Badaling Great Wall is the closest section of the Great Wall to Beijing, about 60 km (40 mi) northwest of central Beijing. It is easily accessible and offers easy walking conditions. It has been visited by over 500 state leaders and VIPs, including Presidents Nixon and Reagan, Prime Minister Thatcher, and Queen Elizabeth II.
As a local tour guide in Beijing, I visit the Badaling Great Wall with clients over 20 times a year. Here are some guides to help make your visit to Badaling more enjoyable and comfortable.
Hi, I'm Thomas. I was born in a remote mountain village in western Hubei Province. I first learned about Beijing from the elementary school textbook "I Love Tiananmen Square in Beijing." After graduating from university, I have worked as a tour guide in Beijing for over 20 years. When I take a break from my busy schedule, I enjoy traveling with my family through the narrow alleys of old Beijing to discover fascinating stories and history, or appreciating Peking Opera in a theater, where I can listen to the elegant Beijing dialect infused with a thousand-year-old myth.
Facts
- Ticket: In the high season (April 1 to October 31), tickets are 40 RMB per person. Expect queues during peak times. In the low season (November 1 to March 31), they are 35 RMB. You can buy tickets at the scenic area or online via the official website and the WeChat account长城内外旅游.
- Distance: The drive from central Beijing (Tiananmen Square) to Badaling Great Wall is about 70 kilometers (1.25 hours).
- Recommended Visit Duration: Approximately 3 hours.
- Opening Time: 06:30-16:30 from April 1 to October 31; 07:30-16:00 from November 1 to March 31.
How to Visit the Badaling Great Wall
The Badaling Fortress divides the Badaling Great Wall into two sections:
- North Wall: The part of the Great Wall to the north of the fortress. It has 12 enemy towers and spans approximately 2.7 kilometers. The North Wall is quite steep, with the highest point being the North 8th Tower.
North 8th Tower is the best spot to overlook the Great Wall. For visitors with good physical condition, you can choose to climb from the North 1st Tower to the North 12th Tower, which takes about 2.5 hours for a round trip.
- South Wall: The part of the Great Wall to the south of the fortress. It has 7 enemy towers and spans about 1 kilometer. A round trip from the South 1st Tower to the South 7th Tower takes about 1.5 hours.
Compared to the North Wall, the South Wall has a smaller slope, making it easier to climb and is suitable for the elderly and children.
If time allows, you can first climb the South Wall and then go to the North Wall, which takes about 4 hours in total.
And if you are interested in Great Wall hiking, you can get more ideas on our Wild Great Wall Hiking Tours
Two Unique Experiences
Compared to other sections of the Great Wall, Badaling offers two unique experiences: drone delivery on the wall and a helicopter tour of the Great Wall.
Drone Delivery:
It's quite amazing! I highly recommend the Badaling drone delivery experience to feel the convenience that new technology brings to ordinary people's lives.
At the South 5th Tower, first scan a QR code via WeChat to open the delivery platform, then select goods, fill in your information, and submit the order.
Once the order is successful, the drone will deliver the goods to the Great Wall in a few minutes, and then the staff on site will deliver the meal to you.
You can pick up their meals by showing the last four digits of their phone number. The entire operation is very simple. If you don't have WeChat, you can ask your tour guide to help you scan the code.
Badaling Great Wall Tour and Drone Delivery ExperienceBadaling Helicopter Experience:
Highly recommended. You can enjoy a bird's eye view of the magnificent scenery of the Great Wall. The price of the helicopter ranges from several hundred to several thousand yuan, and each helicopter can carry up to 3 passengers.
Please note:
- The total weight of passengers per flight for the GA8 model should not exceed 480 kilograms.
- Infants (under 2 years old) cannot fly, and children (2-12 years old) need to be accompanied by an adult. Children are charged the same as adults.
- If the flight cannot be arranged due to uncontrollable factors such as weather or air traffic control, you can reschedule or cancel your booking.
If you are interested in this experience, you can contact us for more details and booking. You can also consult your tour guide during your trip.
Sunrise of Badaling Great WallBest Times to Visit the Badaling Great Wall
The best times to visit the Badaling Great Wall are from April to May in the spring and from September to October in the fall. These two periods offer comfortable temperatures.
