Snow falls on the Great Wall, encountering a winter-exclusive ink painting
In the early morning, the Badaling Great Wall is covered with a thin layer of snow. The distant beacon towers appear faintly through the morning mist, resembling a slowly unfolding ink scroll. Standing at the highest point of North Tower 8, you can overlook the winding Great Wall dressed in silver, harmonizing beautifully with the snow-capped mountains in the distance.
Sunlight breaks through the clouds, shining on the snow-covered bricks, making the ancient wall appear even more majestic and timeworn after the snowfall.
01 Itinerary Planning
Depending on your stamina and time, you can choose different routes to explore. The ground is slippery after snow, so selecting a suitable route is especially important.
- Easiest and least strenuous route: Suitable for families with elderly and children or visitors with limited physical strength. Take the cable car from the aerial station directly to North Tower 7, then walk to North Tower 8’s “Hero Slope” for a photo stop, and finally return the same way to take the cable car down. The whole trip takes about 1 to 1.5 hours.
- Balanced and in-depth experience route: Suitable for adults with moderate stamina. Take the cable car to North Tower 7, walk to North Tower 8, continue exploring from North Tower 9 to North Tower 12, and finally walk down near North Tower 11.
- Quiet and leisurely route: Ideal for visitors who enjoy tranquility and photography. Head south from the Pass City along the southern Great Wall, walk to South Tower 4, then visit the China Great Wall Museum. The southern Great Wall has gentle slopes and fewer visitors, perfect for a relaxed stroll after snow.
02 Unique Charm of the Great Wall After Snow
The Badaling Great Wall after snow sheds its usual hustle and bustle, revealing rare tranquility and poetic beauty. Snowflakes cover every brick, decorating this ancient structure like a silver-white dragon coiled among the Yanshan Mountains.
When mist swirls, the Great Wall appears faintly through the clouds, and the distant beacon towers seem to float in the air, like a fairyland.
At this moment, Badaling embodies both the poetic “Long Dragon Draped in Gauze” and the elegant “Ink and Wash Painting.” After autumn rain, Badaling often experiences a sea of clouds, where the mist shrouds the mighty pass, adding a poetic touch.
This scene can also appear after snow, where mist and snow colors intertwine, draping the Great Wall in a mysterious veil.
03 Practical Guide and Tips
- Address: Exit 58, G6 Jingzang Expressway, Yanqing District, Beijing
- Ticket Prices: 40 RMB per person in peak season, 35 RMB in off-season, students enjoy half-price with valid ID
- Transportation
1. High-speed rail: The most convenient option. Take the Jingzhang high-speed train from Beijing North Station or Qinghe Station, reaching Badaling Great Wall Station in about 30 minutes. From the station, it’s a 15-25 minute walk to the cable car station or hiking entrance.
2. Scenic area shuttle: Take the “Bashida” direct bus, gathering at Beitucheng Metro Station for a one-stop direct trip to the scenic area.
- Thoughtful services: The scenic area offers luggage storage.
04 Snow Day Visit Precautions
1. Warmth: Temperatures are low after snow, so layering is recommended: moisture-wicking material for the base layer, warm clothing for the middle layer, and a thick down jacket or windproof waterproof shell for the outer layer. Keeping your head, hands, and feet warm is crucial. A hat that covers the ears, waterproof gloves, and anti-slip snow boots are essential. You can also carry heat packs to stick on key areas like the abdomen and waist.
2. Anti-slip: Safety is paramount when climbing the Great Wall after snow. Some steps have slopes over 60 degrees and become very slippery when covered with snow. Wear shoes with good anti-slip performance, walk slowly with small steps, and consider bringing trekking poles for stability.
3. Wind protection: The wind on the Great Wall is stronger than in the city, so a windproof jacket is a must.
05 Photography and Best Viewing Times
- Best shooting times: The best times to photograph the Great Wall after snow are early morning and sunset. Morning mist adds a dreamy softness to the wall, while the golden sunlight at sunset creates warm and magical scenes on the snow. After 3 PM, there are fewer visitors, making it a great time to avoid crowds and possibly catch stunning sunset silhouettes.
- Recommended photo spots
1. North Tower 8: The highest point of Badaling Great Wall, offering panoramic views of the mountains and the winding wall. Standing here with the mountains and wall as a backdrop, shooting from the side with the wind blowing your hair creates atmospheric photos.
