Great Wall at Mutianyu 慕田峪长城Mùtiányù Chángchéng

Why go to Great Wall at Mutianyu

Mutianyu is one of the best-restored stretches of the Great Wall within easy reach of Beijing: a run of Ming-era ramparts and closely spaced watchtowers following a steep, forested ridgeline. It draws far smaller crowds than Badaling, and a chairlift or cable car does the hard climbing for you, so your energy goes into walking from tower to tower.

The story

Look at the parapets: here both sides of the walkway are crenellated, not just the side facing the frontier, so defenders could hold off attackers who had worked their way around behind them. The wall you walk on is a Ming rebuild, heavily restored in the 1980s, laid along the line of a far older 6th-century wall.

What to see at Great Wall at Mutianyu

• Mutianyu Pass 慕田峪关: A rare triple-tower gateway: one large tower flanked by two smaller ones on the same terrace, joined inside.
• Watchtower walk 敌楼群: About 22 watchtowers packed into roughly 2.25 km of wall, so you are never far from the next one; the steep granite steps reward the effort with long views over forested ridges.
• Toboggan run 滑道: A winding metal track on which single riders slide down from the wall to the valley, one of the ways to come down.
• Mutianyu village 慕田峪村: The village at the foot of the wall, with glassware workshops and country restaurants, a good stop before the trip back.

How to visit Great Wall at Mutianyu

Park or arrive at the tourist plaza and take the shuttle bus to the foot of the wall, then climb the 4,000-plus steps or ride a chairlift or gondola up. The usual plan is to go up by lift, walk along the towers, and come down by lift or toboggan. Allow three to four hours; a half-day visit means one direction along the wall, a full day lets you walk both ends and linger.

How to get to Great Wall at Mutianyu

Allow about 1.5–2 hours each way by car from central Beijing; a hired driver, tour bus or hotel transfer is easiest, as public buses involve a change in Huairou.

Where to stay

Base in Beijing and take a car or tour for the day, or stay in a guesthouse in Mutianyu village or the Huairou countryside to have the wall early, before the groups arrive.

What to eat

• Rainbow trout 虹鳟鱼: Huairou's cold mountain streams feed trout farms, and restaurants by the village serve it grilled or stewed.
• Huairou chestnuts 怀柔板栗: The district is known for chestnuts, used in braised pork and chicken dishes, or sold roasted in autumn.

Tips for visiting Great Wall at Mutianyu

• Arrive at opening time on a weekday to have the towers largely to yourself.
• Ride the chairlift up and the toboggan down, or walk west towards the steeper, quieter towers.
• Bring your passport, as tickets are issued against ID, and wear shoes with good grip for the steep steps.

Nearby

• Ming Tombs 明十三陵 30 km
  Stone guardians on the Sacred Way and an emperor's underground palace to walk through
• Badaling Great Wall 八达岭长城 50 km
  Ming ramparts climbing both ways from a fortified pass, a short fast train from Beijing
• Longqing Gorge 龙庆峡 50 km
  Boat rides between sheer cliffs in summer, a festival of lit ice sculptures in winter
• 798 Art Zone 798艺术区 50 km
  Contemporary art galleries and cafés in the sawtooth-roofed halls of a 1950s factory
• Bird's Nest and Olympic Green 奥林匹克公园 50 km
  The Bird's Nest and Water Cube, venues of the 2008 and 2022 Olympics, lit up after dark
• Old Summer Palace 圆明园 50 km
  Broken marble arches of Qing European-style palaces beside lakes of summer lotus

Also within 30 km: Hongluo Temple 红螺寺 (under 10 km), Qinglong Gorge 青龙峡 (under 10 km), Yanqi Lake 雁栖湖 (under 10 km), Huanghuacheng Lakeside Great Wall 黄花城水长城 (20 km), Heilongtan (Black Dragon Pool), Miyun 黑龙潭 (20 km), Yinshan Pagoda Forest 银山塔林 (20 km).

Trips with Great Wall at Mutianyu

• China in 10 days on a first visit: Beijing, Xi’an, Shanghai and Suzhou 10 days · Beijing, Xi'an, Shanghai and Suzhou
• Two weeks in China: Beijing, Xi’an, Chengdu, Guilin and Shanghai 14 days · Beijing, Xi'an, Chengdu, Leshan, Guilin and Shanghai
• North China’s heritage line: Beijing, Datong, Pingyao and Xi’an 9 days · Beijing, Datong, Pingyao and Xi'an

On the map

Open Great Wall at Mutianyu on the illustrated map to see the terrain around it, what else is close, and to add it to a trip and plan the days.

Learn more

• Wikipedia
• Official website
• Wikipedia (Chinese)