Badaling Great Wall-Opening Hours/Ticket Prices
The Badaling Great Wall stretches for 7,600 meters. After numerous renovations, the tourist-accessible portion of the Badaling Great Wall measures 3,741 meters, with the southern segment being 1,176 meters and the northern segment 2,565 meters.
Badaling Great Wall is the best-preserved and most representative segment of the Ming Dynasty Great Wall. It is also the earliest section of the Great Wall opened to tourists.
Quick Facts About Badaling Great Wall
- Name in Chinese: Bādálǐng Chángchéng 八达岭长城
- Opening Hours: 6:30-16:30 (April-October); 7:30-16:00 (November-March)
- Ticket Price: 40 RMB/person (April-October), 35 RMB/person (November-March)
- Cable Car: 100 RMB/one-way, 140 RMB/round-trip
- Location: Yanqing District, Beijing
Why is Badaling So Popular
Badaling Great Wall is the best-preserved and most representative section of the Ming Dynasty Great Wall. It is also the earliest part of the Great Wall that was opened to tourists.
Why is it Called Badaling Great Wall
The name "Bada" is derived from the Chinese four-character 四通八达, which means that the transportation is convenient and can reach every place. Badaling connects Yanqing, Chicheng, Mongolia in the north, Zhangjiakou, Huailai, Xuanhua, and Datong in the west, Yongning, Sihai in the east, Changping and Beijing in the south, and it can go to cities in every direction.
How to Get to Badaling Great Wall From Beijing
Option 1: Tourist Bus
From Deshengmen bus station, take Bus 877 to Badaling Great Wall. It operates from 6:00 to 12:30 with a cost of CNY12.
Option 2: S2 train
Arrive at Huoying (霍营) station by metro line 8 or line 13 and then walk from Exit G4 to Huangtudian (黄土店) Railway Station. From Huangtudian, take the S2 train and get off at Badaling Railway Station with a cost of CNY8 and takes about 1 hour. The train leaves every 83 minutes from Huangtudian from 7:46 to 21:04.
Option 3: high-speed train
You can take the bullet train at Beijing North Station and get off at Badaling Great Wall Station. The journey takes about only about 20 minutes. The ticket price for a second class is about CNY30, the first class is about CNY40.
Here is more about traveling from Beijing downtown to Badaling Great Wall.
How to Get to Badaling Great Wall From Beijing Airport
Option 1: take a Taxi
From Capital Airport: more than 1 hour, around CNY250.
From Daxing Airport: 2 hours, around CNY400.
Option 2: by subway+high speed
From Capital Airport: take the Capital Airport Express to Dongzhimen Station, transfer to Line 2, get off at Chegongzhuang Station, exit from B, and take Bus 80 to Yuyutaoyuan Station. Then walk 840 meters to reach Beijing North Railway Station. The total journey time is 80 minutes, and the ticket price is CNY30.
From Beijing North Railway Station, take the high-speed train to Badaling Great Wall Station, which takes about 1 hour. The price for a second-class seat is CNY25.
From Daxing Airport: take the Daxing Airport Subway Line to Caoqiao Station, transfer to Line 19, and get off at Ping'anli Station. Exit from K, and take Bus 7 to Xizhimennei Station. Then walk 900 meters to reach Beijing North Railway Station. The total journey time is 80 minutes, and the ticket price is CNY40.
Since the Badaling Great Wall is a popular tourist attraction, it can be quite challenging to purchase train tickets to get there. I recommend a private transfer service. We will arrange a driver to pick you up from the train station or airport and take you to your hotel or directly to Badaling Great Wall, or anywhere you wish to go, saving you a lot of time.
Even if you have a lot of luggage, our vehicles can ensure that everyone has a seat. Additionally, there will be an English-speaking tour guide on board.
Read more on Beijing Airport to the Great Wall.
Is Badaling or Mutianyu Better
I wouldn't recommend visiting the Badaling Great Wall because it's usually crowded with tourists, which may affect your travel experience. On the other hand, Mutianyu Great Wall boasts well-equipped amusement facilities suitable for almost all age groups. Unlike Badaling, it's not as crowded, allowing you to appreciate the scenery of the Great Wall better.
Unfortunately, we can't help you book tickets for the Badaling Great Wall alone, but you can search for the Badaling Great Wall mini program (八达岭长城小程序) on WeChat to reserve a ticket or book a tour with us to Mutianyu Great Wall, which boasts the highest vegetation coverage among the Great Walls and offers breathtaking photo opportunities.
