China Travel — The Eight Great Wall Sections Around Beijing

China Travel — The Eight Great Wall Sections Around Beijing

If you’re visiting Beijing for the first time,

When you research the Great Wall sections around Beijing online, you might be surprised by the number of “Great Walls” — including Mutianyu, Badaling, Juyongguan, Simatai, and Jinshanling, just to name a few.

You might wonder how many sections of the Great Wall there are around Beijing and which ones are worth visiting. After hiking the main sections of the Great Wall around Beijing, we’ve compiled our top list of these segments, including their landscapes and hiking difficulties. We hope our post will help you choose your favorite Wall for your journey.

1. Jinshanling Great Wall (Suitable for Experienced Travelers)

Among the Great Wall sections around Beijing, Jinshanling Great Wall has always been our favorite choice. Strictly speaking, Jinshanling Great Wall is not under Beijing’s jurisdiction (it belongs to Chengde City), but proud Beijingers have no hesitation in including it in their list.

Jinshanling Great Wall is located at the border between Miyun County in Beijing and Luanping County in Chengde City, approximately 130 kilometers northeast of Beijing’s city center.

Jinshanling Great Wall extends east to Simatai Great Wall. In the past, people could hike from Jinshanling to Simatai, but now, as Simatai Great Wall is closed, visitors must stop midway, either descending or returning to their starting point.

Unlike the restored and renovated Mutianyu Great Wall and the vast, desolate Jiankou Great Wall, Jinshanling Great Wall is a mix of original and restored sections, offering stunning scenery!

Due to the inconvenience of the public bus system, it is best to arrange your own transportation or share costs with other travelers.

How to Get to Jinshanling from Beijing City Center by Public Bus:

• Express Bus 980
  • Departure Point: Beijing City Center
  • Note: The 980 Express Bus actually stops at the Miyun Bus Station, and you’ll need to take a minibus from Miyun to Jinshanling.
  • Bus Fare: 15 RMB
  • Minibus Fare: About 50 RMB (Carpooling is required to reach Jinshanling Great Wall)

2. Gubeikou Great Wall (Suitable for Experienced Travelers)

Gubeikou Great Wall is located in Miyun County, Beijing, approximately 140 kilometers from the city center. It extends eastward and connects to Jinshanling Great Wall.

Gubeikou Great Wall consists of two parts — the Panlongshan Great Wall and the Wohushan Great Wall. “Panlongshan” literally means “Coiling Dragon Mountain,” and “Wohushan” means “Crouching Tiger Mountain.”

The two mountains face each other, separated by a north-south valley, which was an ancient route connecting Inner Mongolia and Beijing. Today, this valley has become the rapidly developing Gubeikou Township in Miyun County, Beijing.

The Wohushan Great Wall remains completely abandoned and is not officially open to the public, while the Panlongshan Great Wall is partially opened by the local government. Therefore, when people refer to Gubeikou Great Wall, they often mean the Panlongshan Great Wall. This section of the Wall is unrenovated and picturesque.

On Panlongshan, there are two sections of the Great Wall standing side by side — one built during the Northern Qi (550-557 AD) and the other during the early Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD). The last beacon tower of the Gubeikou Great Wall is a 24-window tower and marks the end of the accessible Panlongshan Great Wall.

Further east is another section of the Wall, which is in a military zone and thus prohibited for hiking. You can detour around this restricted area, descend into a deep valley, and then continue to Jinshanling Great Wall.

You can hike the broad, original Gubeikou Great Wall for 2-3 hours, or continue hiking through Gubeikou Great Wall to reach Jinshanling Great Wall, which takes about 5 hours and covers 10 kilometers.

3. Simatai Great Wall (Suitable for Leisure and Business Travelers)

Simatai Great Wall is located in the northeast of Miyun County, Beijing, approximately 140 kilometers from Beijing’s city center. It was built during the early Ming Dynasty (1368-1398 AD). Simatai Great Wall is divided into two parts by the Simatai Reservoir, with an iron chain bridge spanning east to west over the reservoir.

The Simatai Great Wall is 5 kilometers long and features 28 beacon towers (16 in the east and 12 in the west). Built by the Ming Dynasty general Qi Jiguang, it is one of the few sections of the Wall that has retained its original Ming Dynasty appearance. It not only has unique features compared to other Great Wall sections but also some characteristics not found elsewhere. The western section has 12 beacon towers, winding along the hillside, while the eastern section has 16 beacon towers situated on peaks reaching up to 1000 meters.

The scenery is breathtaking. Simatai Great Wall has undergone minimal restoration, so it retains its original appearance. This makes it far less crowded compared to the more popular and easily accessible sections of the Wall.

Simatai Great Wall, with its densely packed beacon towers built along the mountainside, is truly magnificent!

The Simatai Great Wall connects to the western section of Jinshanling Great Wall. Most visitors choose to hike the eastern section of Simatai because it offers more beautiful views, though it is also more dangerous. After reaching the twelfth tower (beyond which it is not safe to proceed), you can either hike down or take a cable car down from the fifth or eighth tower.

