from the counter.
Due to the high demand of bullet train, it’s almost impossible to buy a ticket on the same day. We were only able to secure a future-dated ticket, which is 3 days from the day of our purchase.
Even though we bought ticket from Beijing North’s counter, we were able to buy ticket departing/arriving at Qinghe as well.
Ticket costs RMB 18 (second class) and RMB 40 (1st class) for one-way. The duration of Qinghe-Badaling train is 22 mins, while Beijing North-Badaling train duration is 31 mins.
2. By S2 Train
You can also take S2 train from Beijing Huangtudian Railway Station to Badaling. It costs RMB 7 one-way and the duration is approximately 1.5 hours.
To get to Huangtudian Railway Station, take Subway Line 8 or 13 to Huoying Station, take exit G4 and walk for about 200m.
To buy S2 train ticket, you can purchase it with cash from the counter, or use Yikatong metro prepaid card (if you have it). No reservation is required, and seats are based on first-come, first-served basis. So, if you come late, you might have to stand all the way to Badaling.
3. By Bus
There are many buses that goes from Beijing to Badaling. The most popular bus is Busda. Busda departs from Beitucheng Station’s Exit C (Subway Line 8 & 10) everyday. The journey takes about 1-1.5 hours each way. The bus ticket includes 2-way transport AND entrance fee to Badaling. You can book Busda ticket in advance here.
Alternatively, you can also take Bus 877 which travels from Deshengmen to Badaling non-stop. The journey takes about 1 to 1.5 hours and costs RMB 12 per person. To get to Deshengmen, take Subway Line 2 to Jishuitan Station, take exit B2 and walk for 10 minutes.
Badaling Great Wall Entrance Fee
| High Season (1 Apr – 31 Oct) | Low Season (1 Nov – 31 Mar) |
|---|---|
| Admission ticket: – Adult: RMB 40 – Students: RMB 20 – Children below 1.2m or 6 y.o.: Free – Seniors above 60 y.o.: Free | Admission ticket: – Adult: RMB 35 – Students: RMB 17.5 – Children below 1.2m or 6 y.o.: Free – Seniors above 60 y.o.: Free |
| Cable car ticket: RMB 100 (one-way), RMB 140 (two-way), Free for children below 1.2m | Cable car ticket: RMB 100 (one-way), RMB 140 (two-way), Free for children below 1.2m |
| Toboggan ticket: RMB 80 (one-way), RMB 100 (two-way), Free for children below 1.2m | Toboggan ticket: RMB 80 (one-way), RMB 100 (two-way), Free for children below 1.2m |
Note: Remember to bring your passport! You’ll need it to buy tickets!
We bought the admission tickets and cable car tickets at the counter outside bullet train Exit 2. We paid by cash because they couldn’t scan our Alipay. Most locals purchased the ticket online, so the counter line wasn’t too long. We waited for about 10 minutes.
After paying, we didn’t receive any paper tickets, but we were told our passports have already been registered. When we arrived at Cable Car station, we showed our passport and were finally issued with physical copy of our admission tickets and cable car tickets.
Badaling Great Wall Map
Badaling Great Wall is divided into 2 sections: North Section and South Section. The North Section is more popular, hence you will find larger crowd there.
Near the Badaling Great Wall entrance, there is a cluster of facilities and amenities, which I’ll explain more in the later part of this article.
Facts about North Section:
- There are a total of 12 towers
- There is a cable car that brings you directly to Tower 8
- There is a pulley that brings you from Tower 4 to Bear Station
- Toilets are located at Tower 4 and Tower 8
Facts about South Section:
- There are a total of 7 towers
- There is a cable car that brings you directly to Tower 4
- There is no pulley
- Toilet is located at Tower 4
How to Get Around Badaling Great Wall
1. By Foot
Yes, you can walk the Badaling Great Wall on foot. However, the distance that you’ll be able to cover depends on your fitness level.
If you’re really fit, you can actually walk the entire Badaling on foot. Start from Entrance and walk the North Section all the way to Tower 12. Again, the duration required depends on your fitness level. At the end of your walk, there is an exit near Tower 11, so you don’t need to walk back to Entrance.
If you are not able to walk until Tower 12, don’t worry. There is an easy downhill path for you to exit the Great Wall easily. This downhill path stretches from Tower 8 to 1; it runs parallel to the Great Wall. It is shown as the green dotted line in the map.
For the South Section, you can walk all the way to South Tower 7. However, there is no direct exit along the South Section. You can come back via the easy downhill path with can be accessed between Tower 6 and 5.
2. By Cable Car
There are 2 cable cars in Badaling Great Wall: the North Cable Car and South Cable Car.
North Cable Car brings visitors directly from Cable Car station to North Tower 8, which is near the highest peak of the North Section (with elevation of 888m).
South Cable Car brings visitors directly from Cable Car station to South Tower 4.
3. By Toboggan/Pulley
The Toboggan/pulley route connects North Tower 4 and Bear Station. It’s like a mini rollercoaster ride. If you want to take the pulley, do it at the end of your trip, because you will exit the Great Wall after taking the pulley.
