Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
7am. They would drop you at Jīnshānlǐng, then pick you up four hours later in Sīmǎtái.
The entire journey from Běijīng and back would take up to 12 hours. Downtown Back-
staff there, or with other hostels, for details.
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Taxi
Around ¥900 to ¥1000 return day trip from Běijīng.
Need to Know
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Location
142km from Běijīng
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Price
Summer/winter ¥65/55
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Hours
No official opening hours
Exploring the Wall
Autumn is the best season for hiking around here; in summer you'll be sweating litres, so
load up with water before you go (ever-present hawkers on the wall sell pricey water for
around ¥10 a bottle, or more depending on how thirsty you appear). To commence the
hike to Sīmǎtái, turn left when you reach the wall and keep going. If you need it, there's a
cable car
( lǎn chē; one way/return ¥30/50)
by the west gate ticket office. Arriving at Sīmǎtái you
used to have to buy another ticket to cross a rope bridge (¥5), as well as the entrance ticket
to the Sīmǎtái section. This may change once Sīmǎtái has been reopened after renovation.
Eating
Near the west gate entrance (Xīmén) you'll find a handful of
farmer-style courtyards
(
nóngjiāyuàn; r ¥80-100, meals from ¥30)
which offer food and lodging. The east gate entrance
(Dōngmén), about 2km up from the west gate, has a hotel-lobby-like cafe, with an English
menu. It's always a good idea to bring a packed lunch, though, if you're hiking for any
stretch on the Wall.
CAMPING EQUIPMENT
There are plenty of places to buy camping equipment in Běijīng, but the best place to go in terms of quality and
are branches across the city, but this location on a side road of the middle section of the North 3rd Ring Rd
stands out because it has three outlets side by side, as well as a few smaller cheaper camping shops next door.
