Our Mutianyu Great Wall tour is a private day trip from your central Beijing hotel to one of the best-preserved Ming sections near the city, about an hour and a half to two hours away by car. A cable car or chairlift carries you up to the wall, so it suits families, grandparents and first-time visitors.
Price on request — send us your dates and group size for a written quote.
- Duration: a full day, hotel to hotel
- Group: private, just your group with your own guide and driver
- Pick-up: your hotel in central Beijing (within the 4th Ring Road)
- Walking level: easy to moderate; you choose how far to walk on the wall
- Best for: families with children, seniors, first visits to the Great Wall
Itinerary
Morning: the drive north
Your guide and driver meet you in the hotel lobby after breakfast. The drive to Mutianyu, in Huairou District, takes about an hour and a half to two hours, out along the Jingcheng Expressway and then on small roads through Kuangou as the hills close in. The gates open at 7:30 (8:00 from 16 November to 15 March), so leaving soon after breakfast gives you most of the morning on the wall.
At the wall: cable car or chairlift
A shuttle bus covers the roughly 3 km from the shuttle station to the ticket gate by the lifts. Mutianyu uses real-name entry, so there you show the passport we booked your ticket with. Decide which lift you want before the day. The two are run by different companies, and their tickets aren’t interchangeable.
- Enclosed cable car: a seated cabin that lands at Tower 14, at about 640 m. This is the gentlest way up and the one we suggest for grandparents and anyone who prefers not to climb steps. From Tower 14 you can walk to Tower 15, where the proposal scene of the Chinese film If You Are the One II was shot, and look out toward the steep Jiankou ridge, which is seen from here but not walked.
- Open chairlift, with the toboggan as an option: the chairlift goes up near Towers 5 and 6. Coming down, you can ride the chairlift again or take the toboggan, a track that winds about 1,580 m down the hillside in roughly five minutes. The toboggan is not included in the tour price; if you want it, you pay on the day, and a one-way toboggan ride costs about CNY 100 (about US$15).
Once you’re up, walk as far as you like. The open wall runs from Tower 1 to Tower 20, as of November 2026, though restoration work has affected the upper end this year. The stretch from about 10 m above “Hero Slope” at Tower 19 up to Tower 20, closed for restoration from 7 April 2026, reopened on 25 October 2026, according to Beijing’s official news account. Work between Towers 16 and 17 has been under way since 26 May 2026, with the inner side of Tower 16 still passable, and as of November 2026 a short stretch there may still be fenced off or diverted, so your guide plans the walk around whatever is open on the day. Look for Zhengguantai, where three watchtowers stand together on a single platform, and for the battlements on both sides of the wall, which set Mutianyu apart from most other sections.
Lunch and the drive back
After two to three hours on the wall, most groups have lunch near the scenic area, at a place your guide suggests. Then it’s about an hour and a half to two hours back to your hotel, arriving late afternoon.
What’s included
- Private car or van with driver for your group
- English-speaking guide
- Hotel pick-up and drop-off in central Beijing
- Mutianyu entrance ticket
- Shuttle bus inside the scenic area
- Cable car or chairlift up and down
Not included
- Toboggan ride (pay on the day if you want it)
- Lunch
- Personal expenses and tips
Pacing the day, seasons and opening hours
Families can ride the chairlift up and let the children take the toboggan down with a parent. Children under 10 share a sled with an adult. Grandparents can rest in a tower while the others walk on. We make no shopping stops on the way there or back.
Autumn brings red leaves and ripe fruit to the slopes below the wall, and in winter snow can settle on the ramparts. Opening hours follow two seasons, as of November 2026. Until 15 November it opens at 7:30 and closes at 18:00 on weekdays and 18:30 at weekends; from 16 November to 15 March it is open 8:00 to 17:30 daily. In summer storms the site may close for safety, so we watch the scenic area’s notices and adjust your day if needed. Our Mutianyu Great Wall guide covers tickets and seasons in more detail, and our guide to Great Wall sections near Beijing compares Mutianyu with Badaling and Jinshanling.
Tell us your dates, group size and what you would like to see. We reply with a day-by-day plan and a written quote.
Booking: lift choice and passport details
- Message us with your dates, the number of travelers and their ages, and whether you prefer the cable car or the chairlift.
- We send a written day-by-day plan and a quote.
- You confirm in writing; payment details are in your booking agreement. We then book your Mutianyu tickets with your passport details.
The full process is on our how to book page.
Tell us your dates, group size and what you would like to see. We reply with a day-by-day plan and a written quote.
If you want a harder Great Wall walk
Want a longer, harder walk? See our Jinshanling Great Wall hiking tour, or browse all private Beijing tours.
Frequently asked questions
How long is the drive from Beijing to Mutianyu?
About an hour and a half to two hours each way from central Beijing in normal traffic, via the Jingcheng Expressway. Weekends and holidays can take longer, which is one reason we suggest an early start.
Should we take the cable car or the chairlift?
The enclosed cable car is the gentler choice and lands at Tower 14, high on the wall. The open chairlift goes up near Towers 5 and 6 and lets you come down by toboggan. The tickets are not interchangeable, so tell us your choice when you book.
Is the toboggan included?
No. The toboggan is run by a separate company and you pay on the day if you want to ride it. A one-way ride down costs about CNY 100 (about US$15). Children under 10 ride with an adult, and travelers report that riders over 60 may be refused, so grandparents usually take the enclosed cable car.
Is Mutianyu suitable for seniors and young children?
Yes, it is one of the easiest sections near Beijing. The cable car carries you up close to the wall, and you decide how far to walk. The scenic area advises against the cable car for people with a fear of heights, high blood pressure or heart disease, so mention any health concerns.
Which parts of the wall are open?
As of November 2026 the open wall runs from Tower 1 to Tower 20. The stretch above Hero Slope at Tower 19 to Tower 20 reopened on 25 October 2026 after restoration, and work between Towers 16 and 17 had no completion notice yet. We plan your walk around the open towers.
Do we need our passports?
You do. Every Mutianyu ticket is issued in a real name, so we book it with your passport details after you confirm, and you show that same passport at the ticket gate by the lifts.
What is the best time of year to go?
Autumn brings red leaves and ripe fruit to the slopes, and winter can bring snow on the ramparts. Spring has wildflowers and summer is green, though summer storms can close the site for safety, so we watch the scenic area's notices and adjust your day.
Facts checked: 5 November 2026. Ticket prices, opening hours and entry rules can change; we re-check before every booking.