The Great Wall of China has no single address—it spans 21,196 km. Find exact locations, GPS points, and transport for each major section.
Last updated: 2026-06-30
The Great Wall of China does not have one street address because the structure stretches 21,196 km across 15 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities, making it the longest man-made structure on Earth. What travelers actually need are the specific GPS coordinates, district names, and transport routes for the individual visitor sections — and those vary significantly by location, crowd level, terrain, and preservation quality. This guide gives you precise, usable location data for every major section.
Badaling Great Wall sits in Badaling Township, Yanqing District, Beijing Municipality, 75 km northwest of central Beijing via the G6 Jingzang Expressway. GPS coordinates for the main entrance gate: 40.3544° N, 116.0157° E. This is the most heavily restored Ming Dynasty section, with handrails, wide ramparts, and full cable-car access.
Badaling is the right choice if accessibility matters — for older travelers, families with young children, or anyone with limited mobility. It is the wrong choice if you want solitude: weekend visitor numbers regularly exceed 30,000 per day in peak season. The North 8th Tower offers the highest accessible viewpoint at this section, sitting at 888 m elevation.
Entrance fee: no verified snapshot available for Badaling — confirm current pricing directly at the gate or via the official Badaling tourism site before visiting, as fees have changed multiple times in recent years.
Getting there independently: Bus 877 departs Deshengmen Bus Station (near Jishuitan subway station, Line 2) and takes 80 minutes. High-speed train S2 line from Beijing Huangtucheng Station reaches Badaling Station in roughly 80 minutes with a scenic mountain stretch.
Mutianyu Great Wall is located in Mutianyu Village, Huairou District, Beijing Municipality, 73 km northeast of central Beijing. GPS: 40.4392° N, 116.5647° E. The section runs 2.25 km of walkable wall and features 22 watchtowers, a gondola cable car, a toboggan descent, and significantly lower crowds than Badaling on most weekdays.
The Ming Dynasty construction here dates primarily from 1569. Wall width averages 4–5 m, walkable in both directions from the cable-car midpoint. The eastern end terminates at Tower 20; the western end at Tower 6, where a steep staircase descent is the only option.
Entrance fee and cable-car fare: no verified snapshot in this article’s data — check the Mutianyu official site or confirm at the gate (as of 2026-06-30, pricing has varied by season and visitor category). Look specifically for whether cable car is included or priced separately, and whether you want one-way or return — that distinction materially changes the cost.
Independent transport: Bus H23 from Huairou Bus Station (reachable by subway Line 15 to Huairou-Beida Street) covers the final leg to Mutianyu. Journey from central Beijing: allow 2.5–3 hours each way using public transit.
Jinshanling Great Wall lies in Luanping County, Chengde Prefecture, Hebei Province — not Beijing — approximately 130 km northeast of central Beijing. GPS for the west entrance: 40.6748° N, 117.2432° E. This placement across the provincial border is why Jinshanling is consistently less crowded than the Beijing sections.
The walkable stretch runs 10.5 km and includes 67 towers. A popular point-to-point hike connects Jinshanling west entrance to Simatai west, covering 4.5 km of increasingly wild, partially unrestored wall in 3–4 hours. Simatai’s night-wall experience is a separate ticketed attraction with its own entrance on the eastern end.
Jinshanling entrance fee: no verified snapshot — confirm directly at the gate or via the Jinshanling scenic area office before departure, as Hebei province pricing differs from Beijing municipal sections.
Getting there: No direct public bus from central Beijing. Options include tourist shuttle buses from Dongzhimen Transport Hub (seasonal, check schedules in advance), hiring a private driver for the day, or joining a small-group hiking tour. Factor in a 2–2.5 hour drive each way.
For travelers who want expert-led access to the less-visited sections of northern China, China Trailfolk’s travel guides cover route planning in detail.
Simatai Great Wall is located in Gubeikou Town, Miyun District, Beijing Municipality, 120 km northeast of central Beijing. GPS for the main entrance: 40.6528° N, 117.2458° E. Simatai is notable for being one of the few sections retaining significant original Ming-era fabric without heavy modern reconstruction.
The section is paired with Gubei Water Town, a heritage resort development at the base that provides accommodation and dining. Simatai runs evening illumination tours that allow visitors to walk a lit section of the wall after dark — a genuinely distinctive experience unavailable at most other sections.
Simatai entrance fee and night tour fee: no verified snapshot — confirm current pricing at the Gubei Water Town booking office or official site before travel. Prices are per person and night-tour slots fill quickly on weekends; book ahead.
The Great Wall extends far beyond the Beijing municipality into a wide arc of northern and northwestern China. Key non-Beijing sections with established visitor access include:
Shanhaiguan, Hebei Province — Where the wall meets the Bohai Sea. Known as the “First Pass Under Heaven.” Address: Shanhaiguan District, Qinhuangdao City, Hebei. GPS: 40.0016° N, 119.7542° E. Reachable by high-speed rail to Qinhuangdao Station.
Jiayuguan, Gansu Province — The western terminus of the Ming Great Wall in the Hexi Corridor desert. Address: Jiayuguan City, Gansu Province. GPS: 39.8197° N, 98.3014° E. High-speed rail from Lanzhou reaches Jiayuguan South Station.
Zhangye/Shandan, Gansu Province — Earthen Han Dynasty wall segments, far older and more raw than the Ming stone sections, running through open steppe west of Zhangye.
These sections suit travelers combining the Great Wall with a broader Silk Road or northeastern China itinerary. For ideas on building a multi-destination route, see China Trailfolk’s city journeys planning resource.
All major sections are day-trippable from Beijing with planning. Key transport facts by section:
Visiting multiple wall sections in one trip — for example Jinshanling to Simatai in a single hiking day — is possible and highly recommended for walkers wanting the most authentic experience.
If you are planning a self-guided cultural hiking itinerary across China that goes beyond the standard tourist circuit, China Trailfolk’s soft adventures program is built around exactly that kind of independent, terrain-led travel.
Choosing the right section comes down to three variables: crowd tolerance, physical fitness, and total travel time available.
Badaling suits: first-time visitors, travelers with mobility limitations, anyone on a half-day schedule from Beijing. Avoid on national holidays.
Mutianyu suits: families, photographers, travelers wanting a solid wall experience without extreme crowds, toboggan enthusiasts.
Jinshanling suits: hikers who want genuine exertion, photographers chasing dramatic uncrowned ramparts at dawn, and anyone doing the classic Jinshanling–Simatai traverse.
Simatai suits: travelers who have already done a daytime section and want the night experience, or those basing themselves at Gubei Water Town for a slower pace.
Shanhaiguan and Jiayuguan suit: travelers building a larger China itinerary who want to understand the wall’s full geographic and historical scope, not just its Beijing postcard version.
The Great Wall is not one place with one address. It is a 21,196 km system of fortifications — and the address you need depends entirely on the experience you are actually after.
Prices, ticket rules, opening hours, and transport across China change often — sometimes month to month. The figures in this guide are dated estimates, current as of the “Last updated” date shown above, not live quotes. Confirm current fares, passes, and schedules locally (or with your operator) before you travel.