Monday, 17 March 2025

Beijing-Shanghai Day 3: Mutianyu Great Wall & Qianmen

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We had breakfast at Horizon Lounge at 8am, before embarking on a trip to see the Great Wall of China.

The scrambled egg croissant was so-so
Pancake and instant noodles

We boarded a private charter car we had booked the day before and it cost us CN¥1000 for the return trip. Although it wasn't cheap, we felt it was more worth it since there were so many of us.

Our driver was a Beijing-native, who has travelled widely in China. He was very entertaining and shared many interesting things about his hometown and other cities in China.

Scenery along the way
Driving along the mountainside

We arrived at Mutianyu Great Wall 慕田峪长城, after travelling for about an hour. The tickets for the chairlift and cable car were CN¥1660 in total for 3 adults and 2 students (FREE for children below 120cm). Our passports were needed to purchase the tickets as they would be used for entry into the attraction. 

Buying our tickets from the Tourist Service Center

Once we had obtained our tickets, we walked through a village of shops towards the Shuttle Bus Stop where we took a complimentary shuttle bus to the base of Mutianyu Great Wall. We had to scan our passports to enter the bus stop. 

Complimentary shuttle buses
A map of Mutianyu Great Wall for easy reference

We headed first to the Chairlifts and Tobaggan Lower Station to board the chairlifts up to the East Route of the Mutianyu Great Wall.

The chairlifts were really fun!
Chairlifts typically accommodated 2 persons per chair
Lovely view of the mountains
View of the Great Wall from the chairlift!

On arrival at the Upper Station, we took photos at the lookout before trekking down to explore part of the East Route (the Mum-in-law waited for us at the lookout).

Photo with the Eastern part of the Mutianyu Great Wall
Climbing up one of the towers along the Eastern Route
Beautiful mountains in the background
The stairs here were narrow and 

We headed back to the Upper Station to ride the toboggan down the mountain. It was a relatively long queue and by the time we reached the front, we found out that seniors above 65 years old were not allowed to ride! The Mum-in-law had no choice but to return to the chairlifts alone while the rest of the family rode the toboggans! 

Toboggan entrance
Bought a souvenir photo

We walked over to the Cable Car Lower Station to ride the cable car.

Photos with sample cable cars
We didn't have to queue before boarding the cable cars at the Lower Station
On the way to the peak!
Photos with the Great Wall along the way
View of the Middle Route

On arrival at the Cable Car Upper Station, we climbed up to the viewing platform to take in the views of the surrounding mountains.

The Great Wall is an UNESCO World Heritage Site
The temperature at the peak was probably about 2-5°C

The two older kids and I ventured further to explore the Great Wall while the rest of the family waited for us at the main viewing area. We really loved it and would have gone further if not for cutting short our exploration because the family was waiting for us in the cold.

Exploring the highest part of the Middle Route
Admiring the view and marveling at how the ancient Chinese built this massive structure without modern tools!
Super narrow stairs
Walking on the West Route
Many photo opportunities
Love this photo my Boy took of me!
This viewing platform was built to be accessible to wheelchair users!
Another great photo spot to admire the view! 

It soon got too cold for the Mum-in-law so we boarded the cable car back down the mountain.

Cable car journey down

March was absolutely the right time to visit as it wasn't crowded and the weather was amazing (according to my family's ideal of 5-15°C of course 😆)! The Great Wall was extraordinary and a must to visit if you travel to China! 

We love Mutianyu Great Wall! 💗

After buying souvenirs, we met up with our driver and headed back to the hotel. We made it just in time for evening canapés at 6pm.

Lovely snacks from both East and West
Chef made-to-order noodles and other delicious food

We devoured the food as we were famished after a long journey! 😋

It was our last night in Beijing and we really wanted to visit Qianmen Street as it came highly recommended by the Hubby's colleague. The Hubby, two older kids and I decided to make a last minute visit at around 8pm via DiDi.

Zheng Yang Men Jian Lou

Qianmen Street and its surrounding areas were heavily guarded by security officers, who required all visitors to produce our passports to enter. As a result, we felt very safe even though it was late!

Entrance to Qianmen Walking Street
Got the feels, if ya know what I mean!
Very old school!

Somehow we wandered onto a very happening street (should be Dashilan Street based on my estimation).

Love the bright lights and energy!
Bought dried sliced pork (China's version of bak kwa);
The Littlest loves it!

During our exploration, we found a shop selling all kinds of meat on a stick, including interesting insects! 

We decided to try the cricket instead of the scorpion 😅
Many insects for sale!

My Boy was very game to try the cricket and we both had one each. It tasted better than expected, though later it left a bit of an after taste. I have always wanted to try and glad that I got the chance to!

Ordering thin noodles from one of the stalls

Qianmen Street closes at 10pm, which was the time we left! I was so glad we managed to squeeze this into our trip! 

We knew 3 days would not be enough to experience Beijing and had always planned to return! Based on the recommendations of various drivers and hotel staff, we intend to visit the following attractions in our next trip:

  • Universal Studios Beijing
  • National Museum of China
  • China Science and Technology Museum
  • Henan
  • Xi An

It has been a wonderful 3 days! Till we meet again Beijing!


Continue to >> Beijing-Shanghai Day 4: High Speed Train to Pudong Shangri-La
<< Back to Beijing-Shanghai Day 2: Forbidden City & Wangfujing

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