Drive 2 Hours! No Need to Go to Japan for Hot Springs and Snow — It’s All in the Fairytale Town at the Foot of the Great Wall

My heart has traveled far, but my steps are stilled! The pandemic is still around us... I, who used to travel to different countries and cities every year, now find myself stuck in Beijing. I'm sure many travel-loving friends feel the same. So, places around the city, like the Beijing · Miyun Gubei Water Town (Simatai Great Wall) International Tourism Resort, have become the top choice for weekend getaways! Christmas and New Year are coming — what's the festive atmosphere like in this fairytale town under the Great Wall? Follow my footsteps quickly and I'll scout it out for you!

First, consider driving time. Based on my own road trip experience, highways leaving Beijing on weekends are most congested from 7:00 to 9:00 in the morning. Taking Sanyuanqiao as the starting point, it's about a 2-hour drive to Gubei Water Town, around 140 km. I arranged my return trip on Monday morning. So here's my itinerary for reference: 【DAY 1】 09:00-11:00 Arrive at Gubei Water Town and check in; 11:30-12:30 Lunch; 13:00 Start sightseeing; 17:00-18:00 Afternoon tea at the hilltop church; 19:00-19:30 Join the Christmas parade, watch the drone show; 19:30-20:30 Dinner; 21:00 Hot spring bath. 【DAY 2】 09:00-11:00 Climb Simatai Great Wall; 12:00-14:00 Check out, switch hotels, lunch; 14:00-18:00 Explore Tangshi Street; 18:00-19:30 Dinner; 20:00 Return to hotel for in-room hot spring. 【DAY 3】 Sleep in; pack up and head back.

Delicious food I tasted in Gubei Water Town

Winter-only themed banquet 【Beijing Traditional Wood-Fired Roast Duck Banquet】 Roast duck has always been my favorite. Every time I return to Beijing from a trip, I head straight to a roast duck restaurant. Somehow it gives me a full boost of energy! Arriving at Gubei Water Town, I first went to a roast duck lunch. The setting was classic and elegant, and the dishes tasted superb!

Beijing traditional wood-fired roast duck differs from standard roast duck. It's roasted over fruitwood charcoal like jujube and pear wood, so the duck meat has a natural fruity fragrance. In terms of selection, Gubei Water Town uses the world's finest and rarest Beijing duck breed, and invites an 8th-generation heir of traditional wood-fired roasting techniques with a secret recipe to prepare it.

The duck served is glossy red, tender meat, crispy skin, rich but not greasy. One duck, multiple ways to eat — it's truly a must-try foodie attraction in Gubei Water Town.

Stir-fried golden trout: Another delicious way to cook golden trout, worth trying in your own kitchen.

Beijing-style red-braised pork: Delicate pork belly with exquisite cooking. Every piece is top-notch, an authentic Beijing taste.

Braised goose with baijiu: Stewed to perfect tenderness, not dry at all. A bite of goose meat has a slight bounce. Tomato-sauce sweet-and-sour pork: Adds a layer of tomato fragrance to the usual sweet-and-sour pork, even more crispy and tender.

Duck meat sesame cake: Golden and stuffed with duck meat. One bite fills your mouth with lingering fragrance! Winter-only themed dinner 【Jianlou Steak Dinner】 The steakhouse is, to be precise, a romantic dining spot! Perfect for a couple's retreat or a private party. Our table tonight was in the best spot of this steakhouse, with a window view overlooking the whole Sun and Moon Island Square, brimming with Christmas atmosphere — just right for the season!

At this dreamlike long table dinner lit by candles, if you pay attention, the tablecloth is folded into a Christmas tree shape, showing the restaurant's meticulous care.

The bread basket, seasonal salad, soup... everything is served in perfect order. The grilled main course platter looks a bit flamboyant in this Christmas setting: beef tenderloin, deep-sea sea bream, Argentine red shrimp, Frankfurter sausages, turkey leg, buttered corn on the cob, organic seasonal vegetables, and more.

The star: Gael steak. It's said to be Queen Elizabeth II's favorite! Today I'm lucky to taste such a delicacy — no regrets on this trip. Food gives such satisfaction so easily!

