Dear Travellers,
We’d like to have the following travel guide to remain updated for the benefit of new visitors coming to Mutianyu Great Wall.
If anybody having used the piece finds necessary updates, please leave a message or feedback. Thanks!
For information on how to visit Mutianyu Great Wall in the evening, please check out: Night Tours of Mutianyu Great Wall ( July and August).
How to Get to Mutianyu Great Wall
There are several ways to reach Mutianyu Great Wall from downtown Beijing and choose the one that suits your trip best and good luck!
1. Dongzhimen Special Tourism Bus 东直门旅游专线
Dongzhimen Wai Bus Station – Mutianyu Great Wall Special Tourism Bus
Start Time:
Leaving at 8:30 am from Dongzhimen Wai Bus Station ( 东直门外公交车站）
Return time
Leaving at 4:00 pm at Parking No.01 at Mutianyu (景区P1停车场）
Bus Fare: 30 yuan ( One Way) Dont’ Accept transportation cards
How to buy tickets: Pay cash on board
The ticket selling starts half an hour early and the bus will go with a full load.
Note: The bus ride takes about 1 hour and 40 min. Just wait at the sign and basically sometimes a lady in uniform will direct you to the correct bus. ( Be vigilant and don’t get to any “black” bus or van.)
Enquiry phone number: 96166
Note: It is a bit tricky to find Dongzhimen Wai Bus Station. So how to get to Dongzhimen Wai Bus Station Compound ( 东直门外车站）?
The open-air Dongzhimen Wai Bus Station Compound is about 800 meters away to the northeast of Dongzhimen Transport Hub. It is also a 10-minute’s walk （ 800 meters）from Exit E of Dongzhimen Subway Station.
You exit from Exit E of Subway Line 2 at Dongzhimen, walk along Dongzhimen Wai Dajie (东直门外大街), then turn left and walk along Dongzhimen Wai Xiejie (东直门外斜街), soon you will find the open-air bus station compound on your left side, the same bus station going for Jinshanling Great Wall and Gubei Water Town.
2. Qianmen Special Tourism Bus 前门旅游专线
Qianmen – Mutianyu Great Wall Special Tourism Bus
Departure location: No. 4 ticket booth at Qianmen Tourism Special Line Departure Center.
Departure Time: 07:30 08:30 09:30 10:30
Return Time: 14:30 15:30 16:30
Ticketing: Purchasing on site at Ticket Office Beijing Hub Of Tour Dispatch 前门集散中心现场售票
How to get to the ticket office:
Take subway line 2 and get off at Qianmen, exit from exit C and walk 30m
For more information, call 010-83531111
3. MUBUS ( 慕巴士 )
MUBUS Mutianyu Great Wall Tourism Bus
Departure location: East of Swissotel Beijing Hong Kong Macau Center ( in front of Swiss Apartment)
Add: 2 Chaoyangmen N St, Dongcheng, Beijing and a 2-minute walk from a metro station.
Departure time: Morning 7:30-8:00 (cycle departure) Afternoon 10:00 (cycle departure)
Ticket sales: Mubus official website, Mubus official wechat, Ctrip, etc.
For more information, call 13381132891
4. ZANBUS (赞巴士）
ZANBUS Mutianyu Great Wall Tourism Bus
Departure: Exit B at Heping West Bridge Subway Station of Subway Line 5
Departure time: Morning: 08:00 (cycle departure); 10:00 (cycle departure)
Ticketing: ZANBUS official website, ZANBUS wechat, Ctrip, etc.
For more information, call 010-64448522, 18611317788
5. Beidou Travel 北斗旅行
Beidou Mutianyu Great Wall Tourism Bus
Departure: Exit A at Chaoyangmen Subway Station (Northeast exit)
Departure time: Morning shift: 07:30-08:00, night shift: 08:30-09:00 (cycle departure)
Ticket: official wechat booking, Ctrip, Dianping, etc.
For more information, call 18610950072,18911886840
6. Tour Beijing Private Tour （Private Car + Tour Guide）
Mutianyu Great Wall Half Day Private Tour
This tour is designed for your own traveling party and no other tourists will join you. So you have much flexibility and freedom. If you have any questions, or want more time for taking photos, just feel free to let your tour guide know.
With your personal tour guide, you will have more interaction with the locals which will enrich your travel experience in Beijing. It is a non-shopping private tour and no Hidden Fee!
| Tour Type: Exclusive Private Tour |
| Vehicle: Your Exclusive Vehicle with free Wi-Fi & Bottled water |
| Operates: Daily |
| Pick-up point and time: Your Hotel around 8:00am or 13:00pm |
| Finishing point and time: Your Hotel around 13:00pm or 6:00pm |
| Tour Code: BHDT-01 |
7. Car Rental with Driver to Mutianyu Great Wall
Hiring a car with driver gives you much flexibility to visit Mutianyu Great Wall. For car rental rates with driver, please check out the link Beijing Car Rental with Driver for information.
8. Public Bus to Mutianyu Great Wall
If you prefer a kind of DIY way taking public bus to go to Mutianyu Great Wall, you might take Bus 916 at Dongzhimen Public Transport Hub, get off at the North Street Station in Huairou District, then transfer to Dongtai-bound Bus ( Bus H23 ) for Mutianyu. Alternatively, at the North Street (Beidajie, or Bei Da Jie ) Station, you can take or share a local taxi getting to Mutinayu Great Wall.
