You ABSOLUTELY MUST visit The Great Wall. Hiking the Great Wall of China is one of the top experiences I have ever had in my life. I spent 9 hours hiking, exploring, finding wild pot and getting lost outside the wall with virtually no other humans but my travel mates until the very end where we watched the sun set behind the mountains to cap off the day. 

All pictures are from what I thought was more or less Gubeikou to Jinshanling hike and do not reflect the other sections of wall. Looking at pictures of Jinshanling I really don’t think I went there, though. It was a very “go with the flow” kind of day and with no Mandarin abilities nor SIM card among us – our directions were a little made up on the fly.  After the bus dropped us as close as possible we had to grab a taxi who took us to a random village and pointed to the forest. Having no real other choice we started hiking and eventually found bricks that eventually turned into something resembling a wall. It was not totally on purpose but it ended up being a beyond magical day. 

Moral of the story, I don’t know where I went but make sure to check out the Overview section below where there are actual representative photos and information. 

It is most commonly visited as a day trip from Beijing. For more general information on traveling China such as visas, money, Covid updates and more, visit my China travel page.

Wondering what to do in Beijing? What’s NOT to do?! Like much of China you’ll see the past mixed with present everywhere you go. It’s slightly overwhelming and quite intimidating, especially if it’s your first stop in China but give it a second and it’ll win you over with everything it has to offer.  

“From ancient walled capital to showpiece megacity in barely a century, Beijing (Běijīng, 北京), spins a breathless yarn of triumph, tragedy, endurance and innovation.” – Lonely Planet

For more general information on traveling China such as visas, money, Covid updates and more, visit my China travel page.