How to Travel to Badaling Great Wall?
How to get there from downtown Beijing
- Join our small group tour. It is convenient, worry free, and affordable for everyone. However, the itinerary is fixed and cannot be changed.
- Book our private one-day tour with your personal car and bilingual tour guide. You will enjoy flexible and customized services, and have a great value experience.
- How to get there on your own:
By Public Bus
Take public bus line 877 from Deshengmen to Badaling Great Wall.
It is a non-stop bus, and when you get off bus 877; you will be at the gate of the cable car.
Note on Bus 877:
Bus Station: in the middle of the north side Deshengmen Watchtower
Ticket Price: CNY 13 per person
Duration: about 2.5 hour
Operation Time:
From Badaling Great Wall: the first bus departure is at 10:30, the last departure is at 17:00.
From Deshengmen:
Apr. 1-Nov. 15: the first departure is at 06:00, the last departure is at 12: 00
Nov. 16-Mar. 31: the first departure is at 06:30, the departure is at 12:30.
Tips:
Please remember the position of 877 bus station, and wait right there. Please don’t trust ticket sellers who wear “uniforms”.
Buy a transport card at the service station in the south of Deshengmen Watchtower. It costs CNY 20. You can return it and get the remaining money back at the ticketing window if you don’t need it anymore.
By Train: S2
Since the roads to the Great Wall have always been busy, it makes no difference whether you drive on your own or take a bus. The traffic gets blocked all the time and it will be especially hard on school holidays. From our experience, taking train S2 is more comfortable and efficient than driving or taking a bus.
Take subway line 2, line 4 and line 13 to the Xizhimen Station, you can get to the Beijing North Railway Station and take the train.
The train passes a section of Switchback Railway designed by Tienyow Jeme who is the first chief railway engineer in China.
The terminal station is Badaling Station, about four hundred to five hundred meters from the Great Wall.
Note on train:
Train station: Beijing North Railway Station
Ticket Price: CNY 6 (Transportation Smart Card is also available)
Duration: about fifty minutes to eighty minutes.
Operation Time:
Monday to Thursday
From Beijing North Railway Station to Badaling: the first departure is at 06:12, the last departure is at 21:28.
From Badaling to Beijing North Railway Station: the first departure is at 08:20, the last departure is at 22:36.
From Friday to Sunday:
From Beijing North Railway Station to Badaling: the first departure is at 06: 12, the last departure is at 22:36.
From Badaling to Beijing North Railway Station: the first departure is at 8:20 and the last departure is at 22:36.
Special note:
Don’t buy the entrance ticket to the Wall on the train or bus. They are over-priced. It is very easy to buy the ticket at the main entrance of the Great Wall.
Ticket price is CNY 40 in off-season, CNY 45 in peak season.
Express bus — "Darling Bus"
An express bus linking Badaling Great Wall and downtown Beijing has started to operate since Sep. 4th, 2020. It is called the “Darling Bus” for the similar pronunciation of the two words “daling” after Badaling. It uses new energy vehicles with a capacity of 45 passengers. This newly-opened service can save more than 2 hours compared to ordinary buses and shuttle buses provided by the scenic spot. Visitors need to book their ticket on the WeChat Official Account “changchengnw” by 6pm at the latest, the day before.
Operation Times: the first departure is at 9:00, and returns at 3:30 every Saturday and Sunday.
Departure station: Exit C of the National Library subway station
Terminal Station: the north cableway entrance of the scenic spot
Ticket Price: CNY 80 per person for round-trip (about 11.7 US Dollars)
Duration: 1.5 hour per one way drive
Best Time to Go to the Badaling Great Wall
Spring and autumn are the best seasons to visit Beijing. Especially on autumn days, it is beautifully decorated with golden leaves and grass. The mild temperature with clear sky and crisp air makes it an enjoyable experience for visitors. The best time to visit Beijing falls in April, May, September and October.
Should I visit south or north section of the Wall?
The sites of the Great Wall are mostly located in the North Section. You could go to the South Section first if arriving early and having enough time, and then turn to the northern part. However, only visiting the North Section is good enough and recommended. There are 12 towers from the starting point to the final one in the North Section. The highest among the 12 towers is the No.8 Tower, which is a must-see attraction. The tower is where Chairman Mao announced the well-known slogan that “He who has never been to the Great Wall is not a true man.” It is highly recommended to climb all the 12 towers. There are a lot less people at the section from No. 8 to 12. It is steeper and more challenging for you to accomplish. It is about 3 hours in total to hike from No. 1 to 12. There is a road to go downhill not far away from the No.12 Tower. A shuttle bus is available if you feel too tired to walk down.
Ancient Cannons
Five pieces of ancient iron cannons, displayed on the side of the bridle path near the entrance to Badaling Great Wall, were advanced weapons in the Ming Dynasty. The largest and most powerful one was made in AD1638. It is 2.85 meters long and 105 millimeter’s caliber with over a kilometer’s range. On the body of the cannon are inscribed the Chinese characters: "To the Divine General Commissioned by the Emperor". The cannon was moved here in 1958 from Zhangpu, about 10 kilometres east of Badaling. In 1957, during a Great Wall renovation project, the other four smaller cannons with hundreds of pieces of ammunition were unearthed in the area. All of these were made in the Ming Dynasty.
The City Wall
The city wall of Badaling Great Wall is 6 to 9 meters high, and trapezoid shaped. It is 6.5 to 7.5 meters wide at the bottom and 4.5 to 5.8 m wide on the top. The top can accommodate five horses or a column of soldiers ten men wide. The central line of the city wall inclines to the outer side, and the outer wall is taller than inside wall.
Fighting Castles
Built along the traffic artery and important locations, Fighting Castles are shaped like forts. They can be one floor to two or three floors high and different sizes, and were used to store weapons, ammunition and other essential things for battle. These castles played more important roles than watch towers.
China Great Wall Museum
This museum is located at Badaling in Yanqing District and built on the back side of the Great Wall. It was officially opened to the public on September 6th, 1994. Nine exhibition halls cover 3200 square meters. The collections include the original certificate of The World Cultural Heritage awarded by The World Heritage of UNESCO, and the pictures of 200 heads of state and government from 120 countries who have visited Badaling Great Wall. What’s more, unearthed historical relics around the Great Wall, such as ancient cannons and figure statues of famous heroes in ancient times are displayed.
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