I don\u2019t mean to brag but, I got to see the Great Wall of China<\/strong> when it was pretty much empty\u00a0while I was on my 72 hour visa-free<\/strong><\/a> transit in Beijing<\/strong>. No, I\u2019m not lucky, I\u2019m just really good at research and common sense! When I heard all of the negative things people said about the Great Wall of China, I wasn\u2019t deterred, I was informed.<\/p>\n I easily noted that Badaling<\/strong> was the area of the Great Wall where tour groups herd tourists like cattle, so that was an easy double-scratch off my list; no tours and no Badaling. Then I did my research on what areas were the least touristy, and combined that with the typical common sense I use when trying to get somewhere before anyone else, and\u00a0voila<\/em>! I had a beautiful section of the Great Wall of China all to myself on a perfect sunny day in Beijing.<\/p>\n Do note though, as much as it looks like and sounds like it was sunshine and rainbows for me to get to this fairly empty part of the Great Wall of China, I honestly found Beijing to be one of the most strenuous, frustrating, and unhelpful places that I\u2019ve traveled.\u00a0But, I learned most of the information to do the trip through dealing with all of that, so hopefully you won\u2019t have to!<\/p>\n Taking a general tour to the Great Wall of China may seem like the easiest, most practical way to see the World Wonder, but it probably won\u2019t be as memorable as if you did it on your own. Most of the tours are super packed, and so is the area of the Great Wall that they\u2019ll likely take you to called Badaling. I did my research and did it on my own, and ended up having a phenomenal time at the Wall with hardly any other tourists.<\/p>\n I also noticed that most tours leave from the city center of Beijing, which meant that\u2019s where I did not want to be. Looking at the map, I noticed that the airport is actually closer to some sections of the wall that are farther from Badaling, so I got a hotel room near the airport<\/strong>, so I could leave from there instead.<\/p>\n Section:<\/strong> Mutianyu and Jianku<\/p>\n Drive Time:<\/strong> 1 hour 45 minute drive (each way) from the airport area<\/span><\/p>\n Hike Time<\/strong>: 3 Hours if you want to get to Jianku from Mutianyu and back<\/p>\n As I mentioned, my goal was to avoid the touristy Badaling section of the Great Wall of China at all costs, and go to lesser-known area that\u2019s also not completely restored to look like was just built yesterday. I believe the farther East you go, the more authentic and un-restored the Wall is, but I only had time to go to the closest section, Mutianyu.\u00a0<\/strong>I did\u00a0end\u00a0up accidentally hiking up to the even more un-restored section connected to it over the mountain called Jianku<\/strong>,\u00a0but since my lovely less-than-helpful hotel gave me a time limit for the driver, I didn\u2019t get to keep going.<\/p>\n To get to Jianku from Mutianyu by foot<\/strong> you need to turn left (North-West-ish) when you get to the top of the lifts, then hike for quite a bit before you reach what seems like the most stairs you\u2019ve ever seen in your life.<\/p>\n Climb them, they\u2019re not that bad, and once you get to the top, look for people sitting even higher up towards the top of the mountain. Here\u2019s the interesting\/bad-assery part\u2026the final tower of Mutianyu is actually sealed shut and it seems like there\u2019s a break in the pathway on the other side<\/strong>. But, there\u2019s no rules or signs that say you can\u2019t climb over the low portion of the tower wall, shimmy along the ledge (over a cliff) and hop onto the platform that leads to the higher stairs.<\/p>\n From there, keep going straight up until you get to the incredible, slightly creepy, highest tower that is pretty much in crumbles<\/strong>. There\u2019s some original wall for ya! Keep going towards the tip top of the mountain and you\u2019ll be on your way to the other side, which is the area of Jianku. Oh, and be careful.<\/p>\n DISCLAIMER<\/strong>: All of the sites I researched about this area said to \u201cBe very careful and climb at your own risk\u201d so yeah, do that.<\/p>\n How to get a Driver<\/strong>: Ask your hotel front desk to call a taxi and ask or ask if the hotel offers driving services. Or, flag a taxi down off the street or from the airport.