Great Wall of China Tours
The Great Wall of China is one of the greatest sights in the world. A Great Wall tour is a must for most first China trips. Along this super-long wall, Beijing is the top destination for seeing well-maintained and abundant Great Wall relics of the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644). There are eight sections close to Beijing: Badaling, Mutianyu, Jinshanling, Jiankou, Simatai...
As the choice of Australian Geographic for their tours to the Great Wall of China, we are confident we can offer you a world-class opportunity to see the majestic Great Wall by day, and also stunning views of the Great Wall by night, to enjoy a relaxing walk on restored Great Wall sections or explore the wild, original, and unrepaired Wall.
Our Great Wall of China trips can all be customized, and they are private.If you are looking for the perfect Great Wall of China experience — well-planned and executed, bringing history to life, and tailored to your requirements — you will love our Great Wall tours.
Beijing Great Wall Tours
These are the best Great Wall tours from Beijing based on our customers' feedback. They range from classic Great Wall tours for first-time visitors to Great Wall layover tours from Capital Airport and relaxing, classy Great Wall night tours.
- Maximize your limited time
- Visit the Great Wall from Capital Airport
- Skip the ticket lines at the Forbidden Citys
- Walk on the Great Wall at Mutianyu
- See the Wall by day and night at its most enhanced
- Discover beautiful Gubei Water Town
Great Wall of China Hiking
The following itineraries are designed for those who want to hike on the Great Wall of China. They are flexible and can be customized to suit your budget and interests.
- See both wild and repaired Great Wall
- Enjoy walking on the most photogenic Wall
- Conquer the wild Great Wall at Jiankou
- Enjoy the restored glory of the Great Wall at Mutianyu
- Discover the 3 most popular hiking sections
- Stay overnight in beautiful Gubei Water Town
Great Wall Camping
The following itineraries are designed for people who want to have a unique Great Wall camping experience — enjoy a sleepover on the Wall with a BBQ meal and great views including sunset and sunrise... They are flexible and can be customized to suit your budget and interests.
- Enjoy a BBQ dinner on rugged Great Wall
- Sleep under the stars on aged ramparts
- Walk on incredible waterside Great Wall
- Sleep in a Great Wall watchtower
- Discover the Great Wall in depth
- Enjoy amazing sunsets and sunrises from the Wall
China Tours with the Great Wall
No one wants to miss the Great Wall on their (first) China tour. Our most popular China tours all include visiting the Great Wall of China. Don't worry if you can't find an itinerary to fit your needs. All our tours can be tailored to suit you. Just tell us your ideas, and we will create a tour that is uniquely yours.
- Historical sites and idyllic countryside
- Day and night tour of the Great Wall
- Explore the family-friendly Mutianyu Great Wall
- Adorable giant pandas and Yangze River Cruise
- Visit China's most popular 3 destinations
- The many historical heritage sites include the Great Wall




98.8% positive customer reviews among 10,000+
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Great tours!
I had an amazing two trips on the Great Wall and the Forbidden City with the guide Ivy during my stay in China. She was very helpful and answered all of our questions with an enthusiastic approach. I have nothing to say but to highly recommend the trips they offer on the Great Wall hiking/camping and also the in-depth Forbidden City tour! Thank you Ivy and China Highlights. more
May 2023,
Serhat Altay
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Amazing First Time to Beijing with China Highlights
Tom, my private tour guide was there when I landed and accompanied me all the way through to sending me off at the airport after check-in at the end of my trip. Zhao the driver, who also did all the driving during my trip, was calm, confident and knowledgeable in taking us around. Both Tom and Zhao were punctual too. The Great Wall of China Hike I wanted to do started in a very remote, unrestored part of the wall. This would not had been possible without Tom problem solving many issues we had on the way up and I could not have done this on my own a a foreigner. It was well worth the effort and probably the highlight of my trip.The remainder of the tour around Tiananmen Square, Forbidden Kingdom and The Temple of Heaven was paired with a detailed commentary by Tom of which I learnt a lot. more
May 2023,
Munsie
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Beijing - city of surprises
A fantastic guide was waiting for us - Jack, who told all the stories with passion and commitment. He also fulfilled those wishes that were not in the plan. I highly recommend visiting Beijing with this guide. more
May 2023,
Joanna i Piotr Kuzebscy
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Liu Yuan was a superb guide and a lot…
Liu Yuan was a superb guide and a lot of fun to spend time with during my first visit to Beijing. It was a wonderful intensive three days. more
May 2023,
Pam S.
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Great weather and a good trip out with Lily!
