Mutianyu vs Badaling: which Great Wall section?

Mutianyu or Badaling? It is the first decision when you plan the Great Wall. Both are popular sections near Beijing, but they feel very different on the day, so we compare them point by point below. Tickets and booking for both are on our Great Wall tickets page.

Side by side

	Mutianyu	Badaling
Crowds	Fewer than Badaling	The most visited and most crowded section near Beijing
Distance	About 73 km northeast of central Beijing, about 1.5 hours by car	About 70 km northwest of central Beijing
Entrance	40 CNY per adult (45 CNY with a postcard option)	40 CNY from April 1 to October 31 and 35 CNY from November 1 to March 31
Going up	An enclosed cable car to Watchtower 14: 100 CNY one way, 140 CNY return; or the chairlift	A north and a south cable car, about 100 CNY one way and 140 CNY return
Public transport	Express bus 916 from Dongzhimen to Huairou, then bus H24 to Mutianyu; allow 2–3 hours each way	Bus 877 from Deshengmen (near Jishuitan station, Line 2): about 1 hour, 12 CNY; or suburban train S2 from Huangtudian station (Metro Line 8 or 13) to Badaling station, or high-speed trains from Beijing North station to Badaling Great Wall station; check current timetables
Booking	Tickets are real-name and can be booked up to 30 days ahead, with one admission per passport per day; bring your original passport	Booking is real-name with your passport, and booking ahead is strongly recommended

Crowds

Badaling is the most visited and most crowded section near Beijing. Mutianyu sees fewer people, especially early. At both: arrive at opening time, go on a weekday, and avoid Chinese public holidays (October 1–7, May 1–5 and Spring Festival week).

Getting there

• Mutianyu: easiest with a tour or a car; the public bus is in the table above. All the options compared: Beijing to Mutianyu.
• Badaling: bus 877 from Deshengmen (near Jishuitan station, Line 2): about 1 hour, 12 CNY, or suburban train S2 from Huangtudian station (Metro Line 8 or 13) to Badaling station, or high-speed trains from Beijing North station to Badaling Great Wall station; check current timetables.

Getting up and down

• Mutianyu: an enclosed cable car to Watchtower 14: 100 CNY one way, 140 CNY return. The chairlift up to Watchtower 6 and the toboggan down are run by a separate operator with separate tickets: about 100 CNY one way, or about 140 CNY for chairlift up + toboggan down. The toboggan only goes down, and it closes in rain and snow.
• Badaling: a north and a south cable car, about 100 CNY one way and 140 CNY return.

Time to plan

At Mutianyu, plan about 3 hours on the wall and about 6 hours in total by car or tour (longer by public bus). Either way, it is a full day: see our Beijing itinerary.

Tour or on your own?

A tour solves transport, which is the hard part at Mutianyu. Compare Great Wall tours from Beijing.