2. South Tower 4 Viewing Platform: Facing the “V-shaped” Great Wall panorama, it’s ideal for afternoon light photography. The beacon tower windows serve as natural frames, producing photos with rich layers.
Inside the Great Wall Museum, a Ming Dynasty hand cannon lies quietly in a display case beside a long scroll depicting soldiers guarding in the snow. Outside the window, the real Great Wall shines brilliantly under the winter sun.
The Badaling Great Wall is a convenient 30-minute high-speed train ride directly from downtown Beijing. There are options for the northern and southern cableways, as well as a ground-level cable car. One way is to walk up the wall, while the return trip can be by cable car or cable car. Each route offers a different view, so choose what suits you best.
A good historical place to visit if the weather is cool but not windy. Cable car just takes 5 minutes to go up or go down. so suggest take one way of cable car to earn better experiences.
A monumental site that deserves a visit. It stands as a testimony of human well and capability of making the impossible possible
"If you haven't been to the Great Wall, you are not a true man"‼ ️Badaling Great Wall nanny-level travel guide📖|||The Great Wall is ten thousand miles long, and the Great Wall will never fall. "One of the Seven Wonders of the World" "Great Wall World Heritage" Badaling Great Wall is the best preserved and most representative section of the Great Wall🎫Scenic spot tickets: full price ticket 40, 🚡Round-trip cable car ticket 140 🈺Opening hours: 06:30-16:30 🚇How to get there: 🅰️Beijing North Railway Station (Subway 🚇Xizhimen Station) 🅱️Qinghe Station (Subway 🚇Qinghe Station) Both high-speed railway stations have high-speed railways that go directly to Badaling Great Wall Station 🚄Qinghe Station has more trains than Beijing North Railway Station, so it is not easy to grab tickets. It is recommended to book tickets 15 days in advance. The high-speed rail takes 20-30 minutes and the ticket price is 25/20 for a second-class seat 👣After exiting the high-speed railway station, turn left and walk about 5 minutes into the pedestrian street and walk to the city entrance 🚡After exiting the high-speed railway station, walk straight on the right about 400 meters, which is the cable car ticket gate 👣Tour route: ✔️I bought a round-trip cable car ticket, so I went directly to the vicinity of the North Eighth Floor, and then I walked down the city, so it was equivalent to taking the cable car directly to the end point and then walking all the way down. It took about 1 hour to walk down. Because you can't go forward after reaching the eighth floor of the North, if you want to take the cable car back and forth, it's equivalent to not having much to visit. My friend went up and took a look and then went down (it was raining that day, so there was really nothing to see)✅So the advice here is: ❶ Special forces with good physical strength can walk back and forth for a tour, which is definitely enough for about 3-4 hours ❷ Families who are in a hurry or with elderly and children can take the cable car directly to and from. The main point is to come and take a look. The cable car takes about 5 minutes, but if it is a holiday or peak season, the queuing time should also be counted. ❸ The route I personally recommend is: take the cable car up, and then walk down the city. You can walk all the way from the eighth floor of the North to the first floor of the North, which takes about 1 hour (for good physical strength), and the way down the city is easier to walk and not tiring. If you are obsessed with the hero monument, you can also take a photo with the stone monument of "If you haven't been to the Great Wall, you are not a hero" (near the second floor of the North) 🚡 The one-way ticket for the cable car is 100 🔶Special reminder🔶‼ ️The Badaling Great Wall Scenic Area is a national key protection unit. Smoking is strictly prohibited in the entire scenic area. If you are caught, you may face fines and other penalties‼ ️There is a place to store luggage for free at the security checkpoint for walking tours (Figure 9), and you can also check in at the Qingfeng Baozi Shop. The taste is really good‼ ️If you have enough time, you can actually climb from the first floor to the sixth floor on the south side. The dividing line between the north and the south is at the walking entrance to the city‼ ️Don't believe the Beijing one-day tour group on the small advertisement. It says it takes you to climb the Great Wall, but in fact it is not the Badaling Great Wall where "you are not a true man if you don't climb the Great Wall", but a wild Great Wall. Don't ask me how I know, because I was fooled when I first went to Beijing 7 years ago
In the 1980s, there were very few foreigners in China. Every time foreigners in China must go to the Badaling Great Wall, this is a necessary agenda, so we accompany foreign guests to the Great Wall almost once a day. It is too familiar with the Badaling Great Wall. I remember to accompany the commander of the Bangladesh Air Force to Badaling once. It was a cold winter. Three or nine days. They came from the tropical area and did not have cotton clothes. I bought them a military coat for each of them. When I arrived at the Badaling Great Wall, I froze me like a few rabbits. , skewers, and finally went into the commissary to roast, The Badaling Great Wall has too many memories.