Check out the detailed step-by step guide below for getting from Beijing Dongzhimen to Mutianyu Great Wall by 916 Express Bus.
1) Get to Dongzhimen Transport Hub early in the morning
Dongzhimen Public Transport Hub (东直门交通枢纽) is mainly composed of three forms of public transport –Dongzhimen Bus Station ( or officially called Bus Transfer Hall) where you take Bus 916 Express ( 916快) for the direction of Mutianyu Great Wall), Dongzhimen Subway Station ( Subway Line 2 and 13 ) and Dongzhimen Airport Express ( for Beijing Capital Airport Express Train).
These three forms of public transport are connected underground as a whole in a massive building.
Try to get to Dongzhimen Transport Hub early in the morning either by subway or taxi. For subway, you may take the subway line 2 or 13 and exit from Exit C leading to the massive transport hub.
916 Express Bus has to be taken from inside of the building of the Dongzhimen Public Transport Hub.
When you leave the subway there are a lot of stops at your right side and you have to get into the building and will see the signs since your bus is inside the transfer hub hall.
The Bus Transfer Hall on the ground floor is mainly composed of two parts – North Platform and South Platform.
Your Mutianyu-bound Bus 916 Express ( 916快 / 怀柔方向) is on the northern platform. There are signs overhead to guide you in the direction to the 916 Express Bus Stop.
Wait in line for the Bus 916 Express and the bus fare at 12 yuan. In the 916 bus you have to pay the exact amount.
In the bus entrance door, at your left, there is a small box where you have to put the exact amount. You get ready for the small money and often they don’t have the change.
Below is updated by Chris Nguyen relative to the payment for Express Bus 919:
The 916 express bus accepts transportation cards (tap when you hop on and tap when you hop off) and also accepts cash. We paid 12 RMB each based off of your suggestions but it seems as though the bus works off of the honor system as there is no one checking if you put the correct amount into the collection box. On the outside of the bus, there is a sign that says “self ticketing”.
2) Taking Bus 916 Express and Get off at the 15th stop of Huai Rou Bei Da Jie in Huairou District
( 62km – One Hour Drive)
916 Express Operating Hours: 5:50 – 19:50 ( Dongzhimen Transport Hub to Huairou )
04:50 – 18:50 （Huairou to Dongzhimen Transport Hub）
The 916 buses are clean and air-conditioned.
There are totally 20 stops for Public Bus 916 Express and you get off at the 15th stop of Huai Rou Bei Da Jjie (怀柔北大街 ) in Huairou District. Then take a local taxi ( about 50 yuan per taxi ) or further connect the local public Bus H23,（ 5 yuan ).
Note: Try to catch the earliest bus to Huiarou Bei Da Jie so you can arrive to Mutianyu around 8am. There aren’t many people.
The H23 buses are few and far between, so you may consider taking a taxi from Beidajie （Huai Rou Bei Da Jie ) . Taxi drivers are nice and aren’t trying to scam passengers.
Below is the current bus stop plan (bus line 916 express) submitted by Franziska from Berlin):
The 916 express runs every couple of minutes, so there is not much waiting. A lot of people get off at Huai Rou Bei Da Jie ( 怀柔北大街）, so even if you don’t speak Chinese, you’ll know when to get off.
Basically, the bus makes a couple stops in Beijing after leaving Dongzhimen, then doesn’t make any stops for a long time, until it gets to Huai Rou District, where it makes stops every couple of minutes. After a handful of those stops, you’ll be at Huai Rou Bei Da Jie ( 怀柔北大街).
For each stop, Bus 916 Express will announce the name of the bus stop both in English and Chinese. But only the Chinese stops will be shown on the electronic screen on the front of your bus, and make sure you get off at the 15th stop of Huai Rou Bei Da Jie ( 怀柔北大街).
The following bus interior photo shows the Chinese name of the bus station “Huai Rou Bei Da Jie” ( 怀柔北大街) where you should get off. The photo was provided by Franziska from Berlin.
After you get off, you will see there is an official bus stop sign for Huai Rou Bei Da jie ( 怀柔北大街) now as shown in the picture below:
Huai Rou Bei Da jie ( 怀柔北大街) Station is located by the sidewalk in front of the large governmental building (Beijing Huai Rou Department of Civil Affairs) 民政局.
Google maps location of where you need to get off at Huairou Bei Da Jie at Bus 916 express in front of the large governmental building (Beijing Huairou Department of Civil Affairs) 民政局
Note:
1) The bus fare is 12 yuan. Be ready for the small amount of money to pay for the bus fare. You get ready for the small money and often they don’t have the change. If you have a transportation card, you just swipe, and you are entitled to half price.
2) Try to get to the 916 Express bus stop as early as possible to beat the crowds on the Great Wall. The first bus leaves at 5:50 am.
3) You should get off at the 15th stop of Huai Rou Bei Da Jie ( 怀柔北大街) There is a bus stop sign for Huai Rou Bei Da Jie ( 怀柔北大街)
3) Connecting Bus H23 for Mutianyu ( 18 km – 50 Minutes Drive)
Once you get off 916 express Bus, you have two options for next transport to your destination – Mutianyu Great Wall: Connect the local bus H23 ; or take a local taxi for Mutianyu.