Many thanks to my guide Lily for customising the trip to make it as efficient and enjoyable as possible. She arranged to start an hour earlier to beat the crowd and I got to enjoy the Great Wall before the crowd streamed in and while the weather was cool. I requested to switch the next attraction to visit from Temple of Heaven to Ming Tomb and she not only accommodated the prompt request, but made all the necessary arrangements even before the trip coordinator managed to reply! Kudos! Our driver was jovial and friendly, always on top of traffic conditions and took detours to beat slow moving traffic. Hassle free day and I wouldn’t have been able to cover the two attractions so easily and comfortably without them! more
May 2023,
Meibao
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This was our first time traveling to Beijing
This was our first time traveling to China, so we really wanted to experience some of the major historical sights of Beijing together with a tour guide. Our itinerary was very carefully planned out according to our interests and tailored to our needs. First, we went camping on the Great Wall and hiked from Jiankou to Mutianyu, and the next day we got an in-depth tour of the Forbidden City as well as a tour of the Temple of Heaven and a taiji experience in the gardens. Our tour guide, Ivy, was truly wonderful in preparing and organizing our personalized itinerary. She is very friendly and knowledgeable, and she was always able and willing to answer all of our questions. Ivy provided us with a truly amazing first visit to China and I would warmly recommend China Highlights for everyone who wishes to travel to China and I would especially recommend Ivy as a tour guide for your trips! more
May 2023,
Annalina Wheeler
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Tom is the BEST tour guide EVER!
Just had the most AMAZING tour with Tom. He was beyond knowledgeable, so generous with his time and made me feel so at ease which was super important as I am travelling by myself. Thank you Tom for the best day-you have totally made my China trip a fabulous experience, one I will never forget! more
May 2023,
SHARRYN HINCHLIFFFE
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Superb service and wonderful time in Beijing
Superb service from Jack who were with us for 4 wonderful days in Beijing. Jack was clearly knowledgeable about the history and able to deliver insight information to us about places. He was also kind and accommodating to my mother who has bad knees. Both China Highlights and Jack were flexible about the itinerary to ensure that we enjoy the best of Beijing. We'll definitely use China Highlights' services again for our next trip to China. more
May 2023,
Chani
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Amazing Trip
First time booking a trip with China Highlights and was fortunate to have Sunny as my private tour guide. We went to the Jinshanling section of the Great Wall, then arrived and walked around Gubei Water Town, and then visited the Simatai portion of the Great Wall at night. Was a very enjoyable trip as we were able to see a night time drone show in the sky, ride a private boat through the canals of the Gubei Water Town, and eat a delicious lunch at a local restaurant along the way. Sunny is super knowledgeable when it comes to the history of the Great Wall and took the time to explain various interesting facts and stories which made the trip very meaningful. The driver we had was also a very nice man who was always on time and eager to help. Was an unforgettable experience and would highly recommend Sunny and China Highlights :) more
May 2023,
Allen C
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Tour to the great wall from the airport
My guide Tom was ver kind and knowlegable, he explained everything to me about the great wall and even went out of his way to help me the next day at Bejings downtown! amazing service!!! thank you so much Tom! more
May 2023,
Fer Villasefior
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Great tour, fantastic guide!
This tour was fantastic! I loved hearing about the history of the Forbidden City and admiring the views at the Great Wall. William was a fantastic tour guide. We were a group of families with several young children, and he was very accommodating and flexible with timing and arrangements. I totally recommend this tour and William as a guide! more
May 2023,
Ryan Corless
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Four excellent sightseeing days in Beijing
We had wonderful four days in Beijing. The entire trip was tailored exactly to our wishes. From experiencing local food, to exploring the major sites of the city up to hiking the great wall of China. Additionally, we had two amazing guides Ina and Fan taking care of all the tickets and coordination required. Also, they could not only tell us everything about the sights we visited and give us an insight to local customs and traditions, but they did so in perfect German. The chauffeur service from Mr Chang was also excellent, getting us from A to B without any hazzle. The past couple of days were one of the most carefree trips we have had so far. more
May 2023,
Katha
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Great tour from William
Great tour organized by China highlights, our tour guide was William - his knowledge was impressive, his English was great and he was always on time. We did the four day tour including the wall and forbidden city - would definitely recommend to anyone looking for an English tour guide. more
Apr 2023,
Lawrence
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Beijing 2 day private tour
The tour itself was great, private driver to and from, my guide Ivy was great English speaking guide. She was very knowledgeable and passionate about her country. Was a great time exploring the Great Wall of china and then my second day did a city tour (forbidden city, hutong tour, summer palace). Felt extremely safe, and was confident having an English guide. Thank you china highlights. (Provide them what you want and they’ll make it happen). Prices are reasonable as I looked at a few places but for private tour, my own schedule, and confidence of getting around safely you can’t go wrong. more
Apr 2023,
Mark
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Very enjoyable
Everything was to the vest standard, the history all very well explained by the Tour Guide in Beijing, Ivy. Really enjoyed it, and appreciated the time. more
Apr 2023,
Jonathan
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Amazing Beijing Experience
I had an amazing time in Beijing and glad Tom was my tour guide. He went above and beyond and I’m truly grateful. Tom did all that he could to ensure my stay in Beijing for two days was pleasant and thanks to him, I say that it was. The driver was also nice and courteous, I called him Jon. The company is blessed to have a good tour guide like Tom on their team so if you are planning to come down to Beijing, make sure you ask for Tom. Thank you Christy and Kimmy for replying all my emails with questions that I had. more
Apr 2023,
Pedro V
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Great experience
We had a great experience with China Highlights and Roger was highly efficient and helpful planning our itinerary exactly how we needed. more
Apr 2023,
Brenda Sarmanho
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Excellent service and tour guide!!
