Of all China’s must-see sights, the Great Wall is one that has rightfully earned its place on the tourist trail. The problem is, with over 7,000km of the Great Wall, deciding which section to visit isn’t an easy choice! This scenic (and quiet!) section was an easy and rewarding way to experience this incredible feat of humankind. Bus tours to the Jinshanling Great Wall section leave from Beijing every day. So strap on your walking shoes (good ones!) and jump aboard the Jinshanling Great Wall tour bus!
Booking a seat on the bus tour to Jinshanling is convenient and these tours leave from downtown Beijing daily. While you can visit Jinshanling by yourself via public transport (directions below), I took a pre-organized day trip to Jinshanling and highly recommend it.
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History of the Great Wall of China
China’s Great Wall has a vast history, covering multiple Dynasties. So I’ll just give a brief rundown to get you warmed up and excited to visit this amazing monument of history.
Between the 7th and 3rd Century BC, different states of China built separate walls to protect themselves. Around 220 BC, Qin Shi Huang, the first Emperor under a unified China, ordered that the separate walls be connected.
Construction of the wall stopped and started over the centuries and was built in large sections throughout the next 2,000 years. Repairs to damaged sections were also needed throughout history, mainly in times of peace. The Jinshanling section of the Great Wall itself, as with most of the sections we know today, was built in the Ming Dynasty (1368 – 1644 AD).
The Great Wall of China was intended to keep invaders out of China. This included the Huns and Mongolians, but also a number of other attackers and nomadic tribes. During the Han Dynasty, improvements to the wall were made to protect the Silk Road from various robbers. The Silk Road is an ancient trade route network. It helped link China to places like Rome and India and
How do I book my Jinshanling bus tour?
Please note, some of the links below are affiliate links. If you make a booking, I get a small commission, and you get the exact same price. If you have any questions at all, please contact me.
As you can imagine, tours to the Great Wall of China are popular. This means they can book out, and if you’re limited by time, it could be difficult to find a seat. There are a number of ways you can book a tour to Jinshanling.
Many hostels offer this for you and can sort out everything right there and then. My hostel was great at this and explained everything my partner and I needed to know about the tour. I stayed multiple nights at Happy Dragon Hostel and enjoyed everything about it. Cheap, comfortable and helpful staff made Beijing much more enjoyable – definitely, recommend Happy Dragon over other hostels I stayed at in Beijing!
If you’re looking for a great hostel in Beijing, book your stay at Happy Dragon Hostel here!
If you would like to get your reservation for Jinshanling Great Wall Tour before even arriving in China, I use GetYourGuide.com for instances just like this. Pay online, and you’ll be sent everything you need to know and how you will be picked up and have a memorable, hassle-free experience! You can book your tour to Jinshanling section of the Great Wall here!
How much does this Jinshanling Great Wall tour cost and what does it cover?
I paid 300 Yuan ($61 AUD) for this full day tour. Every tour to Jinshanling was the same price from what I investigated. Sure, it is a little pricey, but for a hassle-free day of touring the Great Wall, I think it is entirely worth it.
Pretty much everything is included in that price tag, except for drinks throughout the day. “Breakfast” is included, it isn’t all that great so bring some snacks for the long day. Lunch is also included in the price and was more than I could eat. Many tasty shared dishes to choose from, it was sort of like a buffet.
Entrance to Jinshanling is included in this price. I entered at the east gate, but two passengers were dropped off at the Simitai entrance. I believe this was a separate tour and they just used the same bus. Transport to and from the Wall, roughly 3 hours each way is included as well.
The waking route of Jinshanling Great Wall
As you’re given 3.5 hours to explore the Jinshanling section of the Great Wall, you can cover a lot of ground. My tour guide, Chan, suggested a sort of loop to make the most out of our time.
From the restored section of Jinshanling, we began walking. Walking this route, you begin at the first watchtower known as “Shaling Kou Pass”, and ends at the “5 Window Watch Tower”, this is where you head down to the bus pick up point. From this watchtower, it took around 20 minutes to walk to get to the meeting point for bus pickup.
While you have plenty of time to cover the distance to the bus, there’s so much more to see! Jinshanling is full of other notable towers and constantly stunning vistas of the surrounding mountainous peaks.
All up, I walked through around 20 watch towers. This includes the small and big Jinshan Towers. This route also comprises Houchuankou Pass and has great views of Kylin Tunnel and Bridge in the distance.
