A Complete Transportation Guide to Badaling Great Wall: Embrace Spring's 'Poetry and Faraway Places'~

📍 Beijing · 👁 4 reads · ❤️ 248 likes

Spring has arrived, and the weather in Beijing is getting warmer day by day—it's once again a wonderful season to travel to Beijing. When in Beijing, 'He who has never been to the Great Wall is not a true man,' but both Badaling Great Wall and Juyongguan Great Wall lie in the northern mountains of Beijing, about 70 km from the city center. For independent travelers from out of town, choosing the right transportation can be a challenge.

Here is a roundup of several common online methods for getting to Badaling, with an analysis of their pros and cons, hoping to make your Great Wall trip more relaxed and hassle-free.

Public Bus: Route 877 – Deshengmen to Badaling

This is the most common way to reach the Great Wall. Many out-of-town visitors are directed to go this way. Board bus 877 at Deshengmen. After exiting the Deshengmen subway station, there will be a sign pointing towards bus 877—just follow it. Keep going straight. Soon you'll see an arrow tower; cross the road to the side with the tower. Bus 877 stops right below the arrow tower.

Pros: Cheap fare, and that's about the only advantage.

Cons:

1. Deshengmen departures: 6:00–12:00

Great Wall departures: 10:30–17:00

Be sure to note the bus schedule! When coming down from the Great Wall, don't miss the last bus, or taking an unlicensed taxi back will cost you a fortune.

2. Unpredictable travel time: If there's no traffic, it's fine, but if there is, the trip can take 2–3 hours.

3. Not very convenient—requires transfers and a lot of walking.

4. Extremely crowded; often it's packed to the brim.

Train: S2 Line High-Speed Train – Huangtudian Station to Badaling

Due to the renovation of the Beijing–Zhangjiakou high-speed railway for the Winter Olympics, Beijing North Station has been suspended. Currently, the S2 line's starting point has been temporarily moved to Huangtudian Station in Huilongguan.

This station is served by subway Line 13 and Line 8. Line 13 can be boarded at downtown stations like Xizhimen or Dongzhimen, getting off at Huoying Station. Line 8 starts from Nanluoguxiang and also reaches Huoying Station. To get from Huoying Subway Station to Huangtudian Station, take Exit G4 for the quickest route.

Pros:

1. Inexpensive fare: only 7 yuan.

2. The S2 train passes through seas of mountain peach blossoms in the valleys around the Great Wall and is known as the "Train to Spring." When flowers bloom in warm spring, enjoying the scenery from the train is quite lovely.

Cons:

1. Inconvenient ticketing: Although the S2 line uses "Harmony" EMU trains, tickets cannot be purchased online via 12306 or other mobile ticketing apps or websites. The only options are buying at the station window or using a Beijing public transportation card to swipe in directly. Using the card is the most convenient method. However, the card balance must be greater than 16 yuan. Because the S2 line's terminus is Yanqing Station, and Badaling Great Wall is just one stop along the way, the fare to Yanqing is 16 yuan. If your balance is insufficient, you won't be allowed in, even if you're only going to Badaling and not the final stop.

2. Irregular departure times: The departure times for the S2 "Harmony Great Wall" trains differ between weekdays and weekends, and also between regular days and holidays. Trains run infrequently, generally at intervals of about 2 hours. Therefore, before setting out, be sure to check the official information released by the Beijing railway authorities. Don't use outdated schedules, or you'll likely make a wasted trip and your plans could easily be disrupted.

3. Scramble for seats: The S2 "Harmony Great Wall" is managed like public transit, without assigned seating. Seats are very limited—first come, first served. It's common for many passengers to stand the whole way to Badaling and stand again all the way back to Beijing. What a miserable experience!

Self-drive; Taxi; Chartered Car

Pros: Worry-free and convenient.

Cons:

1. Expensive. A one-way taxi ride costs around 200–300 yuan. A chartered car to the Great Wall generally starts at 700 yuan.

2. Some say self-driving is always an option, but you must be careful to arrive at the official, designated large parking lot for the Badaling scenic area. Along the way, as you approach the area, people from illegal parking lots will try to wave you in. After you park, they'll tell you that you have to leave your car there and that they'll drive you to the scenic area entrance, then push a combo ticket for the cable car and shuttle bus that costs 25 yuan more than buying tickets yourself. The official scenic area parking lot has a proper gate guard and is a very standard large underground parking facility—please follow the signs carefully.

Direct Bus from Downtown Beijing to Badaling Great Wall – 'Bashida/BUSDA'

Officially launched after the 2022 Spring Festival, this is the first direct bus service tailored specially for the Badaling scenic area by a gold-medal travel agency with over 20 years of experience in Beijing tourism. Taking Bashida can save you 2 hours round-trip, offering a time-saving, direct, safe, and comfortable way to enjoy Badaling Great Wall.

The direct bus is the most popular and convenient transportation method nowadays. The departure point for the Badaling direct bus is at Exit C of Beitucheng Subway Station on subway Line 8/10. There are two departures daily, at 8:00 and 10:00. Choose the one that suits your schedule. The departure location is easy to find and the timing is flexible.

Pros: The bus goes directly to the Badaling Great Wall scenic area. The meeting point is close to the highway entrance—just 10 minutes to get on the expressway, avoiding downtown traffic and saving an hour of congestion. On the return journey, it stops near the Bird's Nest and Water Cube central area. There's a tour guide on board who provides accurate, informative explanations of Great Wall culture and climbing tips, and can also help you purchase scenic area tickets, which is very convenient and saves you the time of queuing for tickets yourself. The round-trip bus fare is 120 yuan, half-price for children (scenic area ticket included). Most importantly, it's purely green, no shopping stops—a truly branded bus service.

Travelers can book through the Ctrip app by 23:00 the day before. Just present your ID and the phone number used for booking to board the bus both ways.

The launch of the direct bus makes a seamless, "one-stop" connection from downtown Beijing to Badaling Great Wall possible, fulfilling visitors' desires for an easy, in-depth, and safe trip. The direct bus offers various vehicle types, all energy-efficient and environmentally friendly, with safe and comfortable seats. During the pandemic, enhanced prevention measures are in place: all passengers are temperature-checked and disinfected, and health codes and travel records are carefully verified. Riding the Bashida direct bus gives you peace of mind and guaranteed safety. What's more, Bashida even prepares creative bus-themed souvenirs for guests—let it lead you to your 'poetry and faraway places.'

Spring is here—let's go climb the Great Wall together!

Travelogue Directory

1. First: Public Bus

2. Second: Train

3. Third: Private Car

4. Fourth: Great Wall Direct Bus (Recommended)

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