How to Visit Badaling Great Wall of China by Train

Dear Travelers,

We’d like to have the following travel guide to be always updated for the benefit of new visitors in Beijing coming to Badaling Great Wall by train. If anybody having used the piece finds necessary updates, please leave a message or feedback. Thanks!

Badaling Great Wall Train Schedule

( Subject to Change without Notice )

If you find a latest timetable, please leave us a message for updating for the convenience of the new visitors.

6 Daily High Speed trains ( One extra train added on weekend)
starting from Qinghe Railway Station to Badaling Great Wall Station and vice versa

High speed trains from Qinghe Railway Station to Badaling:
G2501 ( 07:00 – 07:19 ) Only available on Fri, Sat & Sun
G7873 ( 08:38 – 08:57 )
G2485 ( 12:48 – 13:07 )
G2429 ( 14:11 – 14:30 )
G8815 ( 14:43 – 15:02 )
G2431 ( 16:25 – 16:44 )
G2439 (18:18 – 18:37 )

High speed trains back from Badaling to Qinghe Railway Station
G2402 ( 09:21 – 09:41 )
G2416 ( 13:24 – 13:43 )
G7876 ( 14:04 – 14:23 )
G2430 ( 17:56 – 18:15 ) Only available on Fri, Sat & Sun
G2434 ( 19:08 – 19:27 )
G8818 ( 19:58 – 20:18 )

Ticket prices for the high speed trains between Qinghe Railway Station and Badaling
Business Class: RMB 70 ; First Class: RMB 37 ; Second Class: RMB 23

How to get to Qinghe Railway Station from other places in Beijing?
Just take Subway Line 13 , then get off at the station of Shangdi (上地站），then you will see the signs guiding you to Qinghe Station.

One high speed train starting from Beijing North Railway Station to Badaling Great Wall Station and two trains back

One High speed train from Beijing North Railway Station to Badaling:
G8813 ( 11:35 – 12:09 )

Two High speed trains back from to Badaling to Beijing North Railway Station:
G8812 ( 10:34 – 11:09 )
G2424 ( 16:22 – 16:58 )

Ticket prices for the high speed trains between Beijing North Railway Station and Badaling
Business Class: RMB 89 ; First Class: RMB 48 ; Second Class: RMB 29

How to get to Beijing North Railway Station from other places in Beijing?
Just take Subway Line 2, Subway Line 4 and Subway Line 13, then get off at the station of Xizhimen Station (西直门站），then you will see the signs guiding you to Beijing North Railway Station (北京北站）.

On the train ride, you can enjoy the total view of the Guan Valley Scenic Area, pass by Juyongguan Great Wall, and especially immersing yourself in the hundred-year-old Beijing-Zhangjiakou railway, first designed by Mr. Zhan Tianyou (1861 – 1919), the famous Chinese designer of the railway.

Badaling Train Station to the Ticketing Office

How to get from Badaling Train Station to the Ticketing Office at Badaling Great Wall?

After getting off the train at Badaling Station, just follow the throng and get out of the train station. Free shuttle buses just across the road are waiting for you, taking you to the ticketing offices at Badaling Great Wall.

Getting off at Badaling Train Station

 The free shuttle buses have two stops:

Stop 01: 
Get off at the first stop and walk up the Badaling Great Wall at its No.01 Tower. If you want to avoid the crowds and like to hike up the Wall, you may stop at the Stop 01.

Note: For slow walkers or wheel-chair users, we suggest you get off at the first stop and start your visit from the Tower 1, easy to climb, also with accessible ramp for wheel-chair users.

Stop 02: 
Get off at the second stop near the Cable Car Station to buy cable ticket ( entrance fee as well ) and get up to the Tower No.07. Then walk down to No.01 Tower or No.12 Tower. Basically no need for a return cable car.

Note: Basically there will be a huge crowd of tourists using the cable station to ascend the area between Tower No.08 and No.09 of the Wall. Slides are available.

Travel Tips:

One of the most gorgeous and magnificent parts of the Great Wall around Beijing, Badaling Great Wall (八达岭长城) is the well preserved Ming Dynasty Great Wall with original appearance.

Now it is divided into two sections – north and south, which start at the Badaling Pass and Gate. Most tourists prefer to climb the north section where the highest watch tower （Tower No.08） is located.

Also the cable way is available on the north section. Many people choose to climb up the north section of the Great Wall, then take the cable car down or vice versa.

The cable car goes up to somewhere below between Tower No.08 and No.09. So when you take cable car up, you will see large crowds of people. So we recommend you hike from Tower 01 and back instead of taking cable car.