<\/p>\n Cost<\/strong>: 350 \u2013 530 CNY (~$40-80) depending on your negotiating skills<\/p>\n Time Needed:<\/strong> Minimum 5 hours<\/p>\n Instead of taking a tour or a public bus (which might actually be cheaper, but still crowded, and won\u2019t get you there early), try your luck at negotiating with a driver or taxi<\/strong> to take you to the Great Wall, wait for you for a few hours, and then take you back to your hotel. I read online that many people were able to hire drivers for the full day for around 350 CNY<\/strong>, but of course my inability to haggle left me obliging to the 500 CNY<\/strong>\u00a0(~$80) the front desk guys insisted on when I asked them if they could call me a taxi (one of the guys just drove me instead\u2026it was super awkward, I tried to talk to him since I knew he spoke English and he just wouldn\u2019t respond).<\/p>\n But regardless, it worked, and for 500 CNY he drove me about an hour and forty five minutes to the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall of China from my hotel which was right next to the airport , waited for me for three hours, then drove me back. I think I only saw two tour groups the entire time I was there.<\/p>\n Tip:<\/strong> Translate what you want to pitch (i.e. \u201cCan you please take me to Mutianyu, wait for me for a few hours, then drive me\u00a0 back to my hotel for 350 CNY?\u201d), take a photo or copy and paste it onto your phone\u2019s notepad, and use that to communicate with the drivers.<\/p>\n Mutianyu Opening Hours:<\/strong> 8:00am<\/p>\n Everyone keeps asking how I get these awesome shots of super crowded tourist places like the Great Wall of China with no one else at them except for me. Well, it\u2019s because I wake up early AF to get there when they open, when most people, especially in groups or on tours, have to wait for each other and don\u2019t end up getting there for a few hours later.<\/p>\n Make plans with your driver the night before, or get up extra early to find one at the airport or on the street.<\/p>\n Another reason why I always have some awesome ass pictures is because I stalk the weather report like it\u2019s my job, and plan to go and do certain things accordingly. I kept checking the weather starting 2 weeks before my trip, and planned the dates for my 72 hours in Beijing<\/a> during a small window when it was actually supposed to be 100% sunny. And it was. So I got my awesome pictures. Yay.<\/p>\n Oh it was also hot AF and the sun was strong AF, so make sure you bring sunscreen, sunglasses, and water.<\/p>\n I had a huge debate with myself over whether or not to bring sneakers while I was packing my one carry-on for one month of traveling through Asia, and it was mostly because I thought I\u2019d need them for the Great Wall of China. But, since it was literally only a few hours out of 30 days, I voted no and opted for my compact yet not always so comfortable pair of Tom\u2019s<\/strong> instead.<\/p>\n Not going to lie, my Tom\u2019s did a pretty damn good job of hiking the Great Wall of China! The lightweight and flexibility was perfect for fluttering up all the steps (two people literally commented about how agile I looked gliding up and down the stairs in slippers).<\/p>\n I used my sturdy backpack<\/strong><\/a> to carry my wallet<\/strong>, GoPros<\/strong><\/a>, Nikon<\/strong><\/a>, water<\/strong>, and sunscreen<\/strong><\/a>,\u00a0and although I was quite hot, wore a fairly conservative top and jeans. Not going to lie, jeans weren\u2019t the most comfortable thing to wear, but they made me feel way more comfortable than if I were to have worn my only other clothing option, leggings.<\/p>\n Water bottles are sold at the very entrance of the Mutianyu area of the Great Wall of China, but once you get up to the Wall there\u2019s only a couple of vendors, and they\u2019re all the way at the top. It can get pretty exhausting, and seriously hot depending on when you go, so yeah\u2026bring a lot of water.<\/p>\n This is mostly so that you can buy a water (or beer!) at the top of the climb if you need to. You can also get little souvenirs, like a metal plaque or keychain with your name on it that says you climbed the Great Wall of China. I also bought a little scroll with some art on a piece of silk from the little lady named Chang who was the vendor at the very top; mostly because she was so sweet and insisted on taking my photo while I waved the China flag around at the top of the Great Wall!<\/p>\n Lift Cost:<\/strong> 100 CNY (~$15)<\/p>\n Hiking up to the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall of China from the bottom isn\u2019t terribly treacherous, but if you want more time to climb to the highest section and to get a peak at the Jianku side, you should just pay the 100 CNY extra to take the lifts up and then back down to the bottom. Plus you get a really cool view\u2026like you\u2019re in an ancient Chinese Jurassic Park<\/strong> or something.