Badaling vs Mutianyu - Is Badaling or Mutianyu Better?

Written by Matteo Updated Aug. 15, 2024

Both the Mutianyu Great Wall and the Badaling Great Wall are famous sections of the Great Wall of China, each with its unique charm and features. However, choosing which section of the Great Wall to visit is a common problem.

Brief Comparison Between Badaling and Mutianyu

Badaling and Mutianyu each have their advantages and disadvantages, and they are both valuable cultural heritages in China. However, from a tourist perspective, I do not recommend you to visit Badaling, due to its high popularity, which attracts many tourists every year.

Mutianyu is continuously improving its entertainment facilities, offering cable cars, Chairlifts, and toboggan, suitable for people of all ages. What's more, it is not as crowded as Badaling, allowing you to better enjoy the scenery of the Great Wall.

Feature Badaling Mutianyu
Location Yanqing District, Beijing Huairou District, Beijing
Distance 70 kilometers 73 kilometers
Ticket Price CNY40 for an adult CNY40 for an adult
Opening Hour 6:30-16:30 (April-October); 7:30-16:00 (November-March) 7:00-17:00
Facility Cable Car, Toboggan  Cable Car, Chairlift, Toboggan 
Accessibility Available Available
Transportation High-speed Trains, Tourist Buses Tourist Buses
Railway Station Badaling Railway Station
Badaling Great Wall Railway Station
/
Night Tour North 4-South 4 Watchtower 10-15
Slope Steep Flat
Visiting Time Half a Day Half a Day
Best Time to Visit Spring Autumn

1. The transportation of Badaling is more convenient than that of Mutianyu.

Badaling is the only section of the Great Wall that has a railway Station. The high-speed train starts from Beijing North Railway Station or Qinghe Railway Station and arrives at Badaling Great Wall Station. The fastest train takes 19 minutes to arrive with a price of CNY 23. Walk 140 meters out of the railway station and you can get to the ticket office.

The Best way to get to the Great Wall from Beijing
The Best way to get to the Great Wall from Beijing

Beijing to Badaling Great Wall High-speed Train

Train Number Departure Time Arrival Time Duration
D1023 6:10 7:05 55 minutes
G7831 7:46 8:31 45 minutes
D6703 8:33 9:05 32 minutes
D6723 9:01 9:23 22 minutes
D1025 10:05 10:27 22 minutes
G7833 11:47 12:14 27 minutes
D1009 12:06 12:28 22 minutes
D6719 14:04 14:26 22 minutes
G7835 15:32 15:51 19 minutes
D6727 17:27 18:05 38 minutes
D1019 18:21 18:43 22 minutes
D1021 19:51 20:13 22 minutes
D6729 20:37 20:59 22 minutes

Beijing to Badaling Great Wall High-speed Train Cost

Seat Business Class First Class Second Class
Price CNY68 CNY36 CNY23
USD9.5 USD5 USD3

Note: the above train schedules and prices are for reference only. You can check other schedules on China Train.

However, there is no railway station at Mutianyu Great Wall. You can take the subway Line 2 or Line 13 to Dongzhimen Station, get out from Exit C, and then take the tourist bus to Mutianyu, which takes 90 minutes.

Departure Time Arrival Time Return Time Price
6:30 8:00 13:00 CNY40 for a single trip
CNY80 for a round trip
8:00 9:30 14:30
10:00 11:30 17:00

2. Badaling attracts more people than Mutianyu.

Badaling Great Wal is the first section of the Great Wall open to tourists. Many people only know that there is the Badaling Great Wall in China, which attracts a large number of tourists, especially during public holidays and weekends. Some scenic spots in Beijing's urban areas are closed on Mondays, so some tourists begin to flock to Badaling.

There are not so many tourists at Mutianyu Great Wall. Here you can have a better experience, walking leisurely on the Great Wall and enjoying the scenery. Moreover, the Mutianyu Great Wall is relatively flat, which is suitable for the elderly and children.

3. Both Badaling and Mutianyu boast beautiful scenery.

In autumn, the vegetation on the Badaling Great Wall turns red, and the best viewing spot is between North Watchtower 10 and North Watchtower 11.

