How do you do the Great Wall day trip from Beijing in 2026?

What are the ways to get to the Great Wall from Beijing?

On a circuit that already includes the transfer and the visit, or on your own, booking admission to the section you choose, such as Mutianyu, on its official website.

If it's your first trip to China, the circuit takes the logistics of that day off your hands. If you'd rather move at your own pace, going on your own lets you choose the time and section, but you handle the booking and transport.

Which section do the catalog's circuits visit and on which day?

On the «China: Beijing-Shanghai 6 days» circuit, the Great Wall is day 3 and the section is the Juyongguan pass or Badaling, depending on how each departure operates.

That circuit lasts 6 days and its price starts from MXN $19,562 · USD $1,050, according to the circuit listing. If you want to add Xi'an, the «China: Beijing-Xi'an-Shanghai 8 days» circuit also devotes its day 3 to the Great Wall and starts from MXN $27,405 · USD $1,471.

You can compare the other routes that leave the capital on the Beijing page.

How do you book Mutianyu if you go on your own?

With a booking in your name, up to 15 days ahead and one ticket per document per day, according to the Mutianyu visitor notice.

With a foreign passport you don't have to exchange the ticket: at the entrance you show the original passport you booked with, explains the same visitor notice. Changes or cancellations must be requested before 24:00 on the day of the booking, according to that Mutianyu page.

How much does it cost to enter Mutianyu?

Admission costs ¥45 per person, the shuttle bus ¥15 and the cable car ¥140 round trip or ¥100 one way, according to Mutianyu's notice of 5 August 2026.

Children under 1.2 meters get in free, says the same Mutianyu notice. The cable car and the toboggan are run by different companies and their tickets aren't interchangeable, clarifies the visitor notice.

What time should you arrive in winter?

Early: from 16 November to 15 March the cable car runs from 8:00 to 17:30 and sales close an hour earlier, according to the Mutianyu visitor notice, published in July 2023.

Since that hours page is from 2023, confirm the day's schedule on the Mutianyu website before heading out.

How do you get to Mutianyu without a tour?

There are tourist buses that leave from Dongzhimen and other points in Beijing, and some routes require booking by phone, according to Mutianyu's notice of 5 August 2026.

If you go by car, the same Mutianyu notice points to exit 13 (Beitai Road) of the Jingcheng expressway and parking at ¥20 per car.

Why does the Great Wall deserve a full day?

Because it has been a World Heritage Site since 1987 and its construction spans from around 220 BC to the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), according to UNESCO.

The Beijing Government describes it as more than 20,000 kilometers long, from Shanhaiguan in the east to Jiayuguan in the west, on its city heritage page. From Beijing you only walk one section, so choosing which one is the decision of the day.