Thousands Visit Great Wall of China at Badaling
Tips to Avoid Crowds at Most-Visited Site Closest to Beijing
Dec 8, 2008
Badaling attracts so many visitors because of its proximity to Beijing. Dozens of tour buses cram the parking lots every morning. Badaling is easily accessible by public transportation, which makes it popular with independent travelers who don’t have to change buses en route as they would if they went to other sites.
Badaling also is not as steep as some of the other sites, such as Simatai, making it more suitable for couch potatoes who are looking for an easy walk on the wall. Simatai is particularly rugged. Seeing the Great Wall snake over sharp mountain peaks is exhilarating, but climbing the Great Wall here can be exhausting.
Know When to Go
Some travelers won't go to Badaling because of the crowds. Their loss. While all these visitors can be disruptive, there are ways to make a visit to man’s greatest engineering feat more enjoyable. The trick lies in knowing when to go to the Great Wall.
- don't go in the mornings. That’s when the buses and tour groups come. Tour groups start clearing out about noon. Afternoon visitors should have a less crowded experience.
- visit the wall during the winter months. It’s cold then and may be windy, but snow only adds another dimension to the Wall experience. It’s okay to visit on weekends then.
Unfortunately, travelers on packaged tours must go when the bus takes them. However, these visitors can still avoid the crowds at Badaling. So can independent travelers. Just turn left instead of right at the main entrance in the Badaling town site proper. Most people go right because that side of the Great Wall is not as steep. As a result, there’s wall to wall people as far as the eye can see. Thus the left side gets fewer tourists. Those who choose the left side will have left all but the hardiest walkers behind in 15 to 20 minutes of walking.
Museum Closed on Mondays
One last tip. Don’t go to Badaling on Mondays. Badaling is home to the fabulous Great Wall Museum and its circle vision theater. The museum traces the Great Wall from its humble beginnings in western China to its terminus in the east at the BohaiSea at Shanhaiguan. This museum is not to be missed.
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