To hike up the north section of the Badaling Great Wall, you have two starting points – either from the Badaling Pass or the Badaling Bear Park.

Why two starting points? Actually the north Badaling Great Wall ( totally 12 towers on the wall ) has two parallel sections meeting at the most northern tip – the 8th Watch Tower ( a curve ) of the Badaling Great Wall.

We often call the two north parallel sections “front mountain” and “back mountain” respectively. The “front mountain” ( from Tower No.01 to Tower No.08 ) is to the north of the “back mountain” ( from Tower No.08 to Tower No.12 ).

If you want to climb up the north “front mountain” Badaling Great Wall, you start from the Badaling Pass ( where the first tower starts) ; if you climb up the north “back mountain” Badaling Great Wall, you start from the Badaling Bear Park ( (where the last tower – No. 12 tower is ).

Most passengers prefer to hike the northern slope of Badaling Great Wall simple because the north part is more scenic.

But still some people like to hike the southern slope to avoid the crowds for better photo opportunities. If you hike the southern slope, you have to backtrack.

Ticket Price: RMB40 (Nov. 1 to Mar. 31); RMB 45 (Apr. 1 to Oct. 31)
Cable Car: RMB80 (single trip); RMB100 (round trip)
Toboggan: RMB30 (single trip);
Opening Hours:06:30-19:00 (in summer); 07:00-18:00 (in winter)
Hiking Time: Two Hours
Bus Route: Take Bus No.877 or No. 919 at Deshengmen, RMB12 for ticket.
Train: Take train from Beijing Qinghe Station or Beijing North Railway Station and get off at the station of Badaling.

More Travel Tips

1. For slow walkers or wheel-chair users
For slow walkers or wheel-chair users, we suggest you get off the free shuttle bus from Badaling Railway Sytation at the first stop and start your visit from the Tower 1, easy to climb, also with accessible ramp for wheel-chair users.

Click: How to Visit Great Wall of China Wheelchair Accessible

Badaling is more wheelchair-friendly than Mutianyu Great Wall. On the Badaling Great Wall, there is a special flat lane is built for wheelchair users starting from Tower 1 to Tower 3 of the Wall. The accessible path is flat and not deep. So you can walk slowly along the accessible path to the Tower 3 and walk further for a better view if you can.

2. Alternatively, you can also take Badaling Bus 877  
You can also take Badaling Bus 877 at Deshengmen to Badaling Great Wall, then take train back to Beijing. To get to the Badaling Bus 877, you are advised to take the subway and get off at Jishuitan Stop (积水潭). Then you walk all the way to Deshengmen (德胜门),  which is a whole block east of the  Jishuitan Subway Exit A (over 15-minute walk in the east direction).

3. And don’t forget to haggle
if buying a souvenir at the shops near the wall’s entrance (those 180Yuan t shirts are happily sold for far less than their displayed price).

4. Kindly reminder
there may be allegedly “official tourist information volunteers” with red badges on, who will try to drive tourists to get on their minibuses with all sorts of excuses to lure you on. Just don’t go for it. Otherwise, you will be on a nightmare trip.

Add-on

How to Visit Great Wall of China
How to Get to Badaling Great Wall by Train
How to Get to Badaling Great Wall by Bus
How to Get to Simatai Great Wall & Gubei Water Town
How to Visit Mutianyu Great Wall
How to Visit Great Wall of China in Winter
How to Visit Great Wall of China Wheelchair Accessible

Hassle-free Badaling Great Wall Guided Tours

Don’t want to go the do-it-yourself route? No worries, We at Tour Beijing have some options for guided tours to Badaling Great wall.

Badaling Great Wall + Mutianyu Great Wall Day Tour
Badaling Great Wall and Underground Palace Day Tour
Badaling Great Wall + Forbidden City + Tiananmen Square Day Tour

Car Rental in Beijing
Simatai Great Wall & Gubei Water Town Day Tour   
Beijing Day Tour
Beijing Tour Packages
Great Wall Tour
China City Tours
China Tour

Chinese version of the travel guide

从北京市区如何坐火车去八达岭长城?

Further Readings

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How to Plan a Trip to Beijing
Top 10 Attractions in Beijing
Top 10 Tourist Scams Beijing
How to Visit Tiananmen Square
How to Visit Forbidden City
How to Visit Temple of Heaven
How to Visit Summer Palace
How to Visit Ming Tombs
How to Visit the Great Wall of China
How to Visit Hutongs
How to Visit Olympic Sites

Top 10 Markets in Beijing
Top 10 Shopping Malls in Beijing
Beijing Shopping

Wangfujing Snack Street
Qianmen Commercial Street
Beijing Huguosi Street

Any questions, just drop a line.