<\/p>\n There were like 5 different times when I was debating going back down or continuing to climb higher up the Great Wall of China. But even just writing that sentence makes me think, \u201cDuh, obviously keep climbing higher\u201d.<\/p>\n The view from the very top is nothing short of breathtaking, and the higher you go, the more \u201coriginal\u201d portions you\u2019ll see. The staircases are a bit steep and the steps are uneven at certain points, but the overall climb really isn\u2019t that bad, and definitely worth it when you get to the top!<\/p>\n I am 100% of wanting to rush to a site to be the first person there and get the best picture with no one else around. But, this is the freaking Great Wall of China, so it\u2019s not like there\u2019s going to be no other people wanting to see it at the same time as you.<\/p>\n For a lot of my photos, if there was even one other person in the shot, I sat and patiently waited until they made their way out of it. I didn\u2019t get irritated or annoyed when people took their time or stopped to take pictures, because as a well-traveled human I can respect the time other people take admiring what they\u2019re seeing. Plus it forced me to stop and rest!<\/p>\n I don\u2019t mean to brag but, I got to see the Great Wall of China when it was pretty much empty\u00a0while I was on my 72 hour visa-free transit in Beijing. No, I\u2019m not lucky, I\u2019m just really good at research and common sense! When I heard all of the negative things people said about […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7061820,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[98526,223811,142381,111136,223812,223813,201],"tags":[6618,28821,2338,745],"dealstore":[],"offerexpiration":[],"class_list":["post-7061819","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-asia","category-beijing","category-bucketlist-adventures","category-china","category-great-wall","category-great-wall-of-china","category-travel","tag-china","tag-crowds","tag-great","tag-wall"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"How](\"https:\/\/mylifesamovie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/How-to-See-The-Great-Wall-of-China-when-its-Empty-mylifesamovie.com_-683x1024.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n1. Don\u2019t Take a General Group Tour<\/h2>\n
![\"((Photo](\"https:\/\/mylifesamovie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Great_Wall_of_China-1.jpg\")
2. Go To a Less-Touristy Section of the Wall<\/h2>\n
![\"Mutianyu](\"https:\/\/mylifesamovie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Mutianyu-great-wall-of-china-top-mylifesamovie.com_-1024x768.jpg\")
![\"Mutianyu](\"https:\/\/mylifesamovie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Jianku-great-wall-mylifesamovie.com_-1024x768.jpg\")
2. Hire a Driver for the Day<\/h2>\n
![\"Mutianyu](\"https:\/\/mylifesamovie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Great-wall-of-china-empty-window-mylifesamovie.com_-1024x768.jpg\")
3. Go As Early as Possible<\/h2>\n
![\"Mutianyu](\"https:\/\/mylifesamovie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Great-Wall-of-China-2-mlifesamovie.com_-1024x768.jpg\")
4. Monitor the Weather Report<\/h2>\n
![\"Mutianyu](\"https:\/\/mylifesamovie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/mutianyu-great-wall-of-china-mylifesamovie.com_-1024x768.jpg\")
5. Wear the Right Gear<\/h2>\n
![\"Mutianyu](\"https:\/\/mylifesamovie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Great-Wall-of-China-empty-mylifesamovie.com_-1024x768.jpg\")
6. Bring a Lot of Water<\/h2>\n
![\"Mutianyu](\"https:\/\/mylifesamovie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/GOPR6634-1024x768.jpg\")
7. Bring Some Extra Cash<\/h2>\n
![\"Mutianyu](\"https:\/\/mylifesamovie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Great-Wall-of-China-Empty-topmylifesamovie.com_.jpg\")
8. Pay Extra for the Lift<\/h2>\n
![\"Mutianyu](\"https:\/\/mylifesamovie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/mutianyu-lift-great-wall-of-china-mylifesamovie.com_-768x1024.jpg\")
9. Keep on Climbing!<\/h2>\n
![\"Mutianyu](\"https:\/\/mylifesamovie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/Great-Wall-of-China-stairs-mylifesamovie.com_-1024x768.jpg\")
10. Be Patient<\/h2>\n
![\"Mutianyu](\"https:\/\/mylifesamovie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/great-wall-of-china-mutianyu-mylifesamovie.com_-1024x768.jpg\")
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/mylifesamovie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/Screen-Shot-2018-08-29-at-6.10.56-PM.png\")
<\/figure>\n![\"Visiting](\"https:\/\/mylifesamovie.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/06\/great-wall-1-683x1024.png\")
<\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"