Local buses for Mutianyu
You can continue to take Bus H23 for Mutianyu Great Wall. The Bus Stop for Bus H23 is just across where you get off Bus 916 express at Huai Rou Bei Da Jie ( 怀柔北大街). Important notice: This Bus Stop for Bus H23 is the same bus stop area for 916 Express back to Beijing.
By the way, on your 916 Express back to Beijing, there are two kinds of 916 buses here, the express and the normal one. Take the express one! The express 916 bus is recognizable because it has 2 Chinese characters after the number. The return 916 bus leave you in a different place. After leaving the bus you have to continue and turn right and you will be in the Dongzhimen entrance where you started.
For easy memory, the location of the bus stop H23 is just in front of the China Mobile Building ( Keep in mind that this is the same bus stop for 916 Express back to Beijing).
Kindly reminder: basically you need to wait for quite some time before you can get on Bus h23.
Cost 3 yuan paid to ticket lady on the bus. The Bus h23 is green and there is a blue cardboard sign in the window next to the driver saying h23. The sign on the bus H23 are very small.
You should pay attention to the place – Mutianyu Roundabout (慕田峪环岛） where you get off. The easier way to identify Mutianyu Roundabout stop is a big aqueduct bridge over it.
There are totally 41 stops for Bus H23, keep in mind that you will alight at the 17th stop of Mutianyu Roundabout （慕田峪环岛)
The Bus H23 runs the route between Yujiayuan ( 于家园) and Tiekuangyu (铁矿峪) passing by Beidajie ( Huairou ) and Mutianyu Roundabout.
You may show your bus driver the Chinese characters “我要去慕田峪长城” ( I want to go to Mutianyu Great Wall) and the driver will remind you of the stop when the bus arrives at Mutianyu Roundabout (慕田峪环岛).
A photo of the Mutianyu Roundabout, it is recognizable because of the big aqueduct bridge overhead.
You can see both sides of the H23 bus stop. The right side is the arriving stop and the left one, where the people is standing, is the returning one.
Basically you need to walk about 310 meters to get to the ticketing office of Mutianyu Great Wall Scenic Area.
The Picture below shows the bus station of Bus H23 at Mutianyu Roundabout:
Note:
1. Download the Moovit app, it will show you the timetable of bus H23, H24, etc going to and from Mutianyu. In my experience, it takes 10-15 minutes interval for bus H23.
2. You can use your Yikatong card to pay for H23 bus and it costs 2 RMB each way.
3. If you don’t know which stop to take off and you can’t see the landmark in Mutianyu Roundabout, you can pin the address in Google Map and just check the app to see if you’re near your stop.
4) Transfer to Mutianyu by Taking a Local Taxi ( 18km – Half Hour Drive)
When getting off Bus 916 express at Beidajie ( North Street ), alternatively you can choose to take a local taxi directly bringing you to the ticketing box offices at Mutianyu.
The fact is that the moment you get off Bus 916, you will be approached by “black taxi drivers”. We suggest you use the official metered taxis. Most of the official taxi drivers would stay inside their taxis and wait for customers ( maybe they don’t want to have any conflicts with black drivers).
Most of the Huairou official taxis are waiting by the side of the governmental building known as Beijing Huairou Department of Civil Affairs) 民政局. They use meters and the taxi ride costs about 42 yuan per taxi.
Taxi transfer is fast and comfortable.
When you arrive at Mutianyu, you should ask for a printed receipt which shows the taxi fare, distance and timing.
If you cannot find any official taxis by the governmental building, just wait for a while and they will definitely will come back after their business.
Black taxi drivers will charge you about 50 yuan for the ride plus 20 yuan for so-called parking fee at Mutianyu. Actually, Mutianyu official parking lot offers free parking within 20 minutes.
Huairou Taxi Hotline: 69651168
Huairou Taxi Complaint: 60697889
5 ) Going Back to Beijing
At the end of your Mutianyu visit, just retrace on the same travel route. Alternatively you can make use of the daily 4 pm departure fixed direct shuttle bus going from Mutianyu directly back to Beijing. The Mutianyu Direct Shuttle Bus starts from P1 ( Parking No.01 ) at the parking area of Mutianyu Great Wall Scenic Area.
Mutianyu Great Wall Shuttle Schedule
Leaving at 4:00 pm at Parking No.01 at Mutianyu (景区P1停车场）
Bus Fare: 30 yuan ( One Way) Dont’ Accept transportation cards
How to buy tickets: On board the bus
Note: Ticket selling starts half hour before departure. Full and go. You have to get there earlier to secure a seat.
If you miss the bus or your travel time doesn’t fit into the shuttle schedule,
you may have the following options for your transfer from Mutianyu to the 916 express bus stop at Huairou.
1) Walk from Mutianyu Great Wall Service Area to the Mutianyu Roundabout and take the h23 back as well. Stops opposite to where you drops off. You can flag it down if you are not sure if it would have stopped.
2) Take an official taxi from the parking lot of Mutianyu Great Wall Service Area to 916 express bus stop at Huairou. But , it is not easy to find an official taxi back to Beidajie Huairou since it seems that the official taxis are outnumbered by black taxis. In addition, most of the black taxi drivers are local people. Basically people are not willing to offend them. You just wait until you see someone drops off and hail the same taxi back.
