Badaling Great Wall in a nutshell
Badaling is a section of the Great Wall from the Ming era, set in the Jundu mountains in Yanqing district, in the northwest of Beijing. It is roughly 60 km from the center. Badaling is one stretch of the wall, not the name of the whole structure. The Great Wall was added to the UNESCO list in 1987, and the visitor area sits at the northern end of the old Guangou route.
This guide covers what you need to plan a trip: tickets and booking with a passport, opening hours by season, the two cable cars and the sliding car, the way there by S2 train, high-speed train, bus 877 or taxi, a day trip with the Ming Tombs, the Juyongguan pass, hiking the north and south sections and how Badaling compares with Mutianyu. Prices are in Chinese yuan (CNY) for 2026 and can change.
Our picks: Badaling from Beijing
Our take: the private tour handles everything including the cable car; the Ming Tombs day adds lunch and the tombs; the bus tour is the low-cost day with guide and entry.
Hand-picked tours, booked through GetYourGuide. Prices are indicative starting prices in US dollars (as of October 2026). Tap a tour for live availability and the current price in your currency.
Private Badaling tour with hutong rickshaw ride
- Private English-speaking guide
- Badaling entry and cable car
- Private transfer
A private English-speaking guide, transfer, wall entry and cable car, then a short rickshaw ride through a hutong.
Check availability →
Badaling and Ming Tombs day tour with lunch
- Hotel pick-up
- Main entry tickets
- Chinese lunch
Hotel pick-up inside the 4th Ring, an English-speaking guide, the main entry tickets and a Chinese lunch.
Check availability →Badaling one-day tour by bus
- Return bus from Beijing
- Badaling entry
- English-speaking guide
A return bus from Beijing with an English-speaking guide and the wall entry; the cable car is extra.
Check availability →Badaling Great Wall tours and day trips
Great Wall tours, day trips from Beijing and Ming Tombs combinations, with live prices and availability.
Tickets, tours and getting there
The pages most visitors need first.
Badaling Great Wall tickets
Adult CNY 40 or 35, who enters free, booking with a passport and what costs extra.
Tours and day trips
Bus, train, taxi or a booked day tour: how to plan a trip from Beijing.
Getting to Badaling
The S2 from Nankou, the high-speed train, bus 877 and taxis.
Cable cars at Badaling
The north line is closed for maintenance; the south line runs. Prices and the sliding car.
Opening hours
Summer and winter hours, last entry and the night program.
Badaling and the Ming Tombs
Changling, Dingling and the Sacred Way as a day trip with the wall.
The Juyongguan Pass
A separate wall site in Changping district, with its own ticket.
On the wall and around it
Routes, comparisons, history and where to base yourself.
Hiking the north and south sections
The steeper north section and the south section, and what the climbs are like.
Badaling or Mutianyu?
Location, ticket prices and cable cars side by side.
History of the Badaling wall
Ming construction, restoration in the 20th century and a 1972 presidential visit.
Badaling facts
Length, towers and elevation, and why the numbers differ.
Things to do near Badaling
The wall museum, the Ming Tombs, Yanqing and more.
Best time to visit
Climate by month, holidays and autumn colors.
Where to stay
Villages near the wall, Yanqing town or a base in Beijing.
A few things to know before you go
Practical changes that affect your trip.
The S2 train starts at Nankou
Since 25 October 2025 the S2 runs from Nankou to Yanqing and Shacheng. Huangtudian no longer serves this line. Stops include Nankou, Badaling, Yanqing, Kangzhuang and Shacheng. The Huairou to Miyun line does not stop at Badaling.
Getting there →The north cable car is closed until 25 December 2026
The north line is closed for maintenance. The south line keeps running. Tickets for the two lines can be used on either, and north tickets that are already bought can go to the south line or be refunded through the original channel.
Cable car page →Walk-up tickets and reservations
You can buy on site without a reservation. Visitors aged 60 and over still need to reserve a free ticket in advance. Bring the passport you booked with.
Ticket page →The wall museum has reopened
The renewed China Great Wall Museum at the foot of the wall has reopened. Check admission and hours before you plan a visit.
Things to do nearby →The night program is seasonal
The main night program in 2026 ran from 30 April to 6 October. Do not plan an evening visit outside the announced season.
Opening hours →More Ming Tombs are open
Since Jingling opened on 22 December 2025, Kangling, Yongling, Siling and Jingling can also be visited with advance booking, next to Changling, Dingling and the Sacred Way.
Ming Tombs →Beyond the wall
Other Beijing sights that have their own guides.
Mutianyu is a different section of the wall, in Huairou, with its own tickets and cable car; see the Mutianyu versus Badaling comparison there. For the palace in the city center, the Forbidden City guide covers tickets and reservations. This site stays with Badaling and the places you can reach from it.
Paying is simple at the ticket counter: cash, mobile payment and foreign bank cards were accepted there in 2024. Carry some cash as a backup, and keep your passport with you for the gate check.
More independent guides to Beijing
Separate guides from the same team.
Forbidden City
Tickets, the palace halls and the sights around Tiananmen.
Mutianyu Great Wall
Tickets, the toboggan, getting there from Beijing and hikes.
Summer Palace
Tickets, Kunming Lake, the Long Corridor and the Old Summer Palace.
Temple of Heaven
Tickets, the Hall of Prayer, the Circular Mound Altar and Tiantan Park.
Tiananmen Square
Reservations, the flag ceremony, the Mao Mausoleum and the National Museum.
Badaling Great Wall: frequently asked questions
Where is the Badaling Great Wall and how far is it from Beijing?
It lies in Yanqing district in the northwest of the Beijing municipality, roughly 60 km from the city center. There is no reliable road distance from every hotel, so check your route in a map app. The S2 train, the high-speed train, bus 877 and taxis all go there. See getting there.
How much is a ticket and do I have to reserve?
The adult price is CNY 40 in high season and CNY 35 in low season. You can buy at the gate and advance booking is not required, but that does not guarantee tickets on a busy day. Visitors aged 60 and over must reserve a free ticket in advance. Details are on the ticket page.
Is the cable car running?
The south line runs. The north line is closed for maintenance until 25 December 2026. Tickets for the two lines are interchangeable, so a north ticket you already hold can be used on the south line. See the cable car page.
What are the opening hours?
From 1 April to 31 October the hours are 06:30 to 16:30, and from 1 November to 31 March 07:30 to 16:00. Last entry is earlier than closing time, so arrive early. More in opening hours.
Do I need a visa for China?
It depends on your passport and route. A 240-hour transit stay is possible under conditions, including onward travel to a third country. Germany, Austria and the United Kingdom are included in a 30-day visa-free tourist rule that runs to 31 December 2026; the United States is not on that list. Rules change, so check with your embassy. A short overview is on the China visa-free page.
Is badalinggreatwall.org the official Badaling website?
No. This is an independent travel guide with no connection to the Badaling Great Wall scenic area, the Beijing municipal government, any tourism authority, a tour operator or a hotel.