Mutianyu Great Wall: cable car, toboggan and route choices

Mutianyu is a restored stretch of the Great Wall in Huairou District, about 70 km from central Beijing, where the wall rides the crests of steep, wooded hills between closely spaced watchtowers. A wall was first built here under the Northern Qi dynasty in the 6th century, and the section you walk today was rebuilt and strengthened during the Ming dynasty by the generals Tan Lun and Qi Jiguang (Beijing tourism bureau). A cable car, a chairlift and a toboggan make it one of the easiest sections to reach, while the towers beyond them still demand a real climb.

What you see#

The open section runs from Watchtower 1 to Watchtower 23, with 28 towers, platforms and barracks in all, roughly one every hundred metres (Mutianyu site). The best-known structure is the Zhengguan Terrace, three connected watchtowers built in 1404, in the second year of the Yongle reign. The wall here has crenellations on both sides, so defenders could fight in either direction, a feature that sets it apart from many other sections (Beijing tourism bureau).

Between the towers the wall climbs and drops sharply along the ridge. Two stretches, Niu Jiao Bian (the "Ox Horn") and Ying Fei Dao Yang ("Eagle Flying Upside Down"), are known for especially dramatic, steep terrain. Around it, more than 96 percent of the scenic area is covered in vegetation, with over a thousand trees more than a century old. In October the slopes turn gold, amber and red, as the site's own autumn notices put it (Mutianyu notices).

How the site works#

Arriving by car or bus, you reach the service area with the visitor centre, ticket office, shops and car parks. A paid internal shuttle runs about 3 km uphill to the ticket gates; you can walk the road instead, but it uses time and energy before the climb. From the upper area you reach the wall by one of three systems, or on foot:

• Enclosed cable car to Watchtower 14: 723 m long, near the north entrance, for visitors who want the least climbing and the same station up and down.
• Open chairlift to the Watchtower 6 area (Zhengguan Terrace) by the south entrance, where the toboggan starts: a 1,580 m steel chute that riders control with their own brake (Mutianyu site).
• Footpaths: the southern path reaches Watchtowers 6 and 8; the northern path, east of the cable-car platform, reaches Watchtower 10. Each has more than 1,100 steps and takes about 40 minutes to the wall (footpaths).

The cable car is run by a different company from the chairlift and toboggan, and their tickets are not interchangeable. Cable-car passengers use the North Ticket Gate; chairlift and slide passengers use the Slide Ticket Gate (visitor rules). Decide your route before you buy.

Choosing a route#

Cable car up and down (easiest). Ride to Watchtower 14 and walk to Tower 15 and back; the site calls this light outing its "Head of State Reception Route". For a bigger day, walk on towards the higher-numbered towers and return to Tower 14 for the ride down. The official "extreme challenge" route instead walks up the northern path to Tower 10, passes Tower 14 and climbs to Tower 23, the highest accessible point (official routes), a serious effort on steep steps and ramps.

Chairlift up, toboggan down. Best if the slide is the highlight. Check on the day whether the toboggan is running, as it stops in bad weather, and ask about its height and age rules, which are set by its own operator.

Cable car up, toboggan down. Take the cable car to Tower 14, walk along the wall through the lower-numbered towers to Tower 6, then slide down. Buy a one-way cable-car ticket and a separate slide ticket. Everyone in the group needs to manage the walk between the towers, because there is no cable car back from Tower 6.

Walk up. Free of lift costs and quieter, but the 1,100-plus steps come before the wall itself, which is still steep. Keep energy for the descent.

Beyond Tower 19. Since 7 April 2026 the wall between Watchtowers 19 and 20 has been closed for construction. To reach Towers 21 to 23 you detour on an ecological trail outside the wall; the reopening date had not been announced (closure notice). Follow staff directions and barriers, and allow for the walk back to Tower 14.

Tickets and booking#

Mutianyu uses real-name tickets. You can book up to 15 days ahead, each passport or ID can hold one ticket per day, and you show the original document at the gate. Foreign visitors who booked with a passport do not need to exchange the booking for a paper ticket; they enter by presenting the passport at the designated gate (visitor rules).

Admission, the internal shuttle, the cable car and the slide are all separate products in the official catalogue, so a cheap "Mutianyu ticket" may cover only entry. As of September 2026, adult admission was listed at ¥45 and a cable-car return at ¥140; check the current prices and what each bundle includes before paying. Children up to 1.2 m tall ride the shuttle bus and cable car free; the slide operator sets its own rules. Discounts apply to foreign minors aged 6 to 18 and some other groups; bring the ID the booking asks for.

Opening hours#

The last check-in is not a good arrival time: you need an hour or more after it to ride up, walk and get back before the lifts stop. The scenic area and individual lifts can close for storms, strong wind, snow or maintenance, so check the homepage notices on the morning of your visit (closure example).

Getting there from Beijing#

The official transport page suggests bus 916 from Dongzhimen to Huairou Beidajie, then a change to bus H7, H23, H24, H35 or H36 to the scenic area. Tourist coaches leave from central subway stations such as Dongzhimen in the morning and return in the afternoon, and the trip takes roughly 1.5 to 2 hours each way (Beijing tourism bureau). The detailed timetables on both pages are a few years old, so confirm the last return with your operator. A coach fixes your return time, so pick a wall route that fits it.

Night tours#

Mutianyu runs occasional evening programmes. In summer 2026 a night tour ran from 25 June to 31 August, from 17:30 to 21:00 on Towers 10 to 15, with unlimited cable-car rides for ¥200 per person over 1.2 m (night tour). A short autumn programme followed in late September and early October. Watch the notices for the next one.

Opening hours, visitor rules and notices were checked on 8 October 2026.