3) If you have to take a black taxi back ( not recommended ), you should bargain with them. Take a “black taxi” at the parking lot bringing you back to 916 express bus stop at Huairou ( a choice of no choice).
By the way, when back to the Express Bus 916, there are two kinds of 916 buses, the express and the normal one. Take the express one! The express 916 bus is recognizable because it have 2 Chinese characters after the number. The return 916 bus leave you in a different place. After leaving the bus you have to continue and turn right and you will be in the Dongzhimen entrance where you started.
How to Visit Mutianyu Great Wall
1. Buying Your Tickets at Tourist Service Building
The large tourist service center mainly consists of ticketing offices, toilets, a Great Wall exhibition hall and a large tourist information hall where you can use ATM machine.
Price Information:
Entrance Fee Adults: 45 yuan ( 25yuan if you have valid student card)
Children between 1.2 meters and 1.4 meters in height: 25 yuan
Children less than 1.2 meters in height are free of charge
Cable Car：100 yuan（single way ); 120 yuan ( return )
Chairlift + toboggan : 100 yuan（single way ); 120 yuan ( return )
Cable car up + toboggan down: 100 +100 = 200 yuan.
Ferry Shuttle Bus: 15 yuan ( shuttle from the ticketing office to the starting point of the 600-meter long ramp up to the chair-lift station, cable car station and the walking starting point up to the Wall.
Opening Hours:
April to October: 8:00 -17:00
November to March: 8:30-16:30
Important Notice:
Cable car up and down is operated by one company; while chair-lift up and down ( or toboggan down) are operated by another company. They sell their tickets separately through the same ticketing window. This is a tricky part in Mutianyu Great Wall.
A return ticket is cheaper. But if you are going to take cable car up and the toboggan down ( so you are using two different companies), you have to buy two single tickets. If you take the chair-lift up and the toboggan down, you are able to buy a return ticket. This is a tricky part in Mutianyu Great Wall.
Cable car brings you up to the place below the 14th Watch Tower;
Chair-lift takes you up to the place below the 6th Watch Tower;
Walking up along the stone steps (like a mountain hike – 30 minute hike ) – to the 10th or 8th Watch Tower.
Note: After you get off the shuttle from the ticketing office, you still need to walk up a 600-meter long ramp leading to the cable car station. But on the way up, you will first come across the chair-lift ( toboggan ) station. They are different companies with separate accounts.
So it is up to you to decide whether you use cable car up and down, or chair-lift up and toboggan down, or cable up and toboggan down, or lastly just walk up to the summit for the Wall.
So once inside the wall area, you have four choices with three prices:
1.Cable Car：100 yuan（single way ); 120 yuan ( return )
2.Chairlift + toboggan: 100 yuan（single way ); 120 yuan ( return )
3. Cable car up + toboggan down: 100 +100 = 200 yuan.
4. Walk up: free of Charge
Ferry Shuttle Bus: 15 yuan
Click the Map of Mutianyu Great Wall for more information.
There are 23 towers on the Mutianyu Great Wall snaking the ridge for about 3000 meters. The watch towers at the Mutianyu Great Wall are distributed at short intervals. The 23 watch towers are numbered from right (east) to left (west). The or 23rd tower is highest point of the Mutianyu Great Wall.
Note: Two different companies operate cable car and chairlift (toboggan) separately. You either choose cable or chairlift (toboggan). The ticketing staff will ask you which you prefer, cable car or chairlift ( or toboggan down )?
If you have strong legs and prefer to hike up to the Great Wall, you can do the hiking without using the service of cable car or chairlift.
On the right side of the Tourist Service Building is the Exhibition Hall for Great Wall Culture, a brief introduction to the Great Wall of China and Mutianyu Great Wall in particular.
The large service center building where you can use ATM machine.
Clean and modern toilet.
2. Taking a ferry Shuttle Bus ( 2.5km ) to the Starting Points for the Mutianyu Great Wall
At the ticketing box office, you are required to buy a 15 yuan ferry shuttle bus. From the tourist service center, you till need to walk about 200 meters to get to the shuttle bus terminal.
The 200-meter road leading to the shuttle bus terminal is lined with restaurants on the left side and vendors on the right side.
You have the choices of King Burger, Pizza, and Chinese food and more. Bottled water on the vendor stalls here is much cheaper ( 3 yuan per bottle ) than that sold up on the Wall ( 15 yuan per bottle ).
The 5-minute free shuttle ride brings you to the area close to the starting points for Visiting Mutianyu Great Wall.
3. Three Ways to Go up to Mutianyu Great Wall
When you get off the ferry shuttle bus, you need to walk along an accessible stone path (600 meters long ) leading up first to the entrance area for chairlift ( or toboggan down ), second to the walking path up to the Wall and last to the area for cable car up to the Wall respectively.
The Cable Car Station is at the end of the 600-meter stone slope. That said, there are three ways to go up to Mutianyu Great Wall.
1) Taking a chairlift to the Great Wall – to the 6th Watch Tower ( or take a toboggan down).
2) Walking up the Great Wall along the stone steps (like a mountain hike – 30 minute hike ) – to the 10th or 8th Watch Tower
3) Taking a cable car up to the Great Wall – to the 14th Watch Tower
Click the Map of Mutianyu Great Wall for more information.
