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
Discover real reviews of Highlights Travel Family's best-rated service across trusted platforms.
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The tour was of The Greta Wall of China
The tour was excellent. Selinda was very knowledgeable about all the aspects of our tour. Selinda was very interesting and knew so much Chinese history more
Mar 2024, Alice W
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Beautiful Beijing with Ethan & Mr. Chen
Ethan, our wonderful guide, whose praises we can not sing loudly enough, was compassionate, caring, and overall endearing! His sense of ease and familiarity with each sight, which were unfamiliar wonders to us, provided a sense of peacefulness that facilitated full enjoyment - helped too by his punctuality and attention to detail. more
Feb 2024, apisn2023
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The Highlights and High Life of Beijing with Ethan & Mr. Chen
Ethan, our wonderful tour guide, made our entire trip an absolute joy for us as he was extraordinarily caring, considerate, and generous. Having had the pleasure of taking in the sights of Beijing previously with another lovely guide, Angela, it was spectacular not only to show the family how fantastic the city is but also how high the quality of services provided by China Highlights are. Each day unveiled a new treasure, helpfully detailed by Ethan, and punctuated by delicious and varied local food. Our driver, Mr. Chen, was also a delight, and was equally as key to the overall experience as he was both attentive and almost mystically punctual! more
Feb 2024, Apis
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Great Time in Beijing
Our 4-day experience in Beijing was unforgettable. Our guide, Selinda, opened the doors to the city's millennia-old history and culture with her knowledge, kindness, and courtesy. We discovered magnificent places, tasted delicious food, and stayed in clean hotels, all accompanied by safe and reliable transportation service. We recommend traveling with China Highlights. more
Feb 2024, Nicola B
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3rd time the charm, is being charmed for the 3rd time.
This is my 3rd tour of Beijing in the last 18 months and I think that speaks a little to the quality of service you get with China Highlights. Each time the sites are the same but each tour guide managed to present them in new and wonderful ways. Also some attractions that were undergoing renovations have been completed, so there were new things to see as well.A big thanks to Mr. Michael, our tour this time around. He was very gregarious and knowledgeable about all the sites. more
Feb 2024, Jonathan Mueller
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3rd time the charm, is charmed for the 3rd time
The sites stay the same but each time we have done this tour, the tour guides manage to make it feel like it is the first time you are experiencing it. And, with the constant renovations, this time we were able to see previous areas that were unavailable the last time we came. more
Feb 2024, Jonathan M
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Great trip and experience!
From beginning to end, China Highlights was very courteous, responsive and attentive in planning and executing a great trip!Aspects and execution of the trip was as discussed and was an overall great experience. Our guide, Michael, was very kind and knowledgeable throughout the tour and would address all questions and help us take lots of photos. Would definitely travel with China Highlights again! more
Feb 2024, Karol
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3rd the charm is charmed for the 3rd time
This is my 3rd tour of Beijing in the last 18 months and I think that speaks a little to the quality of service you get with China Highlights. Each time the sites are the same but each tour guide managed to present them in new and wonderful ways. Also some attractions that were undergoing renovations have been completed, so there were new things to see as well.A big thanks to Mr. Michael, our tour this time around. He was very gregarious and knowledgeable about all the sites. more
Feb 2024, jkjmueller
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1 Day in Beijing
Nice views, Not too much people, Jessi (guide ) so friendly and she have a great service & she knows the answer of all your questions more
Feb 2024, Fernando J
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Fabulous day!
Jesse He ,she is a nice tourist guide patience and take good care for us. We had a wonderful time in Beijing,we did the forbidden city and greatwall We love everything ! more
Feb 2024, Charon R
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Private trip in Beijing and Luoyang
We spent 3 days in Beijing with Helen as our guide. We went to TianAnMen, Forbidden City and MuTianYu Great Wall to name a few. Helen took great care of us and is very attentive as I travel with my 60+ years old parents, from asking whether we need restroom breaks to making sure that our lunch were all according to our dietary needs more
Jan 2024, Iriana Iriana
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An excellent day with Linda
Linda (Ling ling)is a great tour guide,provide a lot of knowledge and history of the great wall,and took us to taste very delicious food too,we had a very good time with her!highly recommend her! more
Jan 2024, Angeline Lim
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Great time in Beijing with Bruce
We stayed in Beijing for three days altogether. We went to the summer palace. the Tian'an'men square, the Forbidden City,the Temple of heaven and the Great Wall. Our tour guide Bruce is very friendly and speaks English fluently. He explained every scenic spot to us patiently and humorously. my family are very satisfied with his service. more
Jan 2024, Mayra C
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Bucket List Trip to China
My first stop in China was Beijing. Ethan was my guide there. Daily, they would pick me up and take me to the spots on the itinerary. He helped me plan outside activities like a Chinese acrobat show. He even walked me to my seat in my theater so I could easily find my correct chair. What was most helpful was Ethan waiting with me at the train station and even helping me on to my seat and giving the train attendant my meal order. Very little English was spoken by the train attendant. more
Jan 2024, Megan Sandbothe
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Great Wall at Jinshanling
We went to the Great Wall at Jinshanling which is a very beautiful place which is not that busy. In fact most of the time it felt like we were alone on the wall.The tourguide (Jack) was very knowledgeable and very friendly.A big thumbs up more
Jan 2024, Onno
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Private trip in Beijing and Luoyang
We spent 3 days in Beijing with Helen as our guide. We went to TianAnMen, Forbidden City and MuTianYu Great Wall to name a few. Helen took great care of us and is very attentive as I travel with my 60+ years old parents, from asking whether we need restroom breaks to making sure that our lunch were all according to our dietary needs. We had great 3 days in Beijing.We also visited Luoyang. Our travel advisor arranged a Business class seat for our high speed train to Luoyang. We were picked up at the station by our guide in Luoyang, Lisa. We then visited Dengfeng to see Songyang academy, shaolin temple, Luoyang grottoes. She also took care of us very well and very knowledgeable about the history. more
Jan 2024, lriana lriana
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Beijing 2024
We traveled to Beijing with China Highlights in January 2024. Our tour guide Ethan was organized and knowledgeable which made our trip seamless and very interesting!! He helpfully suggested additional activities if we had time in the evenings and assisted us in booking tickets for them. Visiting the Mutianyu Great wall of China was a big highlight of our time in Beijing! more
Jan 2024, Lydia
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Beijing 2024
We traveled to Beijing with China Highlights in January 2024. Our tour guide Ethan was organized and knowledgeable which made our trip seamless and very interesting!! He helpfully suggested additional activities if we had time in the evenings and assisted us in booking tickets for them. Visiting the Mutianyu Great wall of China was a big highlight of our time in Beijing more
Jan 2024, Explore49612084715
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Beijing
Fantastic couple days in Beijing. Thank you to my guide Mark who eloquently relayed stories about China history and culture. more
Jan 2024, Steve P
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Jack is an excellent guide
Jack is an excellent guide, very patient, punctual, wonderful command of english. I recommend him any day. more
Jan 2024, Brahma
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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