Continuing past the “5 Window Watchtower” is the end of the maintained path. Almost instantly the trail becomes much less smooth, with loose rocks. The edges of some parts of the wall have eroded and crumbled away revealing a sheer drop to the ground below.
While this section of Jinshanling was much more difficult and exhausting, it was my favorite part of the walk. I visited as far as two watch towers passed the “5 Window Watch Tower”. Seeing the state of this later section of the wall really put into perspective my appreciation for this wonder.
Building this wall would have been incredibly difficult. A sharp burst of wind blew my hat from my head and as I climbed down and navigated just 50 meters of wilderness. The challenge of building the Great Wall was put into a clear perspective.
The best part was, only myself, partner and a friend we made on the tour were here. Soaking in the astonishing beauty and accomplishment of China’s Great Wall is much easier than with lots of people crowding around.
My experience on Jinshanling Great Wall of China tour
If you’re on the fence about whether this tour is right for you or not (remember, there are directions below on how to get to Jinshanling by yourself), I’ll give you a rundown on what to expect through my tour experience.
After my partner and I booked through Happy Dragon Hostel, we were told to walk a few blocks to the minivan meeting point and left around 6:40 am. Quite an early start. The bus arrived a bit late due to traffic at 6:40 am.
My guide for the day was Chan. Other than giving so much information about the Wall, much more than I could soak in, he loved his Jackie Chan references and making fun of the bus driver. All good-hearted humor of course! He was very knowledgeable with perfect spoken English.
The tour states that breakfast is included; it’s a bottle of water and a small loaf of “vitamin bread “ for every passenger. Surprisingly, this vitamin bread was tasty and had vitamins in it as advertised. It was quite dry, however, so consider other snacks or a small breakfast of your own prior.
Once on board the coach, and heading out of Beijing, the journey took around 3 hours one way. There’s not much to do but sit back and enjoy the scenery.
Around halfway through the trip, a bathroom break takes place at a rest stop next to “Miyun Reservoir”. It’s unmissable as it is enormous!
Back on the bus, there are two stops left until Jinshanling East Entrance. The first stop is to the more touristic section known as Simitai. There were large buses full with hordes of tourists here. This is the location of the cable car and is around 5-6km away from Jinshanling East Gate Entrance. This section of the Wall houses the steepest incline found along the man-made wonder.
The final stop was, of course, the east gate of Jinshanling. It’s a short walk from the drop-off point to the actual east gate. There are small souvenir shops here with snacks and water. They are a bit overpriced but possibly worth to stock up on provisions if you haven’t brought any with you. There are also no restrooms/toilets once you get to the wall itself, so make use of the ones here.
Once at Jinshanling East entrance, you’re given 3.5 hours of free time. Which is quite enough for a lot of people, but trust me it also goes by very fast! You can walk at the same pace as your guide and ask questions along the way, or go explore on your own at a faster pace.
It’s easy to get swept up in the marvel so make sure you give yourself time to get to the meeting point if you venture past the main section.
Walking along the Jinshanling section of the Great Wall
My first steps on the Great Wall were surreal. To be standing on this ancient structure I’ve only read about in books and seen on tv was so exciting.
Climbing some steep stairs to get on to the wall is the first hurdle. The whole first part on Jinshanling I walked on is well restored. There are no loose rocks or even damaged cobblestones. The first part is an easy walk, but it doesn’t continue for very long.
One of the scariest parts were the sharp incline and decline of the smooth, glossy stones. Little speed bumps had been installed here to help. They give you a much flatter ground to plant your foot without fear of sliding or slipping. Make sure you wear good shoes with grip! I definitely saw a couple of people gradually sliding backward as they tried to climb up!
As you walk along the Wall, you’re treated to beautiful vistas of rolling hills and a snaking, man-made wonder of stone. Every few hundred meters was a watchtower. Perched up with windows to give an extra height advantage for the defence.
Continuing along the Wall, it slowly, but surely begins to deteriorate. As if you’re gradually walking back through the ages this wall has endured. Stones start to become loose and uneven ground gets progressively more common.
Personally, I enjoyed the more decayed sections. Taking in the obvious scars of time and history made the whole experience more vivid and put this massive accomplishment into perspective.