Note:
1) There are 23 towers on the Mutianyu Great Wall snaking the ridge for about 3000 meters. The watch towers at the Mutianyu Great Wall are distributed at short intervals.
2) The 23 watch towers are numbered from right (east) to left (west). The 23rd tower is highest point of the Mutianyu Great Wall.
Mutianyu Great Wall in summer
Basically it is more convenient to use its smooth and gentle ramp leading up Badaling Great Wall. You don’t need to use the cable car. The area for the upper cable station is not wheelchair-friendly and teem with domestic tourists.
On the Mutianyu Great Wall, wheelchair users may take a cable car up and then use the accessible lane leading to the platform below the 14th watch tower for a good view of Mutianyu Great Wall.
4. The accessible paths in Mutianyu Great wall
On the Mutianyu Great Wall, wheelchair users may take a cable car up and then use the accessible lane leading to the platform below the 14th watch tower for a good view of Mutianyu Great Wall.
But unfortunately, the accessible ramp leading from the upper cable station to the platform below the 14th watch tower is too steep, very much challenging for wheelchair users.
Note:
Badaling Great Wall is more wheelchair user-friendly. Basically it is more convenient to use its smooth and gentle ramp leading up Badaling Great Wall. You don’t need to use the cable car. Click: How to Visit Great Wall of China Wheelchair Accessible.
5. Newest Updated:
Night Tour of Mutianyu Great Wall
Mutianyu Great Wall is now open to the public for night tours during this July and August, basically to beat the hot summer days.
Mutianyu Great Wall Night Tour Opening Hours: 5 pm – 9 pm ( July and August);
Mutianyu Great Wall Night Tour last Check-in time: 8:30 pm
Closing time for ticketing at the Great Wall: 8 pm
For more information, please check out: Night Tour of Mutianyu Great Wall.
The blue taxi cabs are not allowed to wait and collect passengers at Mutianyu. Not sure what happened, but didn’t find a single cab while returning from Mutianyu and the office closed. There were several people asking me to board their taxi or minibus. I walked to the public bus stop and i waved down a passing blue cab. He was worried that someone might notice my getting into his cab.
6. Possible Tourist Scams at Dongzhimen Public Transport Hub and fake bus staffers on Bus 916
————————-
A fake official bus station employee (‘friendly lady”- don’t trust her) told us to take the Bus 980 because it would be a shorter ride and that we should get off at the 4th stop. At the 4th stop, there was an older man waiting with a “black taxi”. It was all planned. He was just waiting for us so we were pretty sure that the lady and him were working together.
We ended up taking the bus back to Beijing. He was not gonna get our money, that’s for sure.
So we lost a couple of hours there, unfortunately.
———————–
Hi, your instructions are great – followed them and got to Mutianyu and back without any problems. I can confirm, that a few stops before Beidajie Stop a man in a uniform very similar to public transportation uniform entered the bus and said, that those, who was going to the Great Wall should leave here.
There was lot’s of black taxis on that stop as well. I didn’t leave the bus and continued to go, and get off at Beidajie Stop where I took a metered taxi without any problem.
On the way back two metered taxis were waiting right on the roundabout. But I also found out, that now it’s possible to get DiDi app in English, so if there is no taxi, but one has mobile internet – the one can be ordered by DiDi without any problem.
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
Tip: Hassle-free Beijing Guided Tours
If you don’t want to go the do-it-yourself route and prefer the hassle-free escorted tours, here are some options for guided tours to Beijing:
Mutianyu Half Day Private Tour
Car Rental in Beijing
Beijing Day Tour
Beijing Tour Packages
Great Wall Tour
Beijing Winter Tour
Beijing Tour
China City Tours
China Tour
Further Readings
Best Time to Visit Beijing
How to plan a trip to Beijing
Top 10 Attractions in Beijing
Top 10 Tourist Scams Beijing
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 Tiananmen Square
How to Visit Hutongs
How to Visit Olympic Sites
Top 10 Markets in Beijing
Top 10 Shopping Malls in Beijing
Beijing Shopping
Wangfujing Night Snack Street
Qianmen Commercial Street
Beijing Huguosi Street
Any questions, just drop a line.
The explanations are perfect. We followed exactly the tip to get to Mutianyu Great Wall by 916 Express bus and taxi during our stay in Beijing last month. Every thing was as described ! Thank you very much for it.
Hi Seb34,
Much appreciated for your time responding to my travel blog regarding the self-guided public transportation from Beijing to Mutianyu! This is very important for me to write better travel articles for first-time visitors coming to Mutianyu. Thanks!
Hi,
Thanks for the comprehensive notes, looking forward to our tour tomorrow. Are you able to provide any guidance (even rough/approx) of the frequency of the 916 service – for e.g. is it every 30 mins or less and departing on the hour.
Thx again.
Hi Martin,
Not sure about the exact interval time between two Bus 916. But my experience tells that each bus is filled up fast and leaves. It seems to take 3-5 minutes for the next bus to follow up.
Have a good time! Any problem, just turn to the bus driver for help.
Thank you for spelling out the journey with helpful pictures! When I am up on the wall, and if I decide that I want to take the toboggan or the cable car down – can I buy a ticket up there?
Hi Jill,
Yes, definitely. You can buy the tickets and they have ticketing offices up there.
