BEIJING DAY TOURS: The Great Wall of China and Ming Tombs

Now I know why it’s called the Great Wall of China!

Every visitor to China hopes to climb The Great Wall. Whenever I think of China, the first thing that comes to mind is a picture of The Great Wall of China. Growing up, I always envision myself visiting it, as it is one of the most impressive architectural wonders of the world. That’s why I promised myself that one day I will visit China and walk on the The Great Wall.

A UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Great Wall of China is one of the must-see attractions when visiting Beijing. Spanning a total length of about 21,000 kilometers, it is a series of fortification walls built along the historical northern border of China that is a product of thousand years of arduous labor. Recognized as one of the most impressive architectural feats in history, your trip to China won't be complete without visiting The Great Wall. After all, they won't call it great for nothing, right?

Planning our Beijing trip, we made sure that we include it in our itinerary. After reading some Beijing travel blogs, we found out that there are many sections of the wall that are open to tourists. and they are quite far from the city center of Beijing. Since it is our first time here, we decided to just join a group tour to the Badaling Great Wall.

One of the most visited section of the wall is the Badaling section of the Great Wall. Popular among local and foreign tourists, it is the most accessible from Beijing, has a cable car going up, and is considered as one of the most developed and well-restored part of the Great Wall of China.

Ever wondered what it's like to climb the Great Wall of China? It’s actually easy.

We took the cable car and get off at the Badaling section of the wall. From there, we just roamed around and walked along the great wall.

Walking along the wall is quite overwhelming because of the hoards of tourists. But all you need to do is go to the sections of the wall farther from the cable car station where there are lesser tourists. This is where you could take better photos.


But if you want to take photos of the great wall where you could see the long walls from a far, you may climb the part on top of the cable car station. This is where most tourists go because of the magnificent and amazing views of the wall winding up and down along the mountains.

TRAVEL TIP: If you wish to visit a section of the Great Wall with lesser tourists, you may consider visiting the one at Mutianyu.

The Great Wall of China is on everybody's bucket list. It is truly an experience of a lifetime! And I am so happy to finally visit it.

Ming Tombs

Part of the day tour is a visit to the Ming Tombs. Also a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is a collection of tombs built by the emperors during the Ming Dynasty. Located 50 kilometers northwest of central Beijing, at the foot of Tianshou Mountain, is where you’ll find the “Thirteen Tombs of Ming Dynasty,” which we also visited as part of this day tour. This is said to be the most-preserved mausoleum area with the most emperors buried.

We entered an underground palace where we visited one of the mausoleums called Dingling Tomb of Emperor Zhu Yijun and his two empresses - Empress Xiaoduan and Empress Xiaojing. He is the 13th emperor of the Ming Dynasty who occupied the throne for 48 years, the longest reign of any of the Ming emperors. A visit to the Underground Palace gives every visitor a better understanding of its undeniable historical and cultural value, as well as the tomb’s structure, the level of artistic work that went into it, and the emperor’s extravagance in building the tomb.

Visiting The Great Wall of China when in Beijing should be a top priority of every tourist. Don’t forget to include a day tour to the Great Wall and a visit to the Ming Tombs in your Beijing itinerary when planning a trip to China. I am quite sure it will be one of the most memorable experiences you’ll have on your mainland China adventure.

The Great Wall of China and Ming Tombs Join-in Tour

For ease, convenience and to save on travel expenses, I highly recommend that you join a group tour when visiting The Great Wall of China and Ming Tombs. We booked our join-in tour via Klook for only ₱1,363 per person. The tour includes hotel pick-up in Beijing, bus transportation, entrance fees to Ming Tombs and The Great Wall at Badaling (except cable car ticket), assistance of an English-speaking professional tour guide, lunch, and transportation back to Beijing city center.

JOIN THE GROUP TOUR HERE!

Other options to see The Great Wall of China

There are other sections of The Great Wall and other ways to explore it. Depending on your time and budget, you may also consider the following:

• Mutianyu Great Wall Day Tour
• Badaling Great Wall Helicopter Tour
• Simatai Great Wall Hike & Gubei Water Town

For more amazing guided tours and exciting day trips and activities in Beijing, China PLEASE CLICK HERE.

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