Great Wall of China
ATTRACTION Keywords:
Must-Do Experience,
Off-the-Beaten Path,
Walking/Hiking,
Monument - Military,
Ruin - Ancient
Great Wall of China Reviews
We've found 140 Great Wall of China reviews from Viator.com travelers and members: what they loved, what they liked and what they think could be improved. It's all here to help you make the most of your next trip.
Review by Constance W, May 2013
Doing what: Great Wall of China at Badaling and Ming Tombs Day Tour from Beijing
Enjoyed the Tour we had lot's of fun - this part of the wall is a tough climb tho! Afterwards we went to the Ming Tombs and caught the re-enactment show there which was great. Our guide Cherry was informative and fun :)
Review by Niloo M Amendra A, May 2013
Doing what: Shixiaguan Great Wall Hiking Adventure with Transport from Beijing
Overall the hike was fantastic, as it is away from the typical tourist routes and had an amazing views of the surroundings.
On the way to the wall, the tour guide stopped at a 'Jade Factory' which was not mentioned in the tour description or material on the web site. Also we were disappointed to find that the 'home-cooked' meal with the 'locals' mentioned was a hotel style lunch at the Jade factory ! Our group of 6 were quite annoyed at this and made a 'group decision' to not stop at the 'Olympic Stadium' which as supposedly part of the itinerary that was not on the tour materials on the website.
Having said all this, for those who enjoy hiking, this one is recommended !
Review by Ruth S, April 2013
Doing what: Great Wall of China at Mutianyu Full Day Tour including Lunch from Beijing
Enjoyed this day trip out of Beijing. The great wall at Mutianyu is very impressive and our guide, Michael Jingyu, was very good.
Be aware that this trip includes stop at Tourist shops but was still very interesting.
This tour was the best of the tours we did on our China trip. Highly recommended.
Review by Juan m G, USA, April 2013
Doing what: Great Wall of China at Mutianyu Full Day Tour including Lunch from Beijing
my tour guide was so fantastic and he showed me the wall from the beginnig to the end i would recomend this tour evryday ..........thank's for the exellent time
Review by Philip N, April 2013
Doing what: Beijing Essential Full-Day Tour including Great Wall at Badaling, Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square
We had Mike on our tour and it was fantastic. Remember, you will be stopping by a Jade Factory, Silk Museum, and Tea House, so if you aren't into all that then this is not your tour. All three will try to sell you expensive products afterwards, however, the tea is pretty neat and seems to be worth the money. The food at the Jade Factory is nothing special, so you may want to bring a snack. Mike is really knowledgeable, speaks great English, and we all had a blast. The Great Wall is absolutely incredible, but be ready for a serious hike. Finally, the tour involves driving out of the city which will certainly lead to sitting in traffic. Be prepped for an all day event.
Review by Brian W, April 2013
Doing what: Great Wall of China at Mutianyu Full Day Tour including Lunch from Beijing
Hi, I am the author of "Moments in Time-a collection of 30 short stories"". I have based many of my 30 stories on overseas experiences. I have travelled a lot. The Great Wall trip is an experience worthy of another story- maybe my next book due to come out in September. It is certainly one of the wonders of the world -a must to see. I thought Viator provided extremely good value for money and the tour guide was most knowledgeable. The trip included transport (driver), tour guide, and a meal. This section of the wall is steep, interesting and currently not a great number of tourists to spoil one's exploration. I recommend this tour.
Brian Wilson
Review by LarryG, April 2013
Doing what: Shixiaguan Great Wall Hiking Adventure with Transport from Beijing
This tour was an extraordinary opportunity to visit a distant but lightly-traveled part of the Great Wall. Our guide spoke only Chinese, but her love of this part of China was readily apparent. Other people we encountered on the trail were able to fill in the translation. The hike was very strenuous and challenging, quickly climbing and descending 1430 feet, sometimes on mere stone rubble. Only fit persons with significant hiking experience should attempt it.
Review by david s, April 2013
Doing what: Great Wall of China at Badaling and Ming Tombs Day Tour from Beijing
Michael was very good. Weather gorgeous. Great Wall worth it all. I could pass up on the jade factory and spend more time climbing the wall. Recommend!