Cable car up and down is operated by one company; while chair-lift up and toboggan down are operated by another company. They sell their tickets separately through the same ticketing window.
A return tikcet is cheaper. But if you are going to take cable car up and the toboggan down, you have to buy two single tickets. If you take the chair-lift up and the toboggan down, you are able to buy a return ticket. This is a tricky part in Mutianyu Great Wall.
There are 23 towers on the Mutianyu Great Wall snaking the ridge for about 3000 meters. The watch towers at the Mutianyu Great Wall are distributed at short intervals. The 23 watch towers are numbered from right (east) to left (west). The or 23rd tower is highest point of the Mutianyu Great Wall.
Cable car brings you up to the place below the 14th Watch Tower;
Chair-lift takes you up to the place below the 6th Watch Tower;
Walking up along the stone steps (like a mountain hike – 30 minute hike ) – to the 10th or 8th Watch Tower.
Have a nice time!
Hi- thanks for the directions, they were accurate and saved me from getting scammed a few times plus made the cultural experience so much nicer by being with the locals
Mike
Hi Mike,
Thanks for your response! Any update, please let us know. Again thanks for your feedback!
What hour last bis 23 or 24 to come back ?
Thanks
Hi Diorgenes,
As far as I know, the last bus is around 4:00pm. If you miss the last bus, you may take a local taxi ( approx.42 yuan ) taking you to the bus stop of Bus 916 at Beidajie ( North Street ) in Huairou, and take the Bus 916 back to the downtown of Beijing.
Important notice ! We got to the bus station and we were told to take the 980 express line – do not tempte to go on that bus – it is very difficult to get to wall from the stop that bus takes you. We traveled back to Beijing to take the 916 line
Don’t fall for the same mistake that we did
And thanks for the really good information that you wrote here – it really helped us
Hi! Thanks a lot for your precious tips! If I choose to take a taxi instead of H23 or H24, is it easy to get a taxi at Mutianyu to go back to 916 express bus stop? This is my doubt, because as you wrote the way to Mutianyu is easy but there was no information about the taxi for coming back. Are there any taxi stop at Mutianyu or will I need to set with the drivers to wait me there whike I’m visiting the Great Wall? Thanks! 🙂
Hi Samanta,
Very good question! Last time I took a taxi waiting on the parking lot on the ride of the main exit.
Three options:
1. Set with the drivers to wait you there;
2. Take an official taxi at the parking lot
3. Take a “black taxi” at the parking lot.
Have a nice time in Mutianyu!
Hello all
Thank you for the awesome guide, Daniel.
Like ‘Mor’ said, do NOT take the 980. We got duped as well.
The official busstation employee (“friendly lady”- don’t trust her) told us to take the 980 cause it would be a shorter ride and that we should get off at the 4th stop. At the 4th stop, there was an older man waiting with a ‘black taxi’. It was all planed. He was just waiting for us so we were pretty sure that the lady and him were working together.
We ended up taking the bus back to Beijing. He was not gonna get our money, that’s for sure.
So we lost a couple of hours there, unfortunately.
Cheers and thanks!
Hi Boskovic,
Thanks for your time writing your feedback! Your trip review is quite useful for new visitors. Like ‘Mor’ said, do NOT take the 980. The Bus 980 goes to Miyun County in the northeast of Beijing instead of Huairou District where Mutianyu Great Wall is located, in the north of Beijing.
You are asked to get off at the 4th stop otherwise you go in the opposite direction of Mutianyu. But the 4th stop is still very far from Mutianyu, a pit for you to take a “black taxi”. Sorry for the phony information by the dishonest lady! Thanks again for your feedback!
Bus 980 to: Miyun Bus Station,
Brilliantly explained! We followed this exact route and had an awesome trip. Thank you so much for writing about it.
Hi Shikha,
Thanks for your feedback!
We’d like to have the travle guide to be always updated for the benefit of more new visitors. If anybody finds new information, please let us know. Thanks!
This is an excellent guide. Everything is exactly as explained above and if you follow this explanation you will have no problems getting to Mutianyu.
A couple of notes:
– the shuttle bus at Mutianyu is 15 yuan (return)
– the stop for 916 express is as mentioned however the full name is Huairou Beidajie so if you are trying to follow the stops on the electronic screen, pay attention to the last three characters.
– on the bus a list if the stops is posted, I found this useful to help keep track of where we were
Hi Neal,
Thanks for your feedback! Much appreciated !
Hi Daniel!
Thank you very much for your detailied guide! We made the trip in September 2016 and everythin worked out fine!
As several others have already mentioned, we were also approached by a very official looking lady in Dongzhimen who told us to take the 980 bus because it would be shorter. But thanks to the comment section here we were well prepaired and told her to go away – which she did, quite furious actually…
What Neal wrote further up is also very important: The station where you need to change (Beidajie) to H23 will come up on the screen on the bus, but the sing is a little bit longer. So pay attention to the last three characters and look out the window!
And finally: The sings on the bus H23 are very small. We probably missed a couple of them before we realized this.
The trip was awesome! Thanks for the good work!
Hi Marc,
Much thanks for your feedbck! Much appreciated!!
Do the local buses (H23 and H24) run all year long? I was there today (December 14) and never saw such a bus at BeiDaJie, (neither did another guy who was also waiting for this bus). We did not see any at Mutianyu either and waited for some time.
