How to get to the Great Wall? - Simatai

[Chinadoog]

Hey guys, I'm going to Beijing next week, alone, and am wondering what is the best way for me to get to the Simatai part of the great wall. I'm going to be staying in the Houhai area if that makes a difference

Also, because I'm going in winter, will the wall be really icy?

Thanks

[roddy]

Last i heard Simatai was closed.

[fanglu]

According to wikitravel its closed.

If not, hostels often run buses. I did the walk between Simatai and Jinshanling which was really awesome, although it was in summer, might be a bit dangerous in winter. I bought the ticket at the hostel I was staying at.

I think it is possible to get there by public transport, although looking around (and here) it seems reasonably complicated and slow.

[roddy]

Yeah, I'd say any 'wild' bit of the wall is best done via a hostel tour. Or at least not public transport, how you actually do it probably depends on your budget.

[Chinadoog]

Well that's good to know. I guess I'll check out Mutianyu then.

I'm really looking for the cheapest way to get out there. Any suggestions?

[roddy]

For Mutianyu you need to get to Huairou on the 916 from Dongzhimen, then swop to a minibus or taxi (and at this time of the year the taxi drivers will have been huddled together for warmth joking about how much they're going to overcharge the next tourist to get off the bus, so good luck with that).

A hostel minibus might sound like it'll be more expensive, but may well be better value for money, especially if you can't speak Chinese.

[Chinadoog]

Cool, thanks for the advice

Luckily, I can speak Chinese, and if needed I will 骂 the hell out of those taxi drivers who try to rip me off!! just kidding..

So go to dongzhimen station, take the bus to huairou, then take a car/cab to the wall. Does 60-80rmb sound like a fair price for a round-trip cab ride?

[roddy]

I have no idea even how far it is. If you Google 慕田峪 公交 or similar you should find some useful advice.

Another option if you can round a few folk up is hiring a taxi for the day - most drivers are amenable to the idea.

[BertR]

This organization still organizes hikes from Jinshanling to Simatai:

http://www.backpackingchina.com/detail.aspx?id=6

You don't really reach Simatai completely, but I believe the trip is still worthwhile (I took the trip on a beautiful day in September and the scenery was amazing).

[Brian US]

Does 60-80rmb sound like a fair price for a round-trip cab ride?

I went to Mutianyu in August with my parents. I remember the going rate being 60 kuai for I think a round trip? I think it is over a 20 minute drive from the bus stop. My parents were tired and wanted the driver to take us back to Beijing, so I forget if 60 kuai would have included a trip back to the bus stop.

Several stops along the bus route there were drivers that would hop on the bus just to ask if we wanted a ride.

[Chinadoog]

Awesome. How long did the driver wait for you?

I have 6 full days in Beijing, so I might also check out the Badaling section. I can imagine it being really touristy, but probably pretty cool once you get past all of the tourist stuff

[fanglu]

I might also check out the Badaling section

You can get the bus to badaling for something like 10rmb. It might seem less cost effective when you factor in the 'souvenirs' you get pressured into buying though

[imron]

I can imagine it being really touristy, but probably pretty cool once you get past all of the tourist stuff

Nope. Stick with the other areas.

[Brian US]

How long did the driver wait for you?

I think he said most people stay around 2-3 hours, but we were only 1.5-2 hours. They have a tram at that section, so you get to the top quickly. I've been to Badaling and I would recommend you go to another area. There were very few people at Mutianyu even in August.

[Chinadoog]

Any suggestions Imron?

So far, these are the areas that I've heard are cool - 南锣鼓巷, 秀水东街, 慕田峪， forbidden city, summer palace, im living fairly close to houhai lake so i'll spend a lot of time walking around that area, panjiayuan fleamarket, 琉璃厂, 王府井, 798 art district

any where else i should know about? i'd like to stay as busy as possible

edit - this thread has all the info i need! http://www.chinese-forums.com/index.php?/topic/12666-how-to-be-a-tourist-guide-in-beijing/

[Brian US]

We have pandas. B)

[Chinadoog]

I went to a panda zoo in Chengdu which was cool. I love watching the fat pandas lie on their backs, pigging out on bamboo

[abcdefg]

I can imagine it being really touristy, but probably pretty cool once you get past all of the tourist stuff

Problem is you *never* get past all the tourist stuff at Badaling. At least that was true when I was there several years ago.

[imron]

I used to really like the 黄花 section of the Great Wall, but then in 2004, they decided to rebuild it - totally destroying the charm of the 'wild wall' so I stopped going there.

It went from this:

To this:

To this:

Then I used to like doing the hike from Jinshanling to Simatai (or at least this is the place I would take friends visiting Beijing to see the wall, and for something close to Beijing it was not bad), but now it seems like Simatai is also getting the refurb treatment so that's no longer an option.

The other section of the Great Wall that I like is called 董家口, but that's in Hebei, not Beijing so it's unlikely to be suitable for a day trip. Although it has seen some restoration, it was done in a way to keep the atmosphere of the old wall. That being said, I haven't been there in a couple of years now, so who knows if they have decided to 'improve' its condition.

My advice, if you find a place you like, tell nobody about it. The more people start going there, the more the local government will decide they need to turn it into a first-rate tourist attraction, destroying the reason people were going there in the first place.

[Chinadoog]

I ended up paying a driver 80kuai to take me to the wall and wait 2 hours. The first group of drivers that I met refused to go any lower than 150 until I got back on the city bus and went to the next stop (where another group of drivers was waiting). When I got back on the bus, the driver I was arguing with jumped in front of the bus and was like OK! but the bus driver told him to screw off. The next group of drivers were much more reasonable.

Mutianyu was cool - there wasn't anyone else on the wall when I arrived at 9am. My only complaint is that they only let you walk on a small part of the wall which you can cover in an hour and a half. The picture is at mutianyu

I also went to the Badaling part which I also enjoyed. The scenery at Badaling was nicer than Mutianyu, but there were also more people and it was more touristy.