Review by Gayle H, April 2013
Doing what: Great Wall of China at Mutianyu Full Day Tour including Lunch from Beijing
We had a full day tour with our guide, Cynthia. This was our second trip to the Great Wall as we had done the Badaling portion two days earlier. The weather was perfectly clear and although a little cool, the sun was shining. Unfortunately, we only had 1 1/4 hours to walk this portion of the wall. Some would have liked more time to do the climb and take pictures. Our biggest surprise was having to pay an additional $160. Yuan to take the cable car to the top. After re-reading the information, it was clearly stated that the cable car was an extra charge. We were there fairly early in the morning so we had an opportunity to climb the wall while the number of visitors was lower. It really got busy as we were leaving.
Although Cynthia was fairly knowledgeable, she spoke so quickly that she was hard to understand. Our luncheon was very nice although we could not distinguish a couple of the dishes.
Review by Gareth J, April 2013
Doing what: Great Wall of China at Mutianyu Full Day Tour including Lunch from Beijing
Loved the Great Wall section of this tour. Got there early in the morning and pretty much had it to ourselves. Amazing experience.
Our guide was really friendly and knowledgeable.
The only reason we are marking down this tour is the hard sell at the tea tasting - very poor.
Review by Martin K, April 2013
Doing what: Great Wall of China at Mutianyu Full Day Tour including Lunch from Beijing
Although Mutianyu is supposed to be less crowded than other parts of the Wall it got pretty busy as we were leaving - the early start a good idea! Two "sales" stops; the state cloisonné factory and a tea ceremony/tasting. A bit of a waste of time unless you want to buy. The lunch was fine, and it was a reasonable day out.
Review by Steven A, April 2013
Doing what: Great Wall of China at Mutianyu Full Day Tour including Lunch from Beijing
This trip left a sour taste in my mouth.
It started well, we were picked up at 715am sharp and we were out of Beijing by 8am, after picking up 4 other tourists. We arrived at the wall at 9am and had to pay for the cable car up to the top, which cost about £8 each for a return journey. We were given an hour to explore the wall, which doesn't give the wall justice. It is just over 2km long and we didn't manage 1km in that time. Do not believe the title of this tour. It is not a full day tour of the wall, it is intact a full day tour - wall, factory, lunch, tea house. As you can see from the description there is no mention of a visit to a tea house. You are encouraged to buy buy buy at the factory and the tea house. This became tiresome. More time at the wall is essential as you can't take it all in in the short time you have. If I was to go again I wouldn't book this trip, I would arrange it myself when i got to Beijing.
I would give this tour one star but the scenery at the wall is truly astounding and our guide was knowledgeable and friendly.
Review by Alix v, April 2013
Doing what: Great Wall of China at Mutianyu Full Day Tour including Lunch from Beijing
Lovely to visit the Great Wall, however we were under the impression that we would get to spend more time at the wall and not half the day visiting a tea house, a ceramic factory and a Chinese medicine hospital. A time limit of an hour and a half at the wall was very disappointing.
Review by Sandra B, Australia, March 2013
Doing what: Great Wall of China Small Group Day Trip from Beijing
We met our guide in the foyer of one of the motels; there were only 4 of us on the tour. We then travelled out to the great wall via mini bus (not the most clean or modern mini bus), where the guide (kevin) escorted us to the top of the wall and then we were given a choice of how long we wanted to spend on the wall. We chose 3 hrs, which was absolutley magical....there was hardly anyone around as we were there very early, it was snowing beautiful big snow flakes and the whole vibe was gorgeous!! After wandering around on the wall, we then walked back down to the village and met up with Kevin and the rest of the party. It was then off to lunch at one of the local village cafes...Kevin ordered for us, which was just a mix of asian style foods. After lunch we headed back to beijing to have a relaxing foot massage, which was much deserved after walking the wall. Our driver wasnt able to drop us back to the pick up point so kevin escorted us on the subway back to where we started...all in all it was a great day!! if you want to see the wall without the fan fare of stopping at all the factories etc, then this is a great tour. The only downside was that if you wanted to spend more time on the wall (which we did), you werent able because you were constricted by the rest of the tour group.
Review by Tom V, March 2013
Doing what: Beijing Essential Full-Day Tour including Great Wall at Badaling, Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square
Overall, a good tour if you have limited time in Beijing. It's nice having a driver to take you to the sites, and a guide who can point out interesting facts. You have plenty of time at the Wall, but the Forbidden City might be a bit rushed. The Jade Factory / Tea Shop are ok, and you will get hassled to buy something. Lunch was good.
Good value for the money, but again, only if you have limited time in Beijing.
