No visit to China is complete without seeing the Great Wall of China. A wall that’s length is between 4,000 and 5,500 km and the only manmade structure you can see from space. There are so many different parts of the Great Wall you can visit but this post is about the Mutianyu Great Wall section just outside of Beijing.

There are just few different Great Wall sections you can visit within a 3 hour drive from Beijing.

Jinshanling – 2-3 hour drive from Beijing

Jiankou – 3 hour drive from Beijing

Simatai – 2-3 hour drive from Beijing

Huanghuacheng – 1 1/2 hour drive from Beijing

Mutianyu – 1 1/2 hour drive from Beijing

Mutianyu Great Wall

Getting There

I cannot remember the tour operator I used to get to the Mutianyu section but it was a package tour with the bus, ticket entry and lunch included in the price. I was worried it was going to be a guided tour but it was good because as soon as you were at the wall you were let loose until lunch for around 4 hours.

Costs

Mutianyu Great Wall Ticket – 40 RMB (US$6)

Mutianyu Cable Car Ticket – 120 RMB (US$18.50) round trip

Mutianyu Slide – 100 RMB (US$15.40) one way

The Wall

The Mutianyu Great Wall is one of the best preserved sections of the wall, providing beautiful scenery with less tourists than the Badaling section of the wall for instance, which gets crazy busy especially during national holidays. It is a beautiful way to spend the day, strolling along the wall, but in some places it is pretty steep. Make sure to bring your sun cream, hat and plenty of water because the only shade you’ll find is at the sporadic watch towers. The cable car ride is stunning. One of the only issues with visiting in summer is that the views are often a little hazy, the best time to visit is in around September and October.