Winter-only themed banquet 【Miyun Reservoir Cold-Water Fish Banquet】 As everyone knows, the Miyun Reservoir is the largest and only drinking water source for the capital Beijing, with water quality consistently meeting national Class II surface water standards or above. Good water means the reservoir fish are naturally large, fatty, and nutritious.

Gubei Water Town invites master chefs skilled in fish banquets, using steaming, boiling, frying, and pasting techniques to present a table of different flavors of Miyun Reservoir cold-water fish, allowing every visitor to Gubei Water Town to taste this king of cold-water fish delicacies.

Steamed Miyun Reservoir fish: This one must weigh over 10 jin — it takes two people to carry it to the table. Personally, I love large fish: fresh, fragrant, and fatty!

Rich broth pickled cabbage fish: Sweet and sour, a crowd-pleaser! Great with soup-soaked rice.

Braised yellow catfish with garlic and soy paste: Yellow catfish is mid-priced among freshwater fish. It's nutritious, with tender flesh and no small bones — a favorite for many!

Steamed "May You Have Surplus Every Year" fish cake: There's real fish meat inside, and it's not fishy at all. The chef handled it perfectly. Highly recommended! Winter-only themed banquet 【Miyun Roast Pork Hometown Banquet】 This is a restaurant where you can come again and again. Its deeply local dishes are dearly loved! Though the front looks small, it's surprisingly deep inside... with private rooms on the second floor. The roast pork restaurant is very close to the Simatai Great Wall cable car station. After a tiring climb on the wall, coming down and ordering a big plate of meat is just right to recharge.

People in Miyun are skilled at using maltose glaze to color roast pork. The meat is carefully selected: about three-finger-thick, three parts fat and seven parts lean pork belly, cooked with a secret mix of Chinese medicinal spices. Served with vegetables, sweet sauce, and baked buns, it's a feast for all senses. This is the creation of Miyun roast pork with a rich, nostalgic flavor. The plate in front of me is exactly that! Remember to eat it with the sauce, lettuce, cucumber strips, and stuffed in a small bun — even better!

Steamed pork with chestnuts: Large slices of steamed meat fragrant with chestnut aroma — just smelling it makes your mouth water!

Guzhai soy bean pork skin aspic: A common dish in Beijing's suburbs, but this presentation is a first for me, and it tastes great.

Local free-range chicken stewed with mountain mushrooms: Living off the mountains, Miyun's wild mountain goods pair with free-range chicken for a stew that's perfect for winter. The most distinctive hotels in Gubei Water Town, recommended! 【Recommendation 1】 Gubei Light Hot Spring Resort Hotel For family trips or family vacations, most people probably choose this one first. The overall scale is very suitable for a resort ambience, with many rooms for easy booking, relatively affordable prices, and hot springs to enjoy. Right now, the moment you step into the hotel lobby, it's full of Christmas festive spirit.

Nestled by mountains and water, the setting is beautiful. The hotel takes the Great Wall as its theme, using "fortress wall interiors" design to express the symbiosis of architecture and interior, nature and culture, history and modernity. Standard star-rated room setup with welcome fruits. The room doesn't provide bottled water because the tap water is directly drinkable — a big plus!

The hotel has the uniquely styled Yuquan Western Restaurant and the distinctive Meixi Tea House Restaurant, plus an 800-square-meter multi-purpose hall and various Chinese private dining rooms, offering Huaiyang cuisine, Cantonese cuisine, and Miyun local specialties.

Pro tip: Although the hotel connects directly to the hot spring hall, the path is a bit winding. I recommend wearing your coat and walking out the hotel main entrance — it's just a 3-minute walk to the hot spring baths. The outdoor hot springs are especially comfortable when it's snowing, and the indoor steam and sauna rooms are also great.

【Recommendation 2】 New Youth Art Hotel Located opposite the Gubei Light Hotel, the name alone sparks curiosity; it seems perfect for young crowds. Entering the lobby, the color scheme instantly reminded me of old Shanghai. If only a few famous paintings were hung here, it would have even more character!