Excellent service and communication from the travel agent Roger Li and amazing tour and experience of Great Wall of China from our tour guide Amber. Highly recommended! more
Apr 2023,
Evangelos Athanasopoulos
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Maggie was such a tremendous help for…
Maggie was such a tremendous help for our recent Beijing trip. Very prompt and helpful in helping us plan and adjust/amend to our requests. more
Apr 2023,
Hi
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HK-Beijing-Wuhan-Guilin-HK
We travelled first to Beijing for a few days before moving on to Wuhan for the wedding and then for a few days in Guilin along with my son and daughter in law. It was a great trip and all went smothly with the help of the guides we had along the way. William in Beijing and Jenny in Guilin were excellent. Chas in HK was also very helpful in getting us to the right place and the right time to fly home. more
Apr 2023,
Alan Harris
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Travelers' Map of the Great Wall of China near Beijing
The Great Wall mainly covers 15 provincial-level areas: Beijing, Tianjin, Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang, Hebei, Henan, Shandong, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Hubei, Inner Mongolia, Ningxia, Gansu, and Qinghai. The most popular sections to visit are around Beijing's north and east. See the listed top ten sections below to make a simple comparison and decide which section to visit.

Great Wall of China Travel Information
1. Which Great Wall Section I Should Visit?
It depends what you want to do:
Badaling and Juyongguan: Partly wheelchair-friendly and close to Beijing, these two sections are the most popular among Chinese tourists.
Mutianyu: Fully-restored with cable car access, it's the most popular among foreign travelers and recommended for customers who are tight on time (day tours, or layover tours), or for those who want an easy walk. The Great Wall toboggan is only available in this section.
Recommended tour: 1-Day Beijing Highligts Tour with Mutianyu Great Wall
Jinshanling: Half-repaired, it's the most photogenic section with very picturesque scenery and recommended to customers who would like to do some moderate Great Wall hiking.
Recommended tour: 1-Day Jinshanling Great Wall Hiking Tour
Jiankou: The steepest section is now part-repaired (the west part was repaired between 2015 and 2019; the east part is still original Great Wall ruins.) Travelers seeking a challenging experience often like it.
Recommended tour: 1-Day Jiankou to Mutianyu Great Wall Hiking Tour
Simatai: Its wild wall is the only section lit up at night, so it is recommended to customers who would like to have a different experience and appreciate stunning night views of the Great Wall.
Recommended tour: 4-Day Beijing Highlights and Great Wall Night Tour
Gubeikou: also wild, but not very steep, it is the most rural and historically interesting section.
Recommended tour: 3-Day Wild and Wonderful Great Wall Hiking
Huanghuacheng: half-repaired, located by a lake/reservoir, it is recommended for overnight camping on the Great Wall.
Recommended tour: 2-Day Huanghuacheng Lakeside Great Wall Hiking and Camping Tour
Huangyaguan: half-repaired, located in Ji County of Tianjin City, the annual Great Wall Marathon race site is recommended for a time-smart layover tour from Tianjin Cruise port and as part of an in-depth Great Wall hiking tour.
Recommended tour: 5-Day Huangyaguan to Huanghuacheng Great Wall Hiking Tour
2. How long would it take to walk on the Great Wall of China?
For sightseeing: half a day or one day is enough to visit one section of the Great Wall, for example, visiting the Mutianyu Great Wall section from Beijing with our 1-Day Beijing Highlights Tour with a Walk on the Great Wall.
For a more all-encompassing Great Wall of China hiking tour from Beijing: 3–5 days is recommended for discovering 3–6 different sections. For example: our 3-Day Wild and Wonderful Great Wall Hiking or 5-Day "Musical" to "Lakeside" Great Wall Hikes .
For walking the entire length of the Great Wall of China:3–5 months is needed to follow the main line, but 17 months at least are needed to walk the full length of all Great Wall from Jiayuguan to Hushan.
3. Is It Possible to Have a Great Wall Day Trip from Hong Kong?
No. time is not sufficient for a day trip from Hong Kong to the Great Wall.
A layover day trip to the Great Wall of China from a Beijing airport or Tianjin Cruise Port is possible however.
Recommended tour: Great Wall Day Trip from Beijing
More Information about the Great Wall of China


