How to Get to Badaling Great Wall

 Location: Yanqing District of suburban Beijing
 Distance from Downtown: 70 kilometers (43 miles)
 Single Journey Time: 1 - 3 hours

When traveling to the Badaling Great Wall, the high-speed train offers the fastest way, yet securing tickets can be difficult due to its popularity. The 877 bus departing from Deshengmen and the tour bus departing from Qianmen are both direct routes to the Great Wall of Badaling, which are good options. The S2 train and the 919 bus are also available but not recommended as they do not go directly to Badaling and require a transfer to a shuttle bus. Alternatively, you can choose to rent a car with a driver or join a tour group to avoid the hassle of planning transportation.
 Route: Deshengmen ⇔ Badaling
Schedule from Deshengmen: Apr. 1 - Nov. 15: 06:00 - 12:30; Nov. 16 - Mar. 31: 06:30 - 12:30
Schedule from Badaling: Apr. 1 - Nov. 15: 10:30 - 17:00; Nov. 16 - Mar. 31: 11:00 - 16:30
Interval: 10 - 20 minutes
Single Journey Time: 2 - 3h
Ticket Fare: CNY12; CNY6 with Beijing Transportation Smart Card
Drop-off site: near the entrance and the ticket office

Bus No. 877 to Badaling

Bus 877 Stop

Note: There are always a lot of people standing in line to wait for the bus 877, and it takes about 20 - 40 minutes to queue up to get on.

Where can I take the bus 877? - Bus Station behind Deshengmen Arrow Tower.
1. Take subway line 2 to Jishuitan Subway Station, exit from B2, and go east for about 500 meters (550 yards).
2. Bus line 5, 27, 55, 135, 143, 380, 409, 625, 872, 919, Zhuan 51, or Sightseeing Line 3 are available to reach Deshengmen Bus Stop.
  Route: Qianmen ⇔ Badaling  
 Boarding Point:
From Qianmen: Southwest of Qianmen Arrow Tower, to the south of Tiananmen Square
From Badaling Great Wall: Badaling Guntiangou Parking Lot near the entrance
Drop-off site: near the entrance and the ticket office
 Single Journey Time: 1.5 - 2 hours
 Ticket Fare: CNY80 for a round trip; transportation card is not applicable.
 Operating Time: 7:30 - 11:00 from Qianmen; 13:00 - 16:00 from Badaling Great Wall; depart when all seats are occupied
 How to buy the tickets: Book the tickets one day in advance on the official website of the Beijing Hub of Tour Dispatch, or purchase from the on-site staffs.

  Tip: On the return trip, you can get off at the National Stadium and Water Cube.

How can I go to Qianmen Bus Station?
1. Take subway line 2 to Qianmen subway station, exit from C and go south for about 300 meters (330 yards).
2. Bus Station is located to the southwest of Qianmen Arrow Tower in the south of Tiananmen Square. Bus line 2, 5, 22, 67, 48, 59, 66, 82, 137, 599, 622 and sightseeing line 1 run to Qianmen Bus Station.
  Bus 919 does not run on the expressway and has many stops on the way. Its boarding point is also at Deshengmen, same as bus 877. Therefore, we don't suggest you take bus 919 to Badaling. But if you leave the Great Wall after 16:30 when bus 877 may have left, you can take bus 919 to get back to the city. The return journey takes approximately 2.5 to 3 hours and costs CNY 13.

For the return trip, passengers need to take the free shuttle bus to Badaling Wildlife Park first, then walk westward to the Badaling bus station of 919.

Bus 919

Bus 919 Stop

1. It may not be difficult to take a taxi from downtown Beijing to Badaling. But the taxis are not metered and usually cost around CNY600 - 800 for a round trip. If taking a taxi, you'd better confirm the price with the driver in advance.
2. You can book a private car with a driver if there are 3 or 4 people. The car holding up 4 passengers requires CNY700 - 1,000 for a round trip.  
Ming Tombs is a collection of mausoleums of Chinese emperors of the Ming Dynasty (1368 - 1644 AD). It is 30 kilometers (18.5 miles) from Badaling and is suitable for visiting together with the Badaling Great Wall. After visiting Badaling, you can take bus 879 to reach the Ming Tombs, which takes about 1.5 hours.
 1. Take Airport Express to Dongzhimen and change to subway line 2 to Jishuitan, exit from B2 and then walk for about 500 meters (550 yards) eastward to Deshengmen to take bus line 877.
2. Take Airport Express to Xizhimen and walk to Beijing North Railway Station. Then take a high-speed train to Badaling.
3. Take Airport Express and transfer to line 13 at Dongzhimen, get off at Qinghe Station, and then take a high-speed train to Badaling at Qinghe Railway Station.
 1. Take the Daxing Airport Express to Caoqiao Station and transfer to subway line 19 to Jishuitan, exit from B2, and then walk for about 500 meters (550 yards) to Deshengmen to take bus line 877.
2. Take the Daxing Airport Express to Caoqiao Station and change to subway line 19 to Jishuitan. Transfer to line 2 to Xizhimen, exit from A2, and walk for about 600 meters (660 yards) to Beijing North Railway Station, then take a high-speed train to Badaling.
 1. Take bus line 143 to Deshengmen to take bus line 877.
2. Take subway line 9 to National Library, and transfer to line 4 to Xizhimen. Then transfer to Line 13 to Qinghe and take a high-speed train to Badaling.
3. Take subway line 9 to National Library Station and change to subway line 4 to Xizhimen Station. Then walk to Beijing North Railway Station and take a high speed train.
 1. Take subway line 4 to Xuanwumen and change to line 2 to Jishuitan, exit from B2 and walk about 500 meters (550 yards) to Deshengmen, and then take bus line 877.
2. Take subway line 4 to Xizhimen Station and transfer to line 13 to Qinghe. Then take a high-speed train.
3. Take subway line 4 to Xizhimen Station. Then walk to Beijing North Railway Station and take a high speed train.
4. At 09:00, take the tourist bus to the Badaling Great Wall from Beijing South Railway Station. The one-way fare is CNY50 and the round-trip fare is CNY80, and the journey takes approximately 2 hours.
 1. Take subway line 2 to Jishuitan, exit from B2 and walk about 500 meters (550 yards) to Deshengmen to take bus line 877.
2. Take subway line 2 to Xizhimen Station and transfer to line 13 to Qinghe. Then take a high-speed train.
3. Take subway line 2 to Xizhimen Station. Then walk to Beijing North Railway Station and take a high speed train.

 See also

How to Get to the Great Wall of China from Beijing

How to Get to the Great Wall of China from Beijing Airport

How to Get to the Great Wall from Shanghai  

How to Get to the Great Wall from Hong Kong