Mutianyu Great Wall is rich in plant species, with a vegetation coverage rate of 96%. The scenery varies throughout the four seasons, and autumn is the most beautiful season, with red and golden leaves intertwining. The viewing spot is between Watchtower 6 and Watchtower 14.

Autum Scenery in Mutianyu
Autumn Scenery at Mutianyu

4. Both Badaling and Mutianyu have Their unique attractions.

Badaling Great Wall has Haohan Monument (South 4), Haohan Stone (North 4), and Haohan Slope (North 8). In addition, there are indoor amusement places such as the Great Wall Museum, cinema, and Bear Park for tourists to visit.

Mutianyu Great Wall's Watchtower 15 features a graffiti wall and was the filming location for the Chinese movie "If You Are the One 2" (非诚勿扰). The Haohanpo is located at Watchtower 20, and the representative buildings are the Zhengguan Platform and the Dajiao Tower.

5. Mutianyu has more watchtowers than Badaling.

Badaling has 19 watchtowers open to visitors, covering a distance of 3,741 meters, with 12 to the north and 7 to the south.

Badaling Great Wall Tour Map
Badaling Great Wall Tour Map

Mutianyu has 20 watchtowers open to visitors, covering a distance of 5,400 meters, providing a better hiking experience. Beyond Watchtower 20 at Mutianyu is considered part of the wild Great Wall and is not open.

Mutianyu Great Wall Tour Map
Mutianyu Great Wall Tour Map

6. Both have well-developed entertainment facility

 A Cable Car in Mutianyu
A Cable Car at Mutianyu

Badaling has a commercial street where you can taste all kinds of delicious food, as well as various restaurants such as Mr. Lee, KFC, and Starbucks. Inside the scenic area, there are cable cars and slide-ways, providing every visitor at the foot of the Great Wall with the opportunity to ascend to the wall.

Facility at Badaling Route Capacity Price
Cable Car Guitiangou Parking Lot-North 8 8 CNY100 for a single trip
CNY140 for a round trip
Toboggan North 4-Bear Park 2 CNY80 for a single trip
CNY120 for a round trip

Mutianyu has a cable car, chairlift, and toboggan. The ropeway is 723 meters long with a cable car speed of 3.5 meters per second. It was awarded the 5S rope way certification by the China Rope Way Association in 2011, becoming the first 5S ropeway in Beijing. There are also observation telescopes in the scenic area, allowing visitors to see different scenery from a different angle.

Facility at Mutianyu Route Capacity Price
Cable Car North Ticket Entrance - watchtower 14 6 CNY100 for a single trip
CNY140 for a round trip
Chairlift Between watchtower 5 and watchtower 6 - South Ticket Entrance 2
Toboggan

7. The slope of Mutianyu is more gentle.

Mutianyu has a cable car, chairlift, and toboggan, After getting off the cable car, from Watchtower 14 to Watchtower 18 is a scenic Great Wall, which is beautiful with a gentle slope, and most of the tour is concentrated here.

The steepest part of Badaling is between Watchtower 7 and Watchtower 8 in North, also known as Haohanpo. There are no stairs in this section of the Great Wall. You can crawl slowly by holding the handrail, which is not very friendly to the elderly and children.

To Sum Up

There are many transportation options available for visiting the Great Wall at Badaling. Taking a tourist bus can be prone to traffic jams and difficulties in purchasing tickets, and the crowded conditions within the scenic area may not provide the best experience.

On the contrary, Mutianyu is less crowded, with relatively flat terrain, offering the opportunity to walk along 20 enemy towers. The cable cars and chairlifts within the scenic area are conveniently located, allowing you to easily descend the mountain if you prefer not to continue walking.

You can learn how to plan a Great Wall tour by yourself.

Plan a Mutianyu Great Wall Tour With Us

Discover the wonders of the Great Wall with our popular tour package. Click to embark on an unforgettable journey through history!

Mutianyu Great Wall

You can also customize your Great Wall tour with us. We will arrange for a driver to pick you up from your hotel or the airport, and take you to the Great Wall scenic area or wherever you'd like to go, with no stops in between, saving you a lot of time.

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