A Great Wall Day Trip from Beijing: Getting to Badaling and Mutianyu, and Tickets (as of November 2026)

Badaling and Mutianyu are the two sections of the Great Wall that visitors most often reach on a day trip from Beijing. This guide covers tickets, opening hours and transport, based on information checked on November 3, 2026. It relies on official and semi-official sources. Any price that couldn't be confirmed officially is labeled "reference — check on site". Where sources disagree, both versions are given, so check the official mini program or website for the latest details before you go.

Badaling Great Wall

Admission

Under-18s, people aged 60 and over, and people with disabilities, among others, get in free. Foreign nationals fall under the matching policies. Admission doesn't include the cable car or the toboggan. (Source: Beijing Tourism website, run by the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism)

Opening hours

• Peak (Apr 1–Oct 31): entry 6:30–16:30, ticket sales end 16:30, closes 17:30
• Off-peak (Nov 1–Mar 31): entry 7:30–16:00, ticket sales end 16:00, closes 16:30

The North cable car starts at 7:30 and the South ground cable car at 8:50. Return tickets go off sale at 13:00, and both stop running at 16:00.

Cable car and toboggan (reference)

• North cable car / South ground cable car: 100 yuan one way, 140 yuan return, free for children 1.2 m and under. Reference price from a third party; check on site.
• Toboggan: 80 yuan one way, 120 yuan return. Reference price from third parties only; check on site.
• Note: the North cable car is reported to be closed for maintenance from 15:00 on Oct 20 to Dec 25, 2026. This comes from a third-party article; no official notice from the scenic area could be found.

Buying tickets as a foreigner

Badaling's official platform, the "长城内外" (Changcheng Neiwai) mini program, sells tickets on a passport or permanent residence card. You can enter with your passport, residence card, a paper ticket or a QR code. Ticket windows take cash, mobile payment and POS terminals for foreign cards. (Source: Foreign Affairs Office of the Beijing Municipal Government, May 2024)

Sources disagree on whether you need to book ahead. The Beijing government's English portal (March 2026) says no booking is needed and you can buy on site, but other official guidance points you to the mini program. Check the "长城内外" mini program before you go, and buy in advance if you can.

Mutianyu Great Wall

Tickets

The official website's visitor notice doesn't list amounts. The figures below were read from the official booking system by a third party. Treat them as reference only and check the official booking system.

Officially listed concessions include foreign minors aged 6–18. The cable car is free for children 1.2 m and under and full price above that. It has no discounts for children, seniors or people with disabilities.

The cable car and the chairlift/toboggan are run by two different companies, and their tickets aren't interchangeable. Cable car passengers use the North gate, and chairlift/toboggan riders use the toboggan gate (official).

Opening hours (official)

• Peak (Mar 16–Nov 15): Mon–Fri 7:30–18:00, Sat–Sun 7:30–18:30
• Off-peak (Nov 16–Mar 15): 8:00–17:30
• Ticket sales stop one hour before closing, and entry stops 30 minutes before closing. The cable car keeps the same hours.

Booking with a foreign passport (official)

• Real-name booking, up to 30 days ahead. Another page on the official site says 15 days, so the two don't match.
• One ticket per ID document (ID card, residence card or passport) per day, and one user account per phone number
• Passport bookings don't need to be exchanged for a ticket. Just enter with your original passport.
• You can refund or change the ticket until 24:00 on the day of your visit if you haven't entered.
• Customer service: 400-632-9662

I couldn't confirm whether overseas phone numbers can register or whether foreign cards are accepted.

Getting there

To Badaling: bus 877

Bus 877 runs nonstop from Deshengmen to the Badaling Great Wall in about 70 minutes for 12 yuan. Paying with a transit card or QR code gets you a discount. (Source: Beijing government portal, July 2024) First and last departures and the discount rate come only from third parties, and they don't agree, so check the signs at the stop on the day.

To Badaling: suburban railway line S2 (changed October 2025)

Since October 25, 2025, Huangtudian station is no longer served. Line S2 now runs Nankou – Yanqing/Shacheng. Older guides that tell you to board in the city are out of date. Trains stop at Nankou, Badaling, Yanqing, Kangzhuang and Shacheng. There are 2 round trips a day Tue–Thu and 3 a day Fri–Mon and on public holidays, and the fare rules haven't changed. (Source: Beijing government portal, October 2025) Pay with a Beijing transit card (Yikatong), NFC or a ride QR code; you don't need to buy a ticket in advance. I couldn't confirm the exact Nankou–Badaling fare, the timetable, or whether you can buy a ticket with a passport.

Note that Qinghe station is not on line S2. It's a stop on the Beijing–Zhangjiakou high-speed railway, which runs to Badaling Great Wall station. Check fares and departures on 12306.

To Mutianyu

• Public bus (official, Beijing government English portal, March 2026): from the Dongzhimen transport hub, take bus 916 Express to Huairou Beidajie. Then change to bus H23, H3 or H71 and get off at "Mutianyu Scenic Area" (慕田峪景区).
• Tourist bus (scenic area's official page): leaves the Dongzhimenwai bus stop at 8:30 and comes back at 16:30. Buy your ticket on board; for questions, call 96166. Buses from the Qianmen tourist distribution center leave at 7:30, 8:30, 9:30 and 10:30 and come back at 14:30, 15:30 and 16:30. The scenic area calls these times "for reference only" and says the bus operator's schedule takes priority. Another page on its site gives 16:00 for the Dongzhimen return, so plan to make the earlier time.
• Fares for the Qianmen tourist bus (e.g. 80 yuan return) come only from third parties. Treat them as reference and check on site.

Checklist before you go

• Check current prices and booking status in the "长城内外" mini program for Badaling and in the official booking system for Mutianyu.
• Carry your original passport, because you'll need it to enter.
• In winter (from November) the sites close earlier. Ticket sales end at 16:00 at Badaling and 16:30 at Mutianyu.
• Plan around the North cable car closure at Badaling (to Dec 25).
• Line S2 now starts at Nankou, so don't follow older directions.

Prices and times were checked on November 3, 2026, and may change.