Traveler Description
First built in the mid-6th century during the Northern Qi dynasty, this is one of the best-preserved parts of the Great Wall that was used as the northern barrier defending the capital and imperial tombs.

Address: Huairou County
Phone: 86-10-61626873


Traveler Reviews

Great!!
Reviewed by A TripAdvisor Member on Oct 7, 2008


We visited the Great Wall at Mutianyu. We had an excellent day, with warm sunny weather. We had booked John?s services several months ago, and he collected us as promised at 8am sharp from the hotel, we had asked the hotel concierge to call John the day before as we had had a last minute change of hotel. John was very friendly and took us first to the Olympic Stadium, we could only get as close as across the road but managed a couple of pictures. John chatted to us on the way to the wall, pointing out a few things of interest. It took about 11/2 hours to the wall, including the stop at the stadium. Once at the wall John showed us where to buy the tickets. We wanted the cable car up and the toboggan down, and didn?t realise that these and entry to the wall are run by different companies. We got to the wall around 9.30am, and the tour buses had not arrived by then, when we came down the wall at around 12 pm the crowds were beginning to gather, but at no time during the day could it be described as particularly busy. Once we had got the tickets we got the cable car up to the wall, we had a car to ourselves. When we got to the top, we turned right and strolled along the wall towards the toboggan, having regular stops for photos. It took about 11/2 hours to get to the toboggan run, and it was great fun on the 5 minute ride down, the guards were shouting no photos on the way down as they do not want you stopping. We think we picked the best option as from the cable car to the toboggan seemed to be more down the stairs than up which was great as there are many, a few of which are around 12inches high! Walking this way the exit to the toboggan was on the right hand side though we did not see any signage to advise the way for this we were just lucky to find it. We think there was a ramp although we used a ladder in 1 of the huts to get down. From the wall we headed back to the north entrance of the Temple of Heaven, and spent an hour strolling through the park. John collected us at the south entrance to the park and from there we went to the Pearl Market for a bit of shopping (tip?bargain HARD!!). John came in with us for a while, and then dropped us off at the hotel around 6pm. We would highly recommend John, he is perhaps a little more expensive than some other guides (we paid 1000RMB) but his car is comfortable and clean, he drove well and we were happy to have a safe, enjoyable day and got to see what we wanted.

Amazing and challenging enough!
Reviewed by A TripAdvisor Member on Aug 14, 2008


I am writing a short review confirming what has already been written. This was the only part of the Great Wall we visited and it was both strenuous and amazing. I thought I would return another day for the more challenging hike between Jinshanling and Simatai. But if you follow directions given below (and that of others), this was plenty challenging for all of us, teenagers included. It took us several hours in the very hot summer sun to go up the cable car, turn left to the end (tower 20), then return past the starting point to the slide down (at tower 6). We are in reasonable shape and this was definitely enough for us. I never returned for the other sections of the wall. All things considered, I would do this section over the others since this is less crowded apparently than Bandaling and is only 2 hours away compared to the longer Jinshanling and Simatai hike which is a much greater distance from Beijing. Come here first and you will see that the views are unequalled and it is plenty challenging enough! TIPS--Do take the slide down. It was worth it. Remember to bring money. As much as you want the cold bottled water or Coke that is being sold every 100 feet or so, realize that they are asking 3 times what they will sell it to a Chinese person for so bargain hard!

Amazing Experience
Reviewed by A TripAdvisor Member on Jul 14, 2008


Following a Trip Advisor recommendation we asked our guide to take us to the Great Wall at Mutianyu. Whilst there are still tourist traps, the wall was relatively empty with only an occasional bottleneck at particular scenic places. The steps are worn in some areas and you need good footwear. I particularly enjoyed the descent by toboggan which rounded off an amazing and memorable experience.

Unforgettable views!
Reviewed by A TripAdvisor Member on May 25, 2008


I was there in April last year. I agree with the other reviewers that this section of the Great Wall is a must-visit! Especially if you love history, since it's rather unspoiled and less "touristy" than Badaling. I actually drove there from Beijing with a Chinese friend of mine, so I can't give advice on transportation or tours. It took us about 2 hours. We took the cable car up and headed straight to the LEFT section, which at the end, a few km away, turns into a very steep climb to its highest point. Needless to say, this is a walk for the physically fit. Even if you are, you'll need to stop for breaks. And bring water! To give you an idea, when we were there on a weekday, we saw no more than 10-15 people making it all the way to the top (compare that with the Badaling "expo"). But once you're at the top you'll be rewarded with unbelievable views! On a clear day, which we were lucky to have, you can see Inner Mongolia, and you can easily see the reason for the Wall... We descended by taking the steps down, which are rather hidden from view and we had to ask, as we wanted to experience the landscape.

Good spot, great driver and guide recommendation
Reviewed by A TripAdvisor Member on May 14, 2008


We went here on the Satruday of Golden Week, so it was really crowded, but once you are up on the wall it felt like we were in the middle of no-where. They have done a good job of restoring the wall and the vegetation in the area, and we felt overall it was well managed. Our friend recommended a guy called 'John' as a driver to take us there. He has a late model car, and was a) very nice b) had pretty good English and c) was very professiona ringing the hotel to confirm the day before. Cost 800 rmb for the day, and he also took us to a beautiful temple. His contact details are johnyellowcar@hotmail.com (johnyellowcar 'at' hotmail.com). He also recommended a great English (and French) speaking guide to show us around Beijing (350 rmb for the day).