Our Beijing trip was mostly DIY as we were hesitant to go with a tour and also because we did not want to spend a lot. However, for our Great Wall of China adventure, we made an exception. Our lovely hostel, Peking Station Hostel, had this tour service displayed and it offered a day trip to the Mutianyu Great Wall of China. We paid 300 RMB each and was given a receipt. We booked this a day prior to the trip.
Our lovely hostel
The following day, we had to get up early to meet the tour guide at the Subway Station. We were worried that we will be mixed with Chinese tourists but we were happy to find out that we were mixed with foreigners (non-Chinese tourists). We boarded the bus and headed off to Mutianyu. During the 2 hour drive, our guide was happy to give the details of how this wall came to be. Also, he said there were 3 ways on how to climb the wall. First was to climb all the way to the top and it will lead you to station number 6. This had no extra fee. Second was to take the chair lift up and end up at station 10. One way fee was around 100 RMB but if taking the toboggan going down, the package will cost only 120 RMB. The last was taking the cable car and arrive at Station 14. This option costs 120 RMB for return and this option was what we chose. Then at the top, depending on which way the tourists came, they are then suggested to walk towards Station 20, the highest point of this wall.
After paying for the cable car, we hiked to where it was. There wasn't a long line yet because we were there early. Along the way, we saw the lush forest beneath us and the wall becoming closer and bigger.
It was the middle of summer and we braced ourselves for this hot hike. We made sure to put sunscreen lotion generously. Armed with our shades, umbrella and a couple of water bottles we started our hike.
The sun was beginning to be unforgiving. We had stops at some stations and found that there were small shops that sell refreshments and snacks as well as souvenirs. The shade at some stations proved to be really helpful. The last station was too steep, I was afraid that I would fall or have an accident.
Joel successfully reached the top while I just waited for him at the foot of it. There was too much people in there and my feet were aching already. The walk back to Station 14 was not too bad. Because it was already around 11am, there were already a lot of people coming up and the line to the cable car going down was getting long as well. We then went to the restaurant that our guide told us about and had our Chinese Style lunch which was good enough for our hungry tummies.
Our tips for Beijing and the Great Wall tour:
1. If using cash, exhange money at the airport because there are not much money changers outside the airport. Make sure to keep the receipt from this exchange just in case. Break down your paper bills to smaller notes. If possible, set up a we chat pay account.
2. If using the subway, not every exit has an escalator so prepare to carry your luggage through flights of steps. Otherwise, take time to find out which exit has an escalator.
3. When coming into China via Beijing Airport, they won't allow you to bring your aerosols thru the subway.
4. Purchase a Yikatong card from Beijing airport if you plan to stay in Beijing for a few days.
5. Download Google Translate for use in conversations and for text translations. This is very much handy!
6. Make sure to have your VPN ready when coming to China. Although hotels offer free wifi, we did not bother using it because we thought it would not allow us to access Facebook anyway.
7. Don't worry about not understanding train stations in Mandarin. They are well labeled in English as well.
8. Mutianyu is less crowded than the other parts of the Great Wall. There are 3 ways to go up:
a. walking trail and end up at station 10.
b. take the chairlift up and arrive at station 6. This is where you can take the Toboggan back down.
c. take the cable car and arrive at station 14.
9. Visit during spring or autumn. Summer is very hot and humid and not to mention Chinese school holidays which means more crowds.
10. If going to the Forbidden City, buy your ticket ahead online as they had limited their entries for the day. It might benefit more from taking a tour of the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square instead of being lost in the subways and figuring out where the entrances are.
11. At the Summer Palace, allow 3-4 hours to get around the whole place and relax to appreciate the beauty of the place.
12. Don't forget to haggle when buying souvenirs! I bought mine at the Great Wall and it was pretty expensive because I forgot to haggle.
13. Drink bottled water and buy them from the many convenience stores. If buying inside the tourist sites, the prices are jacked up to at least thrice the normal price.
Thank you for reading and 'til next blog :)
2. If using the subway, not every exit has an escalator so prepare to carry your luggage through flights of steps. Otherwise, take time to find out which exit has an escalator.
3. When coming into China via Beijing Airport, they won't allow you to bring your aerosols thru the subway.
4. Purchase a Yikatong card from Beijing airport if you plan to stay in Beijing for a few days.
5. Download Google Translate for use in conversations and for text translations. This is very much handy!
6. Make sure to have your VPN ready when coming to China. Although hotels offer free wifi, we did not bother using it because we thought it would not allow us to access Facebook anyway.
7. Don't worry about not understanding train stations in Mandarin. They are well labeled in English as well.
8. Mutianyu is less crowded than the other parts of the Great Wall. There are 3 ways to go up:
a. walking trail and end up at station 10.
b. take the chairlift up and arrive at station 6. This is where you can take the Toboggan back down.
c. take the cable car and arrive at station 14.
9. Visit during spring or autumn. Summer is very hot and humid and not to mention Chinese school holidays which means more crowds.
10. If going to the Forbidden City, buy your ticket ahead online as they had limited their entries for the day. It might benefit more from taking a tour of the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square instead of being lost in the subways and figuring out where the entrances are.
11. At the Summer Palace, allow 3-4 hours to get around the whole place and relax to appreciate the beauty of the place.
12. Don't forget to haggle when buying souvenirs! I bought mine at the Great Wall and it was pretty expensive because I forgot to haggle.
13. Drink bottled water and buy them from the many convenience stores. If buying inside the tourist sites, the prices are jacked up to at least thrice the normal price.
Thank you for reading and 'til next blog :)
