|
Mutianyu Great Wall (daily 8am-4pm; Y10), 90km northeast of the city, is more appealing to most travellers than Badaling as it's somewhat less developed. A two-kilometre section of the wall, well endowed with guard towers, built in 1368 and renovated in 1983, it passes along a ridge through some lush, undulating hills. From the entrance, steep steps lead up to the wall; most people turn left, which leads to the cable car (Y30, students Y15) for an effortless trip down again. Turn right and you can walk along the wall for about 1km until you come to a barrier - you can't get on to the unreconstructed sections. The atmospheric Mutianyu Great Wall Guesthouse (tel 010/69626867; Y100-150), situated in a reconstructed watchtower 500m before this barrier, is a good place for a quiet break; there's no plumbing, so bring some bottled water. To get to Mutianyu, minibuses leave from the street just south of the Great Hall of the People off Tian'anmen Square every morning (Y10) and include four photo stops along the way. You can buy tickets, and check on departure times, the day before from a ticket booth on the pavement. Alternatively, you can get tourist bus #6 from the #42 bus station just south of Dongsishitiao subway station. Buses run from 7-8.30am between April 15 and October 15. Otherwise there are minibuses from Dongzhimen bus station early every morning. Getting there on regular buses won't save you any money, and involves several changes. Returning to the city shouldn't be a hassle provided you don't leave it too late, as plenty of minibuses wait in the car park to take people back to Beijing. If you can't find a minibus back to Beijing, get one to Huairou, from where you can get regular bus #918 back to the capital - the last bus leaves at 6.30pm.
Your Tip for Mutianyu
Help other backpackers! Write your own guides and backpacking tips to Mutianyu - they will appear instantly on this page - Please only write a tip/guide to Mutianyu - visit the main Mutianyu forum to ask a question!
Please do not post links to your site here (they won't work) - please use the Mutianyu webguide section below! Thanks.
|
