Great Wall China Mutianyu Section Tour – Our Review
TL;DR
The Mutianyu Great Wall Day Tour from Beijing is a convenient and cost-efficient way to see the Great Wall of China.
We think a Mutianyu Great Wall Day Tour from Beijing is by far the most convenient as well as a surprisingly cost-efficient way to see the Great Wall of China.
Our Great Wall Tour
Getting to Mutianyu Section
You have four options to get to the Mutianyu Section of the Great Wall:
- By taxi (which we would never recommend like in all of China).
- By public transport (bus 916 from Dongzhimen to Huairou North Avenue + bus to Mutianyu Roundabout + 3 kilometres (1.9 miles) walk to the ticket office (total price 32 RMB round trip).
- By tourist bus (80 RMB round trip).
If you choose options 1-3, you have to pay an additional 60 RMB for the entrance and the shuttle bus from the ticket office to the entrance.
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By tour.
The cheapest tour option is roughly 120 RMB including the entrance fee and shuttle bus.
This tour is amazing value for money!
Mutianyu Section Tour – Our Overview
We chose the Mutianyu Great Wall Day Tour from Beijing for convenience reasons. We wanted a hotel pickup and an English-speaking guide. And that’s what we got – communication was great, the pick-up was on time, and Flower was a lovely guide.
The downside is that the tour felt pretty rushed – especially as we wanted to walk as far as we could both on the eastern and on the western side of Mutianyu Section.
We really enjoyed the Mutianyu Section of the Great Wall itself as it was not crowded at all and the views were amazing.
The Beginning
The bus picked us up at our hostel at 8:00 am. The drive through Beijing was rather long so we only arrived at the Mutianyu Section at 10:30 am – and it was around 11 am until everybody was all set and ready to go.
On the bus, our tour guide Flower gave us a detailed overview of our options.
The three main options are:
- Hiking up (free).
- Eastern side with chairlift up and toboggan or chairlift down (140 RMB).
- Western side with a closed cable car up and down (140 RMB).
Our lunch was scheduled for 2 pm, and our departure was scheduled for 2:30 pm.
Flower assured us that 3 hours at the Great Wall was enough to see both the eastern and the western side. Theoretically, you can also walk in between but she said this part is not worth your while as it’s in a valley and hence does not offer great views.
We chose to check out both sides as we figured we’d only get to the Great Wall once.
The Eastern Side
We started at the eastern side. We took the chairlift up and went as far as we could walk – eventually, the path is walled off and you can’t walk any further.
We allocated a similar time for both sides but that was a mistake. There was a huge traffic jam going down the toboggan run.
The Western Side
There’s a short walk in between the two sides so we had less than 1.5 hours left for the western side of the Mutianyu Section. The famous Hero Slope is located on this side. Let us tell you that it was a struggle to rush up and down this super steep section of the wall but we made it.
The Lunch
We just made it to our lunch spot in time. We must say that the lunch was delicious. It was served family style with the amount of dishes matching the amount of people at the table. We were served traditional Chinese dishes which were still catered to non-Chinese consumers concerning the ingredients and the spice level.
Unfortunately, it took a while for the food to come out so lunch felt quite rushed.
The End
We arrived back in central Beijing at the National Art Museum around 4 pm.
Mutianyu Section Tour – Our Tips
Here are some tips for the tour we would have found useful:
- Like everywhere in China, bring your passport!
- Try to spend more time on the western side – especially if you want to climb the Hero Slope. Aim for 1 hour on the eastern side and at least 1.5 hours on the western side. You also have to budget some time to move in between the sides and get to the lunch/pickup spot.
- There are three tour options:
- Only shared transfer.
- With hotel pickup + lunch.
- With hotel pickup, lunch, chairlift and toboggan.
What Other Travellers Say About the Great Wall Tour
⭐ Rating: 4.5 / 5 (1000+ reviews)
Flower (Mei Hua) is a great tour leader. Her instructions were clear and accurate, and she’s always very cheerful and helpful. The tour was well organised and we were able to cover both the eastern side of Mutianyu, and also the western side (which we paid extra for during the bus ride to the Wall). The chairlift and toboggan ride was fun. The included lunch was ample and delicious; however the prices of the drinks were on the expensive side. Overall, we really enjoyed the tour and would recommend it to anybody considering a day-trip to visit the Wall.
– Klook User (see more reviews)
What Does the Mutianyu Section Tour Include?
The tour includes:
- Chinese / English-speaking guide (the guide Flower is great!)
- Ticket for Mutianyu Great Wall
- Hotel pick up (if option is selected) or transfer from Dongzhimen subway station
- Drop off in downtown Beijing
- Lunch (if option is selected)
- Chair lift up + toboggan down (if option is selected)
Conclusion: Should You Book the Mutianyu Section Tour?
The Mutianyu Great Wall Day Tour from Beijing is a super convenient way to see the Great Wall of China – especially if you choose to book a hotel pick-up. Additionally, the value for money is amazing.
The only reason you shouldn’t book this tour is if you really want to take your time exploring the wall. If you want to check out both the eastern and the western side, climb up the Hero Slope, and maybe even walk in between both sides, this tour will be too rushed for you.
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