Know Before You Go: Visiting the Great Wall of China

The part of the Great Wall of China that most people think of when they imagine this landmark—the brick-and-stone section built in the Ming Dynasty—is about 5,500 miles (8,850 kilometers) long and spans a wide area of northern China. As a result, you can reach it easily from several different cities. That said, Beijing is the most popular base for visiting the Great Wall, and some sections are as little as a 1–1.5-hour drive from the city center. Many people visit the popular Juyongguan, Badaling, and Mutianyu stretches of the wall on a day trip.

Insider tip: For a unique view of the wall, head to the section at the Shanhaiguan Pass, which juts into the sea. You can visit it as a day trip from Beijing if you take the bullet train to the Shanhaiguan Railway Station or book a tour with a driver.

Many different sections of the Great Wall are open to visitors, and opening hours vary by site; some of the more hard-to-reach (and less restored) sections are unticketed and can be explored (with care) at any time. With that said, the popular sections of the Great Wall near Beijing are generally open from early morning until early evening every day of the year. Opening hours for less-visited sections—like the older mud-brick Great Wall in the Gobi Desert, near Dunhuang—are shorter, but those sections are also generally open year-round.

If you’re exploring the Great Wall of China from Beijing, icy winds and bracing temperatures can make winter, late fall, and early spring unpleasant—particularly as the wall generally sits on the highest mountain peaks in the area. Late spring, summer, and early fall are much better times for a tour—think late April to mid-October. You should also avoid visiting popular sections on weekends or during the late winter Chinese New Year and October “Golden Week” holidays (China’s biggest and busiest celebrations) and aim to arrive early or late in the day to beat the crowds.

Hiking all 5,500 miles (8,850 kilometers) of the Great Wall of China is a major expedition (and some areas of the wall are crumbling and should be treated with care). The first people to achieve the feat spent 17 months hiking in conditions ranging from searing heat to snow and ice. It’s easy to walk on restored sections of the Great Wall of China, but unrestored sections can be steep, unstable, and dangerous, and some sections of the “wall” are actually natural boundaries such as cliffs. If you want to hike a long section, some tours will let you spend several days traversing various stretches of the wall; one popular route runs from the Gubeikou Great Wall to Simatai via Jinshanling. You can also take shorter hikes on popular stretches on a day trip.

Insider tip: Most Chinese only speak Mandarin and local dialects, so for a multi-day hike it’s best to have a translator/guide who can arrange homestay accommodation.

With so many separate sections along the length of the Great Wall, it can be easier to visit as part of a guided tour. That way, you don't have to decide where to go, how to get there, or how long to stay. Instead, a tour company can take care of that for you, plus you'll get the benefit of a local guide who can provide you with history and information about the wall along the way. Guided tours can be especially good if you're short on time, as well as ideal for taking away the logistical worries of a multi-day Great Wall experience. In short, yes, while visiting independently is doable, it might be preferable to go with a guide.

There’s no dress code for the Great Wall of China, but you’ll want to wear comfortable shoes as the wall is made up of uneven stones and has lots of steps; you’ll need sneakers or hiking boots for unrestored sections. You should dress according to the season, but be aware that because the wall is up in the mountains and is unsheltered, it is usually very hot in summer and cold in spring and fall. Bring sun protection in summer (or any season) and wear an extra layer during the cool months as the wind can be bitter.

Insider tip: If you’re visiting the Great Wall of China in the fall, winter, or early spring, wear earmuffs or a hat that covers your ears to protect them from the wind.

With rugged stone pathways, steep inclines, and plenty of steps, the Great Wall of China is a tough destination for travelers with disabilities—even though sections like the Mutianyu Great Wall and the Badaling Great Wall have cable car access. The Badaling Great Wall is the best option for travelers with disabilities; it has an access by ramp and an elevator as well as a short wheelchair-friendly path along the wall.

• How long is the Great Wall of China? Winding and wiggling its way over hills and desert, the Ming Dynasty Great Wall of China is about 5,500 miles (8,850 kilometers) long—or almost as long as Russia is from east to west.

• When was the Great Wall of China built? Different sections and elements of the Great Wall of China were built during different eras. The Wall evolved from defensive structures that were built as early as the 7th century BC, and most of what we think of as the wall was built or rebuilt during the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644 AD).

• Who built the Great Wall of China? The Great Wall of China was built over thousands of years, so the question “who built the Great Wall of China?” is hard to answer. A large contribution was made by Qin Shi Huang, the Qin Dynasty emperor of China who attempted to join disparate barriers together into one long wall during the 3rd century BC (and who was buried with Xian’s famous terracotta warriors upon his death). Later, during the Ming Dynasty, the Hongzhi Emperor (who ruled 1487–1505 AD) made the most significant progress of any ruler in bringing the wall into something close to its current form.

• Why was the Great Wall of China built? The Great Wall of China was built to protect China from its enemies. This strategy, however, didn’t work. Both the Mongols and the Manchus broke through the wall—then conquered the region and founded imperial dynasties.

• Can you see the Great Wall of China from space? Commercial space satellites can “see” Earth at a resolution as small as 1 foot (30 centimeters) by 1 foot per pixel, so something as big as the Great Wall of China can easily be picked up by modern technology. That said, you need the right weather and lighting to see the Great Wall from space with the naked eye, even from low orbit.

• How was the Great Wall of China built and what is it made of? Different sections of the Great Wall were made of different materials; the earliest walls were generally earth and stone. Even the Ming Dynasty Great Wall is made from different materials in different areas: Sections in the western desert tend to be earth and adobe while some stretches simply use natural features such as cliff edges or the sides of gorges to form part of the “wall.” The most classic parts of the Great Wall (the ones you primarily see in photographs) are made up of compressed earth framed in brick and stone and punctuated by signal towers at high points.

• How many people died building the Great Wall of China? Workers were dispensable for all the different dynasties that helped build the Great Wall of China, and no records remain of how many died. Many historians estimate that several hundred thousand people died building the Great Wall of China, and some estimate the number is as high as 1 million.