Great Wall, Jinshanling

I hope it remains like this, the most peaceful part of the Great Wall (not the most maintained though), visiting this is like having a me time on one of the 7 Wonders of the World, I was almost alone when I came here and it was on a Sunday. Was maybe a mixture of Luck and because I started my visit on the afternoon (got to enjoy the Sunset here), and instead of starting at the Main Entrance I started on the Exit, that ended my Trek at the Main Entrance, it was all worth it of what I paid the Taxi in getting there and going back to Peking, getting to enjoy it on my own seeing the Sunset, I was able to appreciate why is it called Jinshanling, translates the golden Mountain

Outside of Beijing, located at Hebei approximately two and half hour drive from Wangfujing Beijing. There are no crowds, no rush just great views and a cable car ride up, continuing with a relaxing climb up and down then back to the ticketing exit. Our driver and guide Leo from Beijing Walking is very friendly, knowledgeable, helpful and skilled in this area. Beautiful sights at the wall and beyond into the vast mountains to have a glimpse of what ancient civilisation experienced and the labour involved to build these particular section. An experience in Jingsanling is a must in comparison over the long queues and tourist modernisation at Mutianyu and Badaling section.

Jinshanling is THE best section of the Great Wall to visit. There weren’t more than 10 other people on the entire section, we just occasionally passed groups of 2 / couples. We visited on a Thursday and there was no wait. The chairlift was closed, but we took the shuttle up to the west side, hiked across to the easternmost tower, and hiked down the past to the east entrance. Couldn’t be happier to see the wild, original, and unrestored wall. Beyond stunning and you just have to see it in person!

I stay at a farmhouse near the office entrace so I got there early. I can pay for ticket at the entrance by WeChat. There were not crowded in the morning. I walked along the Great Wall....Million of beautiful !!! Some sections were steep but I can hold the wooden ladder and climb up. Exhausted but happy. 😍

Wow! Even with all the hype this experience was incredibly underrated! The wall itself is breathtaking. Jinshanling section is well maintained and very beautiful. We lucked out on crowds as often felt like we were the only ones up there. Town had some decent little restaurants and plenty of small vendors eager for customers (sometimes aggressively so). But still a pleasant community and area to visit. Stayed only one night and were able to see the wall as far as was open to the public in both directions. We're quite fit and that took us about 6 hours in total including lots of breaks to take pictures.

Trek from the east entrance to the west entrance took about 3 hours. Tickets cost 55 yuan per adult. This is the best section of the Great Wall of China we’ve visited so far. Like the General Tower .

In total awe. There's a direct bus from downtown beijing leaving at 8 am sharp on weekends. The trip takes 2,5h. Jinshanling is a less visited section as it's further out from beijing. So not so crowded as Mutianyu . Definitely try the farmhouse restaurant if you have an extra hour, amazing home cooked food for very reasonable prices and a very quaint, provincial Chinese feeling. Doesn't get more local than that. Visiting the great wall was one of the most amazing experiences of my life.

Super nice section of the wall. I’ll list the specifics here, as I’m convinced the wall itself doesn’t need any explaining. You can take the train from Beijing every morning and evening (two trains a day). In high season it’s smart to book tickets in advance (can do so through Trip) We paid 69-70¥ for a taxi to drive us to the entrance. You don’t need a passport to buy tickets at the office (you do need it for the train). I forgot how much tickets are for the wall. There’s shuttles to the “start” of the wall, but the walk is only a km or so. You be the judge (we walked). You can head to the three starting points of the wall, west gate, central tower or east gate. If you start from the west gate, you can walk all the way through to the east gate. The climbs on the wall itself will be heavier. If you choose the east gate, the climb there is heavier but walking on the wall is lighter. It requires a shuttle or cab to go there though. (I think 40¥). If you pick the central gate, that’s what most tourists do, it traverse the most restored part of the wall. Doesn’t take up much time. For avid hikers it’s a half day trek west to east. For slow photography just a bit more. Going up and down from BJ is losing some time travelling and arriving around noon, but you still have time to see everything before turning back. This section of the wall really is beautiful, calmer than most and offers exceptional views.