The hotel covers about 4,000 square meters with 36 guest rooms: 17 king rooms, 19 twin rooms, divided into 7 different room types. There's a Chinese restaurant seating over 200 people, with 2 private dining rooms and 1 tea room, specializing in Hangzhou cuisine. Even though the above is standard description, the moment I saw "Hangzhou cuisine," I could feel the owner's sentiment in designing this hotel!

【Recommendation 3】 Shisanmei Women's Theme Hot Spring Hotel Located in the Wangjing Street area of Gubei Water Town scenic area, right next to Wangjing Street snack street and the musical fountain. With "socialite culture" and private hot spring experience as its theme, this is an all-in-one boutique theme hotel integrating accommodation, dining, and hot spring for high-end guests. This is my second stay; everything is familiar, and what I looked forward to most was the open-air hot spring in the room.

Opening the door, you're greeted by warm, soft yellow tones. Spacious and well-zoned, the desk is long — I could scatter all my small items from my suitcase on it and it wouldn't look cluttered. The moderately soft king bed is my favorite! For a traveler like me, sleeping in always feels luxurious; it only happens with the right mattress. This is it!

The washroom is also very spacious, with different functional areas, and great attention to detail — you can reach exactly what you need just by lifting your hand. The innermost room is the hot spring pool. This time the pool had a roof, which actually feels safer — drones are so common now, privacy matters!

Breakfast starts with the first rays of morning sun. Set meals are available in Chinese and Western styles, each with over a dozen well-balanced items. This nutritious breakfast gave me a full charge of energy!

Exploring Gubei Water Town — not-to-be-missed photo spots Yongshun Dyehouse Yongshun Dyehouse was founded by Zhang Jukui in 1900. It's said: Zhang Jukui learned the dyeing craft in his youth back home, could make his own indigo dyes, and the colors he produced were bright, lasting, stable, and wash-resistant. His business prospered, so he opened this Yongshun Dyehouse.

Compared to the main entrance archway, people prefer to walk down this alley and enter through the west gate. It's become a popular spot for Instagram-worthy photos! You have light and shadow, you have colors, all you need is your creative poses...

From a photography perspective, I prefer afternoon sunlight around 3 or 4 o'clock. Shooting in the dyehouse can also borrow more warm light, giving the images more compositional design and creative color possibilities. Looking here, I think of Jiangnan. Next summer, heading to Jiangnan, seeing a dyehouse in action should be even more interesting — capturing more first-hand visual material.

The dyehouse has a three-floor exhibition hall. To a layperson like me, it's full of highly designed decorations, full of colors! Reading the wall panels, I felt a bit confused but still gave a thumbs-up to the development of the dyeing and printing industry! Craftsmen are forever respected!

There's a workshop on the second floor where you can experience engraving and feel the beauty of printed colors. The space is huge and perfect for various parent-child activity courses and industry exchange events.

Sima Xiao Shao I'm not a heavy drinker, but I always believe: "The local soil and water nurture the local people, and good water brews good liquor!" I had heard of Sima Xiao Shao before — grain liquor, high in alcohol, but smooth and mellow. Even if you drink a bit too much in good spirits, you won't wake up with a headache.

This is also an intangible cultural heritage handicraft workshop. Sima Xiao Shao is a type of Miyun's "Three Shao" (roast/baijiu). The winemaking tradition in Miyun dates back to the Qing Dynasty. "Miyun Nongjiafang" represents traditional pure-grain brewing, using sorghum, rice, sticky rice, wheat, and corn — five grains ensuring quality! You can taste and buy inside; it's the perfect gift for friends and family when you visit Gubei.

Kite Workshop From my experience, this kite workshop is highly interactive. The owner is an intangible cultural heritage inheritor. Though past middle age, his energy rivals any young lad. He's also very chatty and warm-hearted. If he sees someone struggling, he'll lend a hand; if someone does well, he praises them generously! Making a kite costs only a dozen yuan or so.