So we took a minibus (5RMB per person) to Mutianyu and 40RMB per vehicle to return to Beidajie.
Hi Jean-Pierre，
Thanks for your updating! Basically H23 and H24 should be there. We’ll check out. Thanks again!
Hi Daniel,
Thank you for the article. It really help me and my friend on our trip to Mutianyu. That time on our trip, there was no H24 were visible. I only saw H23 bus. But on my way to Mutianyu, we end up with the wrong bus. The H23 bus didn’t pass the Mutianyu Roundabout. The driver followed another way when reach Sanduhecun area. Exactly we almost gave up to Mutianyu, we get off the bus at Bohaizen and took back another H23 bus in opposite direction to back Huairou but surprisingly the H23 we took from Bohaizen did pass in front of Mutianyu Tourist Building. So in my conclusion, some of the H23 do pass the Mutianyu Roundabout. My mistake was didn’t asked the lady conductor whether the bus passing the Mutianyu or not. Should anybody wish to ride H23 from Huairou, better confirm with the driver or conductor whether the bus passing Mutianyu roundabout or not. Or you might be end up like us. Cheers 🙂
Hi Shaiful,
Happy Holidays！
A big thanks for your update on Bus 23! Much appreciated! This will be helpful for those who want to ride bus 23 from Huairou to Mutianyu Roundabout.
I will update my article using your latest information. Thanks!!
Hi,
I am planning to do the Mutianyu trip during my 9.30 hrs layover at Beijing airport in Feb. I have a few questions regarding the same:
1) How far is the 916 bus station from the Beijing International airport and how do we get there ?
2) is it safe for tourists to go to this place by themselves ?
3) Can I make complete this round trip by public transport in time for my flight departure. Minus the visa processing time and 2 hrs before next flight I might have about 5-6 hrs
Thanks
Do you have a photo of how Mianyu Roundabout bus stop looks like and how the area around the ticket booth looks like. Thanks
Hi John fabian,
Thanks for your inquiry!
Unfortunately we don’t have the pictures of Mianyu Roundabout bus stop. But we do have the huge comprehensive service building for ticketing, information, toilet, show room and more. You can also see the picture on the blog. Have a nice time.
Thanks for your detailed description. I followed your instructions on 11th January. At Beidajie governmental building and in front of china mobile shop were brand-new bus stops. Only the signs are missing, which bus lines stop here. Maybe they will be installed soon.
Dear Jan,
Thanks for your update! We’ll follow up closely. Any clients see the bus stops, please get us informed.
Much appreciated!
Wow. Thank you so much for this. I doubt we ever would have made it to the wall using public transport without this.
A few notes:
At stops previous to the one you suggested, people would come on the bus and ask us to get off on a very authoritative voice. We knew these were scammers trying to get us in their black cabs so we knew to say no.
When we got off the bus, we were again harassed by black cab drivers, but there was a line of legit taxis waiting so no issues there. Although we suspect our taxi driver was still trying to scam us – when we got to the wall he parked the taxi and tried to escort us up the stairs. We told me no and just walked away to another set of stairs. I suspect he was trying to walk us to either a friend to use as a guide (by needed) or perhaps (less likely) a scam ticket seller.
On the way back it was a bit tricky finding a taxi, but we eventually lucked into one in the parking lot dropping someone off.
There are indeed signs now for where to pick up the 916 on the way back. Be sure to take the 916 express (there will be a Chinese character after the 916) and not the 916 local. Luckily someone was at the stop to keep us from boarding the wrong one – he said it takes about 3 times longer to get back to Beijing!
Hi, thanks for sharing this. Many visitors can get help through your given information. The Mutianyu Great Wall is one of the famous-preserved and best-known Great Wall sections. Compared with the top-notch Badaling, Great Wall at Mutianyu is few crowded, thus a good spot on hot holidays for a Great Wall tour at ease. Last month I visited Great wall China marathon by Trekclub.org. That trip was awesome for me.
Pr. 5th april, as we were there this Sunday, there were no bus stop sign. But cross the street from where you got off (oppsite direction) and wait for the #0000-bus and make your way through 🙂 And yes, you will get harassed by scammers. Just tell them NO, and walk away.
Oh, and addition to Brad C’s comment.
The #0000-bus goes from Beidajie to Mutienyu. Sorry for not being precise.
As for the #916 – yes, there is a difference between the local and the express. 916快 (kuài: fast) goes about 3 times faster than the local one.
Hi
Thanks for the Perfect descripton.
We also fell for the nice Lady who wanted to help us to get a shorter ride because we were travelling with a baby! so we took the 980 Bus also (August 2016).
However i can really recommend Mutianyu Great wall to everybody.
Thank you so much! These directions were PERFECT. My friend and I were traveling on a budget so this was the perfect way to avoid a tour. We got to the bus station at 6am and when we arrived, the wall had just opened and we were practically alone. Such an amazing experience, all thanks to you. I’ll definitely be sharing this page with fellow travelers.
Just a side note, a taxi driver told us the bus back to the city wasn’t coming for another hour, as he was talking to us that bus pulled up right in front of us. Gave us a great laugh!
Dear Alexandra,
Thanks for your kind feedback! This is important for the coming visitors who prefer a DIY trip to Mutianyu Great Wall by taking public buses, an interesting experience mingling with the locals.