- Beijing Capital Airport to Mutianyu Great Wall Half-Day Tour
- Beijing to The Forbidden City and Mutianyu Great Wall
Read more on the comparison between Badaling and Mutianyu.
How Much Time to Spend in Badaling
Badaling Great Wall, the entire journey takes approximately 2 to 3 hours by walking. If there are elderly people and children in your group, and you enjoy taking photos, it may take 3 to 4 hours. However, the visiting time will be shortened accordingly, typically around 2.5 hours take a cable car.
When Was the Badaling Great Wall Resorted
Since its restoration and opening to tourists in 1952, the Badaling Great Wall was listed as one of the first key cultural relics protection units nationwide by the State Council in 1961. In 1984, 19 watchtowers and 3,757 meters of the city wall were restored.
What is the Difference Between the North and South Great Walls of Badaling
The South Great Wall of Badaling has 7 watchtowers, while the North Great Wall of Badaling boasts 12 and is relatively challenging to climb. The South Great Wall of Badaling is relatively shorter in length. In contrast, the North Great Wall of Badaling is longer and offers the most scenic views. The Hero's Slope is also located on the northern side.
Cable Car and Toboggan at Badaling Great Wall
| Facility in Badaling | Route | Capacity | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cable Car | Guitiangou Parking-North 8 | 8 | CNY 100 for a single trip CNY 140 for a round trip |
| Toboggan | North 4-Bear Park | 2 | CNY 80 for a single trip CNY 120 for a round trip |
Best Time to Visit Badaling
The best time to visit the Great Wall is during spring and autumn, which are the off-peak seasons for tourism. There are relatively fewer tourists in the scenic areas during these periods, and the climate is mild in these two seasons, making it ideal for hiking up the Great Wall.
Highlights of the Badaling Great Wall
Pass City
The Badaling section of the Great Wall consists of two-pass cities. One is the eastern pass city, Juyong Outer Town formerly simply called Guan "Pass", which is an important outpost of the Juyong Pass. The other is the western pass city - Bei Men Suo Yao, or the "The Lock and Key of the Northern Gate", a name that refers to the generals who defended northern China.
Turnoff City
Near present-day Badaling Railway Station stands a huge, magnificent castle. It was formerly a turnoff point from the main route, hence the name - the former commanding officer of the famous "Lock and Key of the Northern Gate" pass city outpost. In ancient times, there were three senior guards stationed here, supported by 800 regular soldiers.
Ancient Cannon
Displayed near the entrance to the Badaling Great Wall are five pieces of ancient iron cannons, made in 1638 and representing the most advanced heavy weaponry of the Ming Dynasty. The largest among the five weapons is a 2.85-meter-long, 105 mm caliber cannon, with a huge cache of 105 mm caliber cannon shots.
Ramparts
Badaling is generally considered the most archetypical and imposing portion of the Ming Dynasty Great Wall. The outer part of the rampart wall is made of large, rectangular rampart bricks, as is the parapet or walking surface. The outer (facing the enemy) rampart walls are between 1.7 and 2.0 meters in height and crenelated. The entire rampart sits so snugly atop the supporting wall that not even a blade of grass can grow in the space that separates the two.
This amazing feat, combined with the wall's ingenious water discharge system, reflects the enviable talent of ancient Chinese architects and engineers.
City Dais
The city dais, aka wall dais, is a platform structure with battlements on its top. It served a dual purpose: as a watchtower and as a platform from which to defend the wall during enemy attacks. There is a wall dais for every 500 meters of wall, again emphasizing the strategic importance of the Badaling stretch of the Great Wall. The platform on top of Badaling's Pass City gate is a typical city dais.
Watch Dias
Also called a watchtower, the watch dais is usually a rectangular, two-storeyed structure built as an integral part of the rampart. The ground-level storey of a watchtower served both as a depot for weapons and as an active defensive structure.
It has numerous small portholes through which arrows can be shot or spears jabbed at would-be scalers of the wall. The upper storey contains battlements, peepholes, and yet more portholes for archers, as well as a set of beacon towers (see the separate description of beacon towers farther below) for sending out warnings. Located at regular intervals, watchtowers were a very important defensive component of the Great Wall.