Simatai Great Wall When you come to Gubei, you must climb Simatai Great Wall. There's a round-trip cable car, safe rides with excellent views! During the day, the section up to Watchtower No. 8 is open. Special note: winter is cold, and it's even colder and windier on the wall, so dress warmly and walk safely.

From Watchtower No. 7, the terrain gets very steep, with ladders almost vertical and far fewer steps on the wall... But! From up high, the view is truly breathtaking! Even though the climb was tough, my heart knows it was all worth it for such beautiful scenery.

The Double Festivals are coming — what's the festive atmosphere like? Normally, I park my car in the Gubei Water Town hotel parking lot (above-ground and underground spaces). More importantly, it's the quickest way to enter Gubei Water Town and check in. With the Double Festivals approaching, how is this place decorated to attract visitors from all directions? Come with me and feel it!

Occasional sightseeing shuttle buses have already dressed up in style! Hanging ornaments full of Christmas elements, together with the red body of the bus, really highlight the festive mood!

Inside the check-in lobby, the festive atmosphere is even stronger. The story of the Nutcracker begins here, waiting for you to read. It's become a small book corner and a popular photo spot for visitors.

At Sun and Moon Island Square, don't miss the 4:00 p.m. Christmas fairytale show — just half an hour of wonderful performances, with acting and interactive games. After the show, you can take photos with the clown and Santa Claus on stage.

The weekend Christmas parade is even more fantastic. Last weekend happened to coincide with Beijing's second heavy snow — experiencing it in the snow added a special delight! Starting from Nantianmen at 7:00 p.m., polar bears, gorillas, and all kinds of costumed performers draw amazed looks everywhere they pass. Crowds scramble to take photos with them.

At night, Sun and Moon Island Square is already brilliantly lit. The arched gate of the city wall is covered in twinkling colored lights. Walking through it, you feel a sense of solemnity and a slight illusion of time travel! In short, photos here will definitely be stunning!

The giant Christmas tree has clearly become the central landmark of this fairytale town at the foot of the Great Wall! Listen to the cheerful music, watch snowflakes dancing... It's as if you're already in Andersen's fairy tale world, turned back into a child, playing freely and soaking in the joyful atmosphere!

What's even more important to share: you must "stroll the market" to discover the beauty of local life, handmade crafts, and small heartfelt treasures! Find a few charming little objects to take home and share with family and friends, telling stories of all the interesting discoveries you made in the market.

The hilltop church and Cloud Café — I believe no friend coming to Gubei Water Town would miss them! Experience the whole process of watching Gubei Water Town go from dusk to a sea of lights. That moment! It seems to ignite a fire inside your heart!

The hilltop is still quite cold at this time, so I don't recommend staying outdoors too long. Sit inside the Cloud Café and try the seasonal special cake and dessert, with a cup of latte. Gather around with a few friends and chat the night away!

If I say Gubei Water Town is a winter "Peach Blossom Spring," it wouldn't be an overstatement! If you happen to time a heavy snowfall, the snow won't melt off the next morning, and the scenery will be even more enchanting. This winter continues — you still have a chance to encounter a snowy day like I did! Everyone says Japan is a city of neon lights, but I say Gubei Water Town is also a neon-lit little town — a high-quality resort that blends nature, history, and culture.

If we've had enough of the hotel hot springs, we can also enjoy the outdoor foot bath hot spring for free! Also, I want to tell everyone about the best spot to soak in a hot spring while enjoying panoramic views of Simatai Great Wall — the rooftop of Yushan Boutique Hot Spring Hotel. There are two outdoor pools and one indoor pool, with an unobstructed view of Simatai Great Wall!

A reluctant farewell With much left unsaid, well, I've recommended everything I should! Although I still feel like I haven't shared it all, every journey must end. I hope this guide can add a splash of color to your upcoming Double Festival visit to Gubei Water Town, and provide some pure, practical tips for friends planning a trip there this winter. But from a traveler's perspective, the greatest discoveries come from your own heart. Follow your heart, explore, and that's all that matters! Wishing everyone a happy Double Festival in advance! As 2021, the new year, approaches, I also wish you all bullish luck and smooth sailing in everything!