As the essence of the Ming Great Wall, Badaling Great Wall is world-famous for its majestic, steep and well-preserved state. Climbing the tower, you can feel the heroic sentiment of "If you haven't been to the Great Wall, you are not a true man". The steep stairs and mottled bricks tell the vicissitudes of 600 years of history. In spring, mountain flowers shade the tower, and in autumn, the forests are dyed with colors. The scenery varies in each season. The perfect cable car, slide and other facilities take into account the convenience and fun of the tour, but it is a bit regrettable that there are too many tourists in the peak season. It is recommended to choose a non-holiday to visit, so that you can calmly experience the magnificence and thickness of this world cultural heritage.
⭕Introduction to attractions: North Great Wall: There are 12 sections in total, and the highest point is the North Eighth Floor. Young people can challenge it South Great Wall: There are 7 sections, which are relatively gentle and suitable for playing with the elderly and children. 📷Photographing and checking in: The Hero Stone and the Hero Monument are both there. They can be found on the North Fourth Floor of the North Great Wall and the South First, South Second, and South Fourth Floors of the South Great Wall [Tickets & Cable Car/Slide] Tickets: Adults 40 yuan/person, students 20 yuan/person Aerial cable car or ground cable car: round trip 140 yuan/person, one-way 100 yuan/person, the aerial cable can go to the North Seventh Floor, and the ground cable can go to the South Fourth Floor Slide: one-way 80 yuan/person, round trip 120 Yuan/person [Effort-saving route] (Cable car up - cable car down) Cable car to the city entrance - cable car up to Nansi - walk north to Beiba Hero Slope - walk back to Beiqi - cable car down Route 1: Easy to be a hero Cable car to the city entrance - cable car up to Beiqi - walk to Beiba - walk back to Beiqi - cable car down Route 2 (cable car up and cable car down + go to Black Bear Park) Cable car to the city entrance - cable car up to Beiqi - walk to Beiba - walk back to Beisi - cable car down - Black Bear Park walking exit Route 3: Both north and south | cable car plan > walk to the city entrance - walk from Nanyi to Nanqi - walk back to the south - walk from Beiyi to Beiba - walk back to Beisi Slope down Route 4: Powerful players > walk to the city entrance - walk from Nanyi to Nanqi - walk back to the south - walk from Beiyi to Beishier - walk back to Beishi - Black Bear Park - walking exit
The Badaling Great Wall is worth visiting. The following are its special highlights: Located at the confluence of Yanshan Mountains and Taihang Mountain Mountains, the mountains overlap, the terrain is steep, and the altitude is between 600-1240 meters. Standing on the Great Wall, you can have a panoramic view of the mountains, dense forests and other natural beauty. It consists of Guancheng, city walls, enemy buildings, campfire platforms, etc. Guancheng has a plaque of "Juyongwai Town" and "North Gate Lock Key"; the city walls are multi-stone or stone-clad bricks, with mouths, women's walls, etc.; the enemy buildings are diverse in shape, with wall platforms for patrol and sentry, and there are enemy stations on the upper and lower floors for soldiers to stay and fight. - Four seasons of scenery: spring flowers are full of flowers, summer is full of lush, autumn forest is dyed, winter silver wrapped, whenever you go, you can enjoy the unique landscape. Many special attractions - Good Man Stone and Good Man Monument: The North Fourth has the famous "Good Man Stone", and the South First, Second and Fourth Sections have "Good Man Monument", adding a unique cultural charm. - Other attractions are rich: there are fork road ancient city, ancient cliff residence, Wangjingshi, Tianxian left questions, Shuiguan Great Wall and other attractions, as well as the China Great Wall Museum to let tourists know the Great Wall culture in depth.