Since the western section of Simatai is closed, the hiking route between Jinshanling and Simatai Great Wall is still not open.

4. Mutianyu Great Wall (Suitable for Leisure Travelers)

Mutianyu Great Wall is often rated as Beijing’s top attraction. It is also one of our favorite sections of the Great Wall in Beijing. Once you climb the Wall, you’ll be greeted by extremely beautiful natural scenery, with lush green trees and dense foliage. This section of the Wall is relatively gentle compared to most other sections.

Mutianyu Great Wall is located in Huairou District, about 80 kilometers north of Beijing. The Mutianyu Great Wall features 23 beacon towers that wind along the ridge, spanning approximately 3000 meters. The distribution of these beacon towers is uneven. If you have strong legs and continue hiking west, you will eventually reach the Jiankou Great Wall.

5. Jiankou Great Wall (Suitable for Experienced Travelers)

Jiankou Great Wall is located in Huairou District, 10 kilometers east of Mutianyu Great Wall and about 80 kilometers from Beijing’s city center. To the west of Jiankou is the Huanghuacheng Great Wall, which was built during the Ming Yongle period (1368 AD).

Jiankou Great Wall is the most rugged and dilapidated section among the Great Walls around Beijing. It is also the most dangerous section along the Wall.

“Eagle Flying Skyward”: This is actually a beacon tower. It’s named because the tower is situated at the highest point of the mountain. Thus, if an eagle wanted to reach the top of the tower, it would need to look up and fly towards the sky to get there.

“Sky Ladder”: On this section of the Wall, the ladder is actually vertical and extremely narrow, making it nearly impossible to stand on.

“Beijing Knot”: The junction of the three segments of Jiankou Great Wall.

“Nine-Eye Tower”: A beacon tower with nine holes resembling nine eyes.

Yes, there are many online reports about the astonishing steepness of the hike from the Eagle Tower to the Sky Ladder and the Beijing Knot. If you have no climbing experience and lack specialized equipment, we do not recommend attempting this section, even if you are an experienced traveler.

Starting from the Zhengbei Tower Observation Deck (Eagle Tower, east of Sky Ladder), walking east along the rugged Great Wall will bring you to the restored Mutianyu Great Wall. This section offers a relatively easy walk with stunning scenery along the way.

As of the writing of this article, Jiankou Great Wall has not officially opened to the public due to the risks of climbing and government policies to protect the “wild Wall.” If you choose to hike from the Zhengbei Tower of Jiankou to Mutianyu Great Wall, the risk is somewhat lower. However, you should still obtain travel insurance to cover any potential injuries or accidents.

6. Huanghuacheng Great Wall (Suitable for Experienced Travelers)

Huanghuacheng, literally meaning “Yellow Flower City,” is located about 60 kilometers north of Beijing’s city center. It is one of the most severely ruined sections of the Great Wall around Beijing. In recent years, it has become a popular destination for hikers.

It spans approximately 1000 meters, connecting to Juyongguan Great Wall and Badaling Great Wall to the west, and Jiankou Great Wall and Mutianyu Great Wall to the east. This section lacks the stone steps and smooth paths found in other parts of the Beijing Great Wall, making it very challenging to climb.

7. Badaling Great Wall (Suitable for Leisure Travelers)

Badaling Great Wall is located in Yanqing County, one of Beijing’s two counties. It is about 80 kilometers northwest of Beijing’s city center and is actually a pass in the military defense of the Jundu Mountains.

According to historical records, Badaling Great Wall was built to defend against the southern Juyongguan (Juyongguan section of the Great Wall) and to further protect Beijing. Badaling is an ancient military defense structure, with an elevation of about 1000 meters.

The Badaling Great Wall is approximately 3740 meters long, with an average height of 8 meters and a maximum height of 15 meters. The wall is wide enough to accommodate five horses side by side and is the earliest section of the Great Wall in the Beijing area to be opened to tourists.

The wall is narrower at the top and wider at the bottom, with an uneven surface, yet it is extremely solid. It is constructed from a combination of earth and stone, making it neat, aesthetically pleasing, and durable.

Fortresses are spaced every 300 to 500 meters along the wall. There are two types of fortresses: one is a two-story structure used as a battle tower, with the lower level for living and storing weapons, and the upper level for observation and shooting; the other type is a watchtower or enemy tower used for patrolling and combat.

8. Juyongguan Great Wall (Suitable for Leisure Travelers)

Juyongguan is located in a valley nestled between the Jundu and Taihang Mountains. It has been a strategic pass since the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods (five to six thousand years ago), known for its formidable terrain, and was later expanded and connected with the Great Wall.

The current pass was built during the first year of the Ming Hongwu period (1368 AD) by General Xu Da and has been renovated several times since. The surrounding Great Wall stretches 4 kilometers, winding with the mountainous terrain and forming a valley. The natural scenery around the pass is very beautiful.

Juyongguan Great Wall is divided into eastern and western sections. Most people prefer to hike the western section because it is more rugged and offers beautiful views. Each section of the Wall takes about 2 hours to hike, so if you have the time and energy, hiking both sections is a great option.