Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
an architectural award at the 2002 Venice Biennale) and is run as a small boutique hotel. If
you can't afford their rates - it's ex
pensiv
e - you can take a tour of the complex for
￥
120,
or pop in for lunch (around
￥
400).
￥
1830
Juyong Pass
居庸关
, jūyōng guān • Daily 8am-6pm •
￥
45
The closest section to Beijing, the wall at
Juyong Pass
, only fifteen minutes' bus ride south
of the Badaling section, has been rather over-restored by enthusiastic builders. That said,
it's not too popular, and thus not too crowded. Strategically, this was an important stretch,
guarding the way to the capital, just 50km away. From the two-storey gate, the wall climbs
steeply in both directions, passing through modern copies of the mostly Ming fortifications.
The most interesting structure, and one of the few genuinely old ones, is the intricately carved
stone base of a long-vanished stupa just beyond here. Access to unreconstructed sections is
blocked, but you can walk for about an hour in either direction.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: JUYONG PASS
By bus
You can catch the ordinary (not luxury) bus #919 (2hr;
￥
7) from Deshengmen bus
station (near Jishuitan subway stop), which stops here on the way to and from Badaling.
By tourist bus
Tourist buses
from Qianmen stop here on their way to Badaling.
Mutianyu
慕田峪
, mùtiányù • Daily 7am-6pm •
￥
45 • Cable car
￥
80 return; chairlift
￥
40 each way
The
Mutianyu Great Wall
, 90km northeast of the city, is the second most popular point on
the wall after Badaling, though since it receives relatively few tour buses it's a noticeably
quieter place. It's geared towards families, with a cable car, chairlifts and tobogganing facil-
ities. The wall itself passes along a ridge through some lush, undulating hills. Well endowed
with guard towers, it was built in 1368 and renovated in 1983.
From the entrance, steep steps lead up to the wall; you can get a cable car up, though it's
not far to walk. The stretch of wall you can walk here is about 3km long - barriers in both
directions stop you continuing any further.
ARRIVAL AND INFORMATION: MUTIANYU
However you reach Mutianyu, returning by other means shouldn't be a hassle, provided you
do so before 6pm: plenty of minibuses wait in the car park to take people back to the city.
If you can't find a minibus back to Beijing, get one to the town of
Huairou
(
怀柔
, huáiróu),
from where you can get regular bus #916 back to the capital - the last bus leaves at 6.30pm.
Bybus
Take bus #916 from Dongzhimen to Huairou (1hrs;
￥
12); get off at Mingzhu Square,
where you can catch a minibus to the wall (
￥
20 per person).
Tourist information
mutianyugreatwall.net
is a good source of up-to-date information.
