BJ57: 2 Days Guided Jinshanling Great Wall Hiking

Today, our experienced guide will pick you up from your own booked hotel in Beijing downtown and escort you to Jinshanling Great Wall by public transport. After arrival, assist you to choose a hostel or a farmyard around per your preference and check in. If it is during Chinese public holidays and weekends, we highly advise you to book the accommodation in advance. Usually, it will be around noon upon arrival. So after settling down, have lunch at first and then the guide will lead you to enjoy today’s hiking on the Great Wall. Finally, send you back to the hostel or farmyard for overnight stay.

 It is a guided tour by eco-friendly public transport and walk. If you need a private car, feel free to contact our travel consultants to arrange it for you.

Here, we list three ways to get there and the guide will choose the best one after checking the real-time traffic conditions.

1. Bus No. 858

→ Take subway line 14 East Section to Laiguangying station and leave from exit D. 
→ Then walk east and turn south at the crossroad. After several minutes’ walking for around 200 meters (220 yards) in total, find the bus stop of Laiguangying Lukounan. 
→ Get on the bus No. 858 to Luanping Bus Station. This bus ride takes about 2 hours. The bus serves about every 1h 10min during 07:00-16:30.
→ Getting out of Luanping bus station, take a taxi or a private car hailed on one of those apps to the scenic area, which needs about 40 minutes on the way. 

2. Dongzhimen – Jinshanling Tourism Bus

 Boarding point: About 200 meters (220 yards) to the north of Dongzhimen Public Transportation Hub. The guide will accompany you there from your hotel by subway line 2 or line 13. 
 Departure time: 07:40, 08:20. It does not serve from November 16 to April 1 and when there are less than 20 passengers. 
 Return time: 15:30, 16:00
 Travel time: around 2.5 hours 

3. Dongzhimen - Gubei Water Town - Jinshanling

→ Take subway line 2 or line 13 to Donzhimen and get out from exit E and walk northward for about 800 meters (880 yards) along Dongzhimenwai Xiejie to Dongzhimenwai Bus Stop
→ Transfer to the tourism bus to Gubei Water Town. The buses leave at 09:00 and 13:00, and return at 12:00 and 17:00. The ride takes about 2 hours. 
→ Hire a taxi or a private car on the apps to Jinshanling, which needs about 20 to 30 minutes on the way. 

Divided by the Big and Small Jinshan Towers, Jinshanling Great Wall is separated as East Section and West Section. Today, the guide will lead you to enter the scenic area from the main gate, climb up to Zhuanduokou Pass, and then head along the West Section to Six-window Tower, via Western Terrace, West Five-window and Taochun Tower. This section is relatively original. Before going back the same way, you can watch the sunset at the Six-window Tower. 

This hiking route is around 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) long in total and needs 2 hours or so. So it is a relaxing day and you can follow the guide to visit the man-made wonder and enjoy the surrounding scenery at a leisurely pace. During the visit, the guide will also tell you some interesting stories about the great architecture. 

Today, the guide will escort you to explore the East Section of the Jinshanling Great Wall. After coming down, have lunch, check out from the hotel or farmyard and reverse the coming way and send you all the way back to your hotel in Beijing. 

Climb the Great Wall from Zhuanduokou Pass as the first day. Then go hiking eastward to Shalingkou Pass, Heigu Tower, Small Jinshan Tower, Big Jinshan Tower, Houchuankou Pass and end at East Five-window Tower. After, go back to Houchuankou and come down from there to reach the front gate. 

The total hiking distance today reaches 10 kilometers (3.1 miles), and it takes 5-6 hours to complete it.

1. Jinshanling Great Wall Hotel
It is right beside the entrance of Jinshanling Scenic Area. With a small supermarket and a cafe, it is very convenient to live there. The room price ranges from CNY600 to CNY 3,200 per night, at an average level of CNY900 or so. Guests requiring high demand of accommodation can choose it.

Friendly Tips: Please do not expect too much before booking. It is in the scenic area so the advantage is its location; however the facilities and services are not comparable to that in downtown area though it is a five star hotel.

2. There are also plenty of hostels and farmyards around the entrance or the farther Hualuogou Village. The cost is lower, ranging from CNY100 to 500 per room per night, but the facilities and services are not so good. You may choose one of them if you do not require high accommodation conditions and with limited budget. It would be better to book online and talk over the transfer service with the staff ahead of schedule.

1. It is necessary to wear antiskid shoes suitable for climbing and lightweight clothes.

2. Jinshanling Great Wall is a good place to hike and a paradise for photographers. The most magnificent is the scenery in the morning and evening. Also, the cloud, mist and rainbow after the rain in summer and autumn are great. May to October is the best time to take amazing pictures.

3. Hiking is energy-consuming, you can prepare some snacks, water and high-calorie food.

4. Remember to wear warm clothes in the morning and evening and pay attention to sun protection in summer.

5. If you decide to have an independent travel, we recommend you to get a Chinese phone number and download a translation app in advance to facilitate the communication.