- Spring is a time of warmth and blooming flowers, with everything coming back to life - perfect for enjoying the scenery.
- In the fall, the weather is cool and clear, and the forests are beautifully colored, making it the best time to appreciate the magnificent views of the Great Wall.
Badaling in autumnMore about the best times to visit the Great Wall
To avoid the crowds as much as possible, it's suggested to avoid the Chinese summer holiday period (mid-July to the end of August), when Badaling sees its highest visitor numbers, reaching 50,000 to 60,000 visitors daily.
Crowds on the Badaling Great WallIf summer is the most suitable time for you to visit China, it's recommended to go on a weekday or early in the morning between 7:00-8:00 to avoid peak hours.
Weekdays generally see fewer visitors than weekends. Alternatively, you could choose to visit the Huanghuacheng or Mutianyu sections of the Great Wall.
These sections are a bit further away from the city center than Badaling (about a 2-hour drive from Tiananmen Square), but they are much quieter.
During the day, the morning hours typically see more visitors, as domestic tour groups usually arrive at Badaling between 08:30 and 10:00.
Is the Badaling Great Wall Wheelchair Friendly?
Yes. To accommodate wheelchair users, the Badaling Great Wall has an accessible ramp nearly 180 meters long, extending from Wangjing Square near the North Wall to the East Platform.
In addition, there is a wheelchair elevator that can help visitors with mobility difficulties to get onto the wall.
Furthermore, visitors using wheelchairs can choose to take a cable car directly to the North 7th Tower to overlook the magnificent view of the Great Wall.
Day Trip to Badaling from Beijing
A visit to Badaling generally takes up half a day. We suggest you also visit other famous attractions nearby, such as the Ming Tombs. You can visit the Ming Tombs in the morning and Badaling in the afternoon, as there are generally fewer visitors in the Badaling scenic area in the afternoon compared to the morning.
Morning:
Visit the Ming Tombs. It is 36 kilometers (a 30-minute drive) from Badaling. The Ming Tombs is the burial site of 13 Ming Dynasty emperors and is the most intact imperial burial site in the world with the most emperors buried. It was listed on the World Heritage List in 2003.
Ming TombsLunch:
There are many specialty banquets near the Ming Tombs scenic area, such as the spring pancake banquet in Kangling Village. Spring pancakes wrap a variety of fillings with thin dough, symbolizing wishes for a good harvest and hope.
The preparation is exquisite, usually paired with fresh seasonal vegetables and meat, and you can roll it into your preferred flavor.
In addition, there are many farmhouses near the Ming Tombs. It is also a good choice for you to taste authentic farmhouse dishes.
Afternoon:
Visit the Badaling Great Wall.
Evening:
Watch a Peking Opera performance. Peking Opera is one of China's national treasures, with singing, dancing, dialogue, martial arts, and various symbolic actions, and is very worthwhile to appreciate.
Peking OperaYou may check our itineraries as below:
How to get to Badaling from Beijing?
The main modes of transportation from downtown Beijing to Badaling are by bus and high-speed rail. The bus tends to be crowded, and there can be long queues during peak hours. The high-speed rail is more convenient and suitable for visitors with tight schedules.
High-speed rail: You can take the high-speed rail from Beijing North Station directly to Badaling Great Wall Station. The whole journey takes about 0.5-1 hour, and the fare is 25 yuan for a second-class seat.
Bus: Departing from Deshengmen, you can take bus No. 877 directly to Badaling Great Wall Station. The whole journey takes about 1.5-2 hours, and the fare is around 15 RMB. You can also take bus No. 919. The whole journey takes about 1.5-2 hours, and the fare is around 15 RMB.
For a more personalized and comfortable experience, I highly recommend opting for a private tour. With a private tour, you can enjoy the comfort of a private vehicle and a dedicated tour guide who can provide in-depth insights about the Badaling Great Wall and its surroundings.
This option allows you to explore at your own pace, without the rush and crowd of public transport. Moreover, private tours often offer the flexibility to customize your itinerary, ensuring that you don't miss out on any attractions that particularly interest you.
If the tours above aren't what you're looking for, you can tell us your interests and requirements, and we will help you design your own Great Wall tour.