The Badaling Section of the Great Wall lies in Yanqing County, 80 kilometersnorthwest of Beijing. It is the most representative section of the Great Wall built during the Ming dynasty and represents the fundamental nature of the entire Great Wall. It was built on steep slopes, winding along the mountain ridges. This section adjoins the military stronghold of Juyongguan Pass, in nearby ChangPing County.

Badaling Great Wall

The North 8th Watchtower

Badaling was the first part of the Great Wall opened to tourists. Transportation from Beijing is very convenient. You can take either a shuttle bus or a high-speed train.

1. Bus: This is the cheapest and most convenient way. You can take the No. 919 express bus from De Sheng Men station directly to Badaling station. Buses run every 15 minutes from 6:00 to 18:00 and take about 1-1.5 hours by highway with no traffic jams. The bus ticket is CNY12.00 per person for air-conditioned buses and CNY8.00 for standard buses. Do make sure you get on the right bus, since there are several No.919 buses running from the station with different lines. If you are not sure, consult the staff or find for the bus signed "Bus No.919 直快" (direct-fast). Other No. 919 shuttle buses run to Badaling station, but they are slow, with many stops. After getting off the bus at Badaling station, walk eastward for 5-6 minutes, and you will arrive at the foot of the Great Wall.

Tips: Considering the traffic jams during rush hours in Beijing, we suggest you start the tour as early as possible. Try to get on the bus before 7:00am, so you can arrive at Badaling before 8:30am. Otherwise, you may spend at least 2-3 hours on the way if you encounter heavy traffic

Bus No. 919 at De Sheng Men Station

Ticket Office of Badaling

2. Train: There are also direct bullet-trains from Beijing North Station to Badaling Station. A first-class ticket is CNY23.00 or pay CNY19.00 for a second-class seat. Tickets are easily available. It takes only one hour each way, with no chance of traffic jams. There are six trains in each direction every day. On the way, you can observe the panorama of the Guan Valley Scenic Area, the Juyongguan Section of the Great Wall, the hundred-year-old Beijing-Zhangjiakou railway (with its unique herringbone rails and famous as the first designed by Chinese) and the statue of Mr. Tianyou Zhan, the designer of the railway. After getting off the train at Badaling Station, walk eastward for 10-15 minutes and you will arrive at the foot of the Great Wall.

For the detailed train schedule, please refer to the following two links: Beijing North Station to Badaling and From Badaling to Beijing North Station.

The cable car

The starting point for Badaling hiking

The Badaling Section of the Great Wall has been restored several times since 1953 and is now a prime tourist destination. An entrance ticket is CNY45.00 per person in high season; CNY40.00 in low season. The total length one can visit is more than 3,700 meters - about 1,200 meters to the south and 2,500 meters to the north. The Badaling Section has 43 watchtowers, of which 16 have been restored for public visits. There are two cable-ways, one leading north to the North 8th watchtower and one leading south to the South 4th watchtower. Tickets are CNY40.00, one-way and CNY60.00 for a round-trip. The area is open 6:30-19:00 in summer and 7:00-18:00 in winter. An electronic guide is available, CNY10.00 per rental in Chinese and CNY40.00 per rental in English, Japanese, Korean and French.

If you are not interested in cable way, your tour should start from Guan Cheng (Pass City), a square city enclosed by a city wall. The characters on the plaque over its east gate mean "Key to North Gate". Over the west gate the plaque reads "Juyong Outskirt". Enter Guan Cheng through the east gate, and you will find the ticket hall on your right. After buying your ticket, you can climb either the south section or north section. The area's highest point is the North 8th Watchtower, so most people hike the north section.

The North 8th Watchtower

Badaling Great Wall hiking

For the north segment: From Guan Cheng to the North 4th Watchtower, the wall is 767.5 meters long, with an inclination of 155 meters. When you reach the North 2nd Watchtower, you will find a huge metal made banner saying "One World, One Dream". The topography from the North 3rd Watchtower to the North 4th Watchtower is like a saddle. You need to descend to the bottom of the saddle first, then climb more than 100 steps up to the North 4th Watchtower. The North 5th Watchtower is a two-storey tower, more than 9 meters long, 9 meters wide with more than 30 arrow loops and view-ports. The North 6th Watchtower has the largest foot-print: about 100 square meters, 12.6 meters long and 8.5 meters wide. From the North 7th Watchtower to the North 8th Watchtower is the steepest part of Badaling Section. The North 8th Watchtower, at an altitude of 888.8 meters, is the highest tower of Badaling. Here you will find the stone monument carved with the saying "He who has never been to the Great Wall is not a true man". Many people take a picture here to remember this moment. From Guan Cheng to the North 8th Watchtower, the Great Wall winds about 1500 meters, with an inclination of 228 meters. Most visitors end their tour here, but you can continue your hiking all the way to the North 12th Watchtower, where you can see the bronze statue of Mr. Tianyou Zhan. You can retrace your steps along the Great wall or take the cable car down instead.

Climbing on the wall

Badaling Great Wall

For the south segment: From Guan Cheng to the South 4th Watchtower, the wall stretches 685.8 meters, with an inclination of 127 meters. That is to say there will be an upward slant of 1 meter every 6 meters in length. The slope between the 3rd and 4th South Watchtowers is very steep. This slope is about 500 meters long. At the most dangerous point, the slope is up to 70 degrees. There are seven watchtowers to visit on the south segment of the wall and you need to go back along the same way.

When you come down from the south section, you will find a Bear Garden which is free to visit. Walking out of the Bear Garden and turning left, you will find the Full Circle Screen Cinema which is also free. The feature re-plays every 30 minutes. Right beside the cinema is the Great Wall Museum, which is included with your ticket to Badaling. The museum is divided into nine exhibition halls, introducing the history and present state of the Great Wall. It also exhibits historical materials, photos, models and relics excavated along the great wall. It is worthwhile to visit.

The Bear Garden

China Great Wall Museum

After your Badaling Great Wall hike, catch the bus or train as you did in the morning. When you wait for the Bus No. 919, you may find the bus running out of the station full seated. Don't get on this kind of buses. They are running to Badaling Zoo instead of going back to Beijing.

 Userful Badaling Great Wall Links:
Badaling Travel Tips     Badaling Travel Review
Photos of Badaling Great Wall     Badaling Great Wall Map