The bus back from Jinshanling Great Wall of China
Once we met our guide Chan at a souvenir shop down the path from the 5 Window Watch Tower. From here, we made our way to the car park and piled into the bus.
We set off to a “local farmhouse”, a restaurant inside the town of Jinshanling for a buffet-style lunch. There were plenty of tasty options including vegetarian ones. The only items not included in the tours ticket price is drinks.
As I was completely drained and weathered from the sun; the few hour trip back to Beijing made a great napping opportunity.
Other information about Jinshanling Great Wall tour
Even though my tour bus was completely full, around 40 people, I didn’t get the feeling of being overcrowded at all. As soon as we were given free time, my small group of three shot off into the front of the pack and most of my photos have no one else in them.
There were one or two tour groups moving the other way, all up I encountered much less than 100 people throughout the day (including my tour group). I talked to multiple people throughout the day that had visited the more tourist Bandaling section of the Great Wall, and they unanimously agreed Jinshanling was much more enjoyable.
While most of the Wall is relatively smooth and secure, there are some very steep sections. Both stairs and ramp-style inclines make it a somewhat challenging walk in parts. Having shoes with good grip is a must. And if you feel like you might still slip over, walking sideways, or even reaching down to have your hands make two more points of contact is a useful trick.
While there are some locals selling souvenirs actually on the Wall, they also sell refreshments. There are no restrooms available once you pass through the east gate. Take everything you will need for the 3.5 hours of free time with you.
Visiting Jinshanling Great Wall of China tips
A few quick tips about visiting Jinshanling’s Great Wall of China:
- A small backpack is a good idea to bring to carry your water, snacks hat, rainjacket, etc depending on the time of year you visit.
- You will encounter vendors on the wall trying to sell things. They are pretty easy going and usually one or two “no thank you” is enough to get them to move on to the next visitor.
How to independently take the bus to the Jinshanling section of the Great Wall
I understand many don’t want to take tours with others. I don’t think this tour was the typical over the packed tour. It was always quiet and rarely interacted with other visitors. However, if you’re searching for an alternative way to visit Jinshanling by yourself, there is an option to take public transport.
This option is a little more challenging than being picked up by a bus outside your hostel or course. But it is quite a bit cheaper.
Firstly, you will need a rechargeable Beijing Metro Pass – this costs a 20 Yuan deposit and then you add as much currency as you’d like.
I’ll give you a short run down of how to make Jinshanling via public transport:
- Make your way to Wangjin West Metro Station
- Take Exit C
- Once outside, cross the road to a bus stop where you will find a bus to “Lauping”. They seem to arrive pretty frequently, at least once every hour after 7am.
- When the bus arrives, you will need to tap your metro card, that will deduct 7 Yuan from your account. You will also need to pay the driver/employee 13 Yuan. I’m not totally sure, but I’m assuming it’s due to the route going outside of the metro zone of Beijing.
- This bus takes at least 1.5 hours, so sit back and relax.
- When you alight from the bus at the marked stop, it’s around a 2km walk to Jinshanling east gate.
- There are shuttle buses that operate, but can be a little unreliable – there is supposed to be a shuttle bus timetable posted on the nearby building acting as tourist information.
- For the return trip, it’s basically the opposite series of events. The bus stop is located at the tourist information building.
As always, if you visit Jinshanling and things are different than what you read here, please let me know in the comments below and I’ll update the information in the article.
Video on visiting Jinshanling – The Great Wall of China
Here’s a short video on exploring Jinshanling, the Great Wall fo China just outside Beijing. Make sure to subscribe to my Youtube channel for other travel videos! (Click the top left image)
Final thoughts about Jinshanling and the Great Wall of China
All in all, the day trip to the Jinshanling section of China’s Great Wall is one of my most memorable experiences travelling through China. If you’re visiting China and would like to see the Great Wall (which I highly recommend you do – how often do you get to see a Wonder of the World?!), either taking a day trip tour to Jinshanling, or public transport are viable options. You won’t regret it!
For further reading for on travelling China, check out:
- Great things to do in China
- Everything you need to know to visit Zhangjiajie National Forest Park
- Tips for travelling overnight from Chengdu to Zhangjiajie
Have you visited the Great Wall of China? How about the Jinshanling section? I’d love to know what you thought below – just leave a comment!
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Thanks for reading!
Happy and safe travels
Ben – Horizon Unknown