Have a nice time in Beijing!
Hi there!
Thank you for this marvelous article. We had the best time at the Mutianyu wall. We do have some updates though! Now there are signs at the Beidajie busstops (we have pictures that we can send!!) of the #916 (not the local busses H23/H24). Another thing was that we did not travel by H23/H24, but by H11 (yes, we trusted the waving bus driver haha) that took less than half an hour and actually dropped us of at the ENTRANCE of the wall (so no shuttle bus fee, yay). We do not know if it goes there all the time, and we did not find the H11 back to Beidajie – we walked down to the H23 busstop.
Dear Roxanne & Maartje,
Glad that you had a wonderful trip to Mutianyu. Thanks for your update about the Beidajie busstops! If possible, please kindly send us at [email protected] for more coming visitors to share.
Thanks again!
Thank you for wonderful guide. It made our trip smooth and easy. I have got few small updates. Today, the security guar traveled with us on the express 916 bus. I think this is the way to solve this issue with the scammers. We started at 6:30 form the Dongzhimen Transport Hub. We took the taxi just after we arrived to the Beidajie (40 RMB for 2 people). Then we traveled by the cable car and we were one of the first tourists on the wall. We walked to the 23rd tower. We were almost alone during that time (Friday morning, 2nd of June)! After 10AM the wall became very crowded when most of the tours arrived, so I recommend to travel there as early as possible and enjoy the silence and beautiful views.
Moreover, I recommend to get offline navigation (maps.me) and find the bus stop in the Beidajie (北大街). This way you make sure you won’t miss your bus stop. It makes the travel much easier.
Dear Dawid,
Thanks for your update! Much appreciated!
Thanks for this guide! My parents and I made the bus trip to Mutianyu this week, and it was fast and easy. The 916 runs every couple of minutes, so there is no waiting at all. It was only about ten stops for us in the 916, and a lot of people get off at Huairou Beidajie, so even if you don’t speak Chinese, you’ll know when to get off. Basically, the bus makes a couple stops in Beijing after leaving Dongzhimen, then doesn’t make any stops for a long time, until it gets to Huairou, where it makes stops every couple of minutes. After a handful of those stops, you’ll be at Beidajie. In addition, when you get off the bus in Huairou, the drivers waiting there are safe and can quickly drive you to the park entrance. We bargained for 10RMB per person, per way. The H23 and H24 buses were few and far between, so the driver was a great option. They were nice and weren’t trying to scam us. Thanks for the guide – I would take the bus again, and will recommend it to friends!
Dear Caitlin,
Thanks for your feedback! Much appreciated! Glad that you are satisfied with your bus trip to Mutianyu.
Hi Daniel, thanks for your detailed explanations and tips. I followed them during my trip to Mutianyu today, June 9, 2017. Some updates:
1. The cable car return fare is now 120 Yuan
2. The shuttle bus fare is now 25 Yuan
3. The blue taxi cabs are not allowed to wait and collect passengers at Mutianyu. Not sure what happened, but didnt find a single cab while returning from Mutianyu and the office closed. There were several people asking me to board their taxi or minibus. I walked to the public busstop and i waved down a passing blue cab. He was worried that someone might notice my getting into his cab
Ani, Singapore
Dear Ani,
Big thanks for your updates! Much appreciated!
There may be a “competition” between the official taxis and the local “black taxis”. Sorry to hear that.
Hi Daniel, after read through your guide, now i know how to get to great wall from beijing.
Just curious, is same way up and down through walking to tower 10 or 8?
Total time up and down around 1 hour?
What color of the official taxi and “black taxi”?
Dear Fel,
1. Yes, same way walking up and down, very easy to see the sign up and down. For me,just half an hour walking up.
2. “Black Taxi”: just normal private car or van for family use ( black or other colors ).
Hi!
We just wanted to let you know that everything you described is still the same. Noor and I had a great time today at the Chinese wall! Thank you very much 🙂 greetings Noor and Det
Dear Noor and Det,
Much delighted that you have enjoyed your trip to Mutianyu!
Went today. Thanks for the info. Glad I visited this rather than the more popular section. Added to the fun getting there on your own and saving money.
-lady is still there trying to scam you onto the wrong in the bus station
– some people got on at one stop before Beidajie and tried to encourage us to get off to get on their mini bus. I ignored them and they got off again.
– we took the h23. As said, goes from opposite where the 916 drops off. Cost 3 yuan paid to ticket lady on the bus. Had to wait about 45mins for the bus and had a lady constantly nagging me to take a taxi for most of that! The h23 is green and there was a blue cardboard sign in the window next to the driver saying h23.
– admission to the wall was 45yuan (25yuan if you have valid student card. The accepted my girlfriends UK one.)
– shuttle bus was 15yuan for a return (not 25 as stated in the comment above)
– took the h23 back as well. Stops opposite to where it drops off. We flagged it down as I am not sure if it would have stopped. Only waited a few mins for it.
Google maps location of where you need to get off the 916:
55 Bei Da Jie, Huairou Qu, Beijing Shi, China
https://goo.gl/maps/H7WWBazKyBt
Google maps location of where you need to get off h23:
https://goo.gl/maps/Wv92ZoaX29n
I used a VPN to view the maps and put save points on the before leaving . Then tracked offline via GPS.