Apricot Blossoms at Jinshanling Great Wall

Among the dozen of the notable Great Wall sections around Beijing, Jinshanling Great Wall has always been one of my favorites. It is less crowded than Badaling Great Wall and more original than Mutianyu Great Wall.

I’m crazy about Mutianyu Great Wall too, especially hiking from the broken and overgrown Jiankou Great Wall, a mecca for the Great Wall hiking enthusiasts. Beside its picturesque scenery, Mutianyu Great Wall is more entertaining with the exciting toboggan rides and comfortable cable cars or skiing lifts.

Mutianyu Great Wall has won the first place of all the attractions in Beijing according to the rated reviews posed by real travelers on Tripadvisor. In the past several years Mutianyu Great Wall has been very popular with the mass travelers, kids and seniors in particular. But, I often think that things would be slightly different if Jinshanling Great Wall were an attraction in Beijing.

As matter of a fact, administratively Jinshanling Great Wall doesn’t belong to Beijing. It is located in Luanping County, Chengde City, Hebei Province, 154km to the northeast of Beijing’s Tiannamen Square. The relatively longer distance further away from Beijing is maybe one of the reasons why Jinshanling Great Wall looks much more quieter.

As the old saying goes that “Good wine needs no bush.”, Jinshanling Great Wall has never been quiet for the Great Wall aficionados, especially the experienced travelers and hikers. It is a perfect combination of the Great Wall section, both restored and original.

Years ago people could hike all the way eastward from Jinshanling Great Wall to Simatai Great Wall. Unfortunately, at present the stretch from Jinshanling to Simatai is still unopen mainly due to the closure of the west section of Simatai Great Wall.

Personally I’m sorry for the magnificent Simatai Great Wall which has become a backdrop of Gubei Water Town, an over 4 billion yuan investment project – a replica of the Wuzhen Water Town in the Southern China.

Jinshanling Great Wall is open to the public all year round. Spring definitely is a good time for Jinshanling Great Wall hiking. Every mid-April sees Jinshanling blanketed by white elegant apricot blossoms, attracting a consistent flow of travelers.

Blooming apricot trees, fresh suburban air, and mesmerizing Great Wall of China. If you visit Beijing in mid April, visiting Jinshanling Great Wall is a smart choice!

Getting to Jinshanling Great Wall by public transport is still very tricky.
Take Bus No. 980 Express (980快) from Dongzhimen Transportation Hub
Destination: Jinshanling Great Wall 金山岭长城.
Very Important Notice: Actually the Bus 980 Express stops at Miyun County ( 密云汽车站 ), and then you take a mini bus from the downtown Miyun to Jinshanling.
Bus Fare: RMB 15
Minibus Fare: about RMB 50 ( you have to share a mini-bus for Jinshanling Great Wall)

Alternatively, you may join in the local group tour visiting Jinshanling Great Wall, Check Jin s hanling Great Wall Group Tour for more information.

See below the photos of the Jinshanling Great Wall with blooming apricot trees.