Badaling Great Wall – Suggested Route & Itinerary
Easy Route
- Take the North Cable Car to North Tower 8
- Walk as far as you can, either towards the north or south
- Walk back to Cable Car station
- Take the Cable Car back to Entrance
- Explore Badaling Great Wall Park
Medium Route
- Walk the Badaling Great Wall North Section from Entrance until Tower 12
- Exit near North Tower 11
- Explore Badaling Great Wall Park
Challenging Route
- Walk the Badaling Great Wall South Section until Tower 7.
- Walk back to entrance via easy downhill path
- Walk the Badaling Great Wall North Section until Tower 12
- Exit near North Tower 11
- Explore Badaling Great Wall Park
Badaling Great Wall – Cable Car
As I mentioned earlier, when we arrived at Cable Car station, we showed our passport and we were finally issued with physical copy of our admission tickets and cable car tickets.. We had to scan the QR code on the ticket to enter the cable car.
I urge you to hold your own tickets, because if you’re separated from your travel partner, and he/she holds your ticket, you will have a tough time taking the cable car.
The cable car ride is very fast. The one-way journey takes about 5 minutes only. You might share the cabin with other people.
The view during the cable car ride is spectacular, however, the ride is too short to enjoy the scenery!
One thing you must take note of the cable car ride is the operating hours! The cable car operation ends at 4.30pm during peak season, and 4pm during low season.
If you miss the last cable car, you will have to walk back to the entrance by foot!
Near the cable car station at Tower 8, I noticed there were several photographers offering photography service. They told me that as a cable car ticket holder, I could get a photo taken for free by these photographers, so I took the chance. I was told to collect my photo after I arrive back at cable car starting point.
Apparently, the free photo was a small wallet-sized photo. If you want a big photo or digital photo, you need to pay. I was content with my pocket-sized photo! Here’s how it looks!
Badaling Great Wall – North Section
Badaling Great Wall North Section has 12 towers. If you’re taking the North cable car, you will arrive at Tower 8 which is near the peak of the North Section.
During our visit, the area near Tower 8 was extremely crowded. It’s impossible to take a photo without anyone behind you. If you want to have less people on your photo, I recommend you to walk further towards Tower 12.
Great Wall is full of stairs! The good news is that there are railings throughout the wall, so you can always hold on to the railings for support.
The section between Tower 9 and Tower 12 is especially challenging because of the huge ascent and descent. But the view is really rewarding once you get to the end!
Beside steps, there are also steep ramp like the one in the picture below. Do hold on to the railings when going through the steep ramps.
Each tower has a sign that mentions the number of the tower. Sometimes the sign is right at the tower, sometimes it’s located at a distance from the tower.
Yes, my hubby walked to the end at Tower 12, and most of the beautiful photos are taken by him!
To be honest, I do not particularly enjoy going through the towers. The inside of the tower is dark and claustrophobic. But my hubby loves the arch doorway, he took so many photos of the doorway!
Despite many people recommending against visiting Badaling because it’s too crowded, I personally wouldn’t mind visiting it again to experience the South Section of Badaling.
It is definitely possible to get photos without too many people in the background, if you walk further from the cable car station.
Badaling Great Wall – Park
Outside the gated Great Wall, near the train station, there are a myriad of things to do and see. And I’m going to show you what you can expect at this public area, so that you can make your own plan.
From the bullet train station, as you walk towards the Entrance for the walkers, the first thing you will walk past is this statue and the museum behind it.
After that, you will see a cinema as well as a convenient store where many people grab cup noodles.
As you walk further, you will encounter a row of shops. There are KFC, Subway and food court here. But these shops close really early (like before 6pm).
There is also a left baggage tent. Here, you can leave your luggage while you explore the Great Wall.
We walked past Badaling Hotel, which wasn’t in operation during our visit.
Along the way to the Entrance, there are plenty of nice photo spots.
Badaling Great Wall – Scenic Area
Badaling Great Wall Scenic Area is the area near the Entrance for walkers. There are monuments, commemorative landmarks, and various photo spots.
Admission to the scenic area is free. To enter Badaling Great Wall Scenic Area, you need to go through a bag check point.
After going through the bag check, you are officially in the scenic area, where you can see the Great Wall and the declaration that the Great Wall is one of the 7 New Wonders of the World.
When you see this tower, you are already near the Entrance! This is the actual part of Great Wall.
This is the entrance for walkers, there is a small square with a flag and a souvenir shop.
Behind the entrance, there is a small courtyard where the State Guest Reception Room is located at.
After passing by the Entrance, you will arrive at Wangjing Square, a small area with commemorative plates, signs and monuments.
Badaling Great Wall – Where to Eat
There is no restaurant inside the Great Wall itself. The restaurants can be found near train station.
There is a row of shops and restaurants where you can eat before entering the Great Wall, or after coming out from the Great Wall.
Some of the restaurants were KFC, Subway, Starbucks and Food Court. Do take note that these restaurants close really early.
I recommend that you bring snacks if you’re planning to spend more than half day on the Great Wall.
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