Thread: The Great Wall - Badaling Section

Last fall I got to visit the great wall of China. This has been a dream of mine for many years. This Badaling section of the wall is the closest part to Beijing. The drive took about an hour and a half and traffic near the wall was very congested.

We took the cable car up to the top and walked around the area. I was on a school trip, so I only had 2.5 hours to explore. The weather was very overcast in the morning, but cleared up towards the end of the trip. The wall was so crowded it was insane. Tip for those thinking of visiting is to go on a weekday and not a national holiday to avoid the crowds. The cost to get in is 40-45 rmb. The wall opened to tourists in 1957 and is 70 kms north of Beijing.

The wall was very steep in some places and very hard to walk on. I actually felt like I was going to fall backwards several times because of the incline and the crowds.





There were also some steep steps going down where I almost fell into a mass of Chinese people. Fun times!

I did manage to find a few quiet spots.

Attack of the Chinese!


Not advisable for those who are claustrophic.


Here I am at the highest point.. okay well my highest point that I felt comfortable going.

Nice photos to share on the forum.

For me it pushes China from a place that demands my holiday travel particularly as one gets older.

I take it that your trip was during a Chinese holiday whereas the masses were free from labour or was the crowd simply due to that destination being nearest to Beijing and tends to be always rather busy ?

Well done , nice to see pics on here , although I can't imagine anything closer to hell for me all massing around with tourists in a hot steamy enviro

Originally Posted by PeeCoffee

Nice photos to share on the forum.

For me it pushes China from a place that demands my holiday travel particularly as one gets older.

I take it that your trip was during a Chinese holiday whereas the masses were free from labour or was the crowd simply due to that destination being nearest to Beijing and tends to be always rather busy ?

Thanks.. my uncle who is over 80 will be doing a tour around China in the fall and if he can do it, anyone can.

I live and work here actually. The crowds are often heavy like that being close to Beijing and it was a weekend too.

Originally Posted by nigelandjan

Well done , nice to see pics on here , although I can't imagine anything closer to hell for me all massing around with tourists in a hot steamy enviro

Thanks.. it was pretty shitty being around so many people, but there are many other parts of the wall to explore that are less busy. I hope to discover them in the future and post them on here. Maybe you can paint one of the pics.

And go to this section of the wall which is the furthest away from the plebs who go to the closest section. Well worth the extra time and expense to get here.

Originally Posted by nevergiveup

There were also some steep steps going down where I almost fell into a mass of Chinese people. Fun times!

Must've been hell!

Originally Posted by terry57

And go to this section of the wall which is the furthest away from the plebs who go to the closest section. Well worth the extra time and expense to get here.

Agreed. Except you do not need a guide or a group to do it. Hire a car to drop you in one town and arrange to pick you up in the next.

Originally Posted by terry57

That suit you Willy or better if we hired our own car and driver just for the two of us.

Show us your pics Willy.

It's not a competition Terry, I simply made an observation that may or may not suit other people.

Yeah, got a few pics. I'll see what I can dig up. But I wont post them here because they are not from Badaling section.

^

Yes whatever Willy,

Just post the fookers up EH.

Cheers.

very nice
i agree the steepness of it took me by surprise too, not to mention the hordes
plus its now failed in its purpose to keep the fuckers in

Originally Posted by terry57

^

2006 mate but I'm still an extremely handsome man.

Still vely hansum man.
The pollution looks horrendous though on that day.

I hope to do Mutanyu in the fall over sometime next year when I can have full range of motion on my foot.
Yeah, I see WK is his usual baboon, jealous self.

Thanks Re.. yes it is very steep and you need to be in decent shape to walk it.

Originally Posted by kingwilly

Agreed. Except you do not need a guide or a group to do it. Hire a car to drop you in one town and arrange to pick you up in the next.

Yes, you could hire a driver to take you out there or you can go as a group and it cost less.. get a mini bus or whatever to take you. Tours are way more expensive imo. There is a local bus to take you to the Badaling section. Alternatively, you could drive or go on in a school mini van.

If one puts in the extra miles to go to the furthermost part of the wall where the vast majority of day tourists do not go one can view " The Great Wall " like this . Of course weekend, peak tourist season and public holidays aside.

Originally Posted by nevergiveup

Yes it is very steep and you need to be in decent shape to walk it.

Its a long way up at this section, in the background you will see where we started.

A nice touch for the punters who are unable or too lazy to walk up.
We walked up and down.

went back in 2004 - it was February (and cold!), with very few people (other than the people trying to sell you crap in the parking lot - they were pretty aggressive!). I wouldn't want to go now if that is what the crowds are like!

^

I agree but the crowds are not like that are they.

The OP was there on a weekend at the closest part of The Wall to Beijing.

Go to any tourist spot on Earth on a weekend and the result is the same.