"Musical" to "Lakeside" Great Wall Hikes
Have you heard of the "Musical Great Wall" or the "Waterside Great Wall"? Do you know which sections of the Great Wall are most majestic and most unique? Find out firsthand by hiking the most unique, storied, stunning, steep, restored, and watery Great Wall sections near Beijing!
This tour is designed for those whose are keen hikers and people who want to discover the Great Wall in depth. We have selected the six most recommendable sections of the Great Wall near Beijing to explore in five wonderful hikes.
On this 5-day Great Wall hiking tour, you will see both wild and fully-restored Great Wall, conquer a majestic section, get lost in photo ops on a super-photogenic section, experience one night camping in an original Great Wall watchtower, enjoy stunning views of a sunset and sunrise on the Wall, and more!
Tour 'Wow' Points
Walk on Wild and Restored Sections of the Great Wall
See original Great Wall remnants at Jiankou and Gubeiou, contrasting repaired and ruined walls at Jinshanling, Huangyaguan, and Huanghuacheng, and beautifully-restored wall at Mutianyu.
Explore the Most Unique Section of the Great Wall at Huangyaguan
When hiking in this section, you will see various watchtowers built in different shapes, for example, the rounded watchtower is only found in Huangyaguan.
Huangyaguan is also called "the musical Great Wall" because of the rhythmic echoes produced when people (over about 50 kg or 110 lb) walk on a part of this wall.
Sleep in a Medieval Great Wall Watchtower
Enjoy one night of camping on a secluded section of the Great Wall surrounded by majestic mountains. Feel the awesome atmosphere, get a historical perspective from your guide, and enjoy this special night.
Enjoy an Amazing Sunset and Sunrise on the Great Wall
Appreciating the stunning views including a sunset and sunrise over the Great Wall could be your unforgettable experiences.
Enjoy an Overnight Stay in Beautiful Gubei Water Town
After hiking in the daytime, relax your body in a hot spring, take a leisurely boat ride on Duck Lake, or appreciate stunning night views of the town and Great Wall above from the balcony of your hotel room.
Discover real reviews of Highlights Travel Family's best-rated service across trusted platforms.
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Beijing in a day
My partner found this company and booked with ease and no hassle. From start to finish we have been so looked after, upon arrival in Beijing after a train from Shanghai we were met by our guide Selinda. She has been amazing through out the day, flexible with times. She showed us the best place to get some food and then taking us to and from the Great Wall was filled with information and little facts. Plenty of time was given to explore the wall and then we were taken for some dumplings to revive us. Selinda made sure we were looked after and ensured we got back on the correct train. She made this trip so much less stressful and much more enjoyable. Would highly recommend this company for future use. more
Jan 2025, French-Biscuit14
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Great way to tour Beijing
My daughter and I toured Beijing with Selinda. She was prompt, professional, friendly, and helpful. We saw Tiananmen Square, the Forbidden City, and the Mutianyu Great Wall section. At each site she shared the history and offered suggestions of good places for pictures. She was attentive to us and made sure we had everything we needed. The driver was helpful and having him drop us off and pick us up was immensely helpful. We toured the Summer Palace with Jason and he also did a stellar job sharing interesting facts and information which gave us context and a greater appreciation of what we saw. Jason, like Selinda, did a splendid job suggesting good photo spots and always happily offered to take our picture for us. I highly recommend these two tour guides and the driver. This was a great way to see some of the tourist attractions in Beijing. more
Jan 2025, Chris
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Epic time in Beijing with Selinda Zhang
A huge shoutout to our most awesome tour guide Selinda Zhang!!! She is a walking talking encyclopaedia with a wealth of knowledge both historic and current. She made our visits to well preserved historical sites all the more interesting sharing architecture, literature, Chinese penmanship and poems to highlight the significance of each site we visited! She engages both adults and children and usually reticent kids were asking questions and learnt heaps about Beijing history this trip. We had an epic time in Beijing thanks to Selinda!! more
Jan 2025, Hwei ling C
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Itinerary Quick Look
Here is a suggested itinerary. We are happy to customize a tour according to your interests.
Your private guide will meet you at around 8:00am in your hotel lobby. Transfer to the Great Wall at Huangyaguan in the Tianjin region with after about 3 hours' driving.
The Great Wall at Huangyaguan is the venue of the annual International Huangyaguan Great Wall Marathon Race.This section is unique in that it has round Great Wall watchtowers as well as the common rectangular/square watchtowers.
You will hike about 3 hours from Taipingzhai to Huangyaguan and have a late lunch afterward. Transfer to Gubeikou Village for your overnight stay.
Your day will start at about 8am and you will spend about 5 hours hiking on the wall. The walking is leisurely (not steep) compared with the hike from Jiankou to Mutianyu.
The scenery at Gubeikou is not as spectacular as it is at e.g. Jinshanling or Simatai but this section is more interesting historically.
After about 2 hours of hiking on the Gubeikou section of the Great Wall, you will need to descend from the wall to avoid a military area. Walking along a path through cornfields for 1½ hours, you will reach the Wall again at the Jinshanling section.
Lunch is at a restaurant near Jinshanling. Then transfer to Gubeikou Village again for your hotel.
Start at about 8am with a 30-minute drive to the Great Wall at Jinshanling.
It takes about 3 hours to hike from Jinshanling to Simatai West, the junction of the Jinshanling and Simatai sections.
This section has breathtaking views and offers stunning photo opportunities that vary with the seasons. As this section is half-restored, you can see both the unrepaired ancient watchtowers and a restored section of the Wall during the hike.
After having a lunch at the foot of Jinshanling, your guide and driver will accompany you to Jiankou Village for a camping experience on the Wall.
The Jiankou to Mutianyu hike offers a wonderfully satisfying experience of the Wall.
Enjoy a beautiful sunrise on the Wall. You will have a breathtaking view of the Jiankou section at Zhenbeilou Watchtower. From there you will hike eastward to the restored Great Wall section at Mutianyu.
There will be a sharp contrast when you arrive at the Mutianyu section, which has finely-restored walls and towers. Descend from the Wall, enjoy a late lunch at a restaurant near Mutianyu, and stay overnight at the foot of Mutianyu.
Start early, at around 8am, for the hour's drive to the Great Wall at Huanghuacheng in preparation for your 4-hour hike.
Huanghuacheng was built on steep mountain ridges, and it can be seen from afar. You will be greeted by impressive panoramic views of the lakeside Wall when you get to the first watchtower of Huanghuacheng. Continue hiking up and down the ridge top Wall, meandering through bushes and forested areas, until you end your hike at Xishuiyu.
Enjoy a special hot pot lunch on the way back to Beijing. You will get back to hotel at 4–5 pm.
Hotel Selection
—the Icing on the Cake
Boutique hotels are recommended to enrich your travel experience.
Price includes: