Beijing's Top Sights - Beijing - page 359

Jīnshānlǐng
The Jīnshānlǐng section of the Great Wall, near the small town of Gǔběikǒu, marks the
starting point of an exhilarating 7km hike to Sīmǎtái. The adventure - winding through
stunningly remote mountainous terrain - takes three to four hours as the trail is steep and
parts of the wall have collapsed, but it can be traversed without too much difficulty if you
are reasonably fit. Note that the watchtowers are in various states of preservation and
some have been stripped of their bricks. The scenery is perhaps less picturesque than at,
say, Jiànkòu. Here, the landscape is drier and starker, but arguably more powerful, and it
leaves you feeling that you're hiking through genuinely remote territory.
Top Tip
It can be a long trip out here so take the stress out of having to rush back the same day by
arriving mid-afternoon and hunting around near the West Gate (Xīmén) for lodgings.
Rooms range from ¥50 to ¥100. Look for signs on buildings saying ' ' ( nóngjiāyuàn ).
You can then mount your assault on the Wall the next morning.
Getting There & Away
» Local Bus There are two options: the first is to catch a bus to Chéngdé (¥85, 2½ hours)
from Sìhuì long-distance bus station OFFLINE MAP ( Sìhuì Chángtú Qìchēzhàn), a 200m walk
southeast of Sihui subway station, and tell the driver you want to get off at Jīnshānlǐng.
You'll be dropped at a service station on the highway, about 1km from the east gate ticket
office of Jīnshānlǐng (walk back under the highway and keep going). Note, you have to
pay the full-price ¥85 ticket to Chéngdé, even though you'll be getting off early at Jīn-
shānlǐng. Your second option is to catch bus 980 from Dongzhimen Transport Hub (Dōng-
zhímén Shūniǔzhàn; OFFLINE MAP ) to Mìyún (¥15), and then take a taxi to Jīnshānlǐng (one-
way ¥50). The last 980 bus back to Běijīng leaves Mìyún at 7pm. Chéngdé-Běijīng buses
run along the main highway until mid-evening and usually have spare seats if you flag one
down at the service station.
» Tourist Bus A special tourist bus (Jīnshānlǐng Chángchéng Lǚyóu bānchē zhuānxiàn;
¥120, two hours) leaves once a day for Jīnshānlǐng from Dongzhimen Wai bus stand
( OFFLINE MAP ) at 8am and returns from Jīnshānlǐng at 3pm.
» Tours Youth hostels used to run highly recommended early-morning trips by minibus
(excluding/including admission ¥180/260) to Jīnshānlǐng for the four-hour hike to Sīmǎtái
- at the time, this was the best way to visit Sīmǎtái. Buses usually left at around 6am or