Great Wall at Mutianyu
Two and a half kilometres of restored wall on a wooded ridge, without the Badaling crowd.
Duration
3 hrs – 5 hrs
Difficulty
●●●○○
Best time
At opening, in October
Open
Every day
Entry price
To confirm
Mutianyu is a Ming section of the Great Wall, seventy kilometres north-east of Beijing, restored over two and a half kilometres and studded with twenty-three watchtowers — an unusual density, because the ridge is narrow and the ground difficult.
It is far less crowded than Badaling, closer to the city, and much better kept than the wild sections. The slope is forested, which changes everything in autumn. A chairlift climbs to tower 14, and a dry toboggan run comes back down — which is absurd and thoroughly enjoyable.
Getting there
Seventy kilometres north-east of Beijing, an hour and a half by road. The 916 express bus from Dongzhimen then a local shuttle, or a car with driver for the day.
What the price covers
paid entry, with a compulsory shuttle from the car park; chairlift and toboggan extra. Rates to be checked
Rules on site
The steps between towers are very uneven, some forty centimetres high, and there is not a handrail everywhere: the stretch between towers 20 and 23 is steep and involves scrambling in places. No shade on the wall.
