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Monday, February 13, 2012

Beijing to Badaling by train, for the Great Wall of China


If you're spending a few days in Beijing, you'll probably want to visit the Great Wall of China.  Badaling is the most-visited section of rebuilt Great Wall, an easy day trip 61km (38 miles) north of Beijing.  Most people go there on a one-day bus tour, but this often only gives 30 rushed minutes to see the Wall.  It can be better to visit the Great Wall independently, taking a comfortable train from Beijing up into the mountains to Badaling, exploring and taking photographs at your leisure for an hour or two, then returning by train at a time to suit you.  These trains are modern & air-conditioned with soft & hard seats. 

 Beijing ► Badaling for Great Wall of China  

 Train number:S201S203S205S207S209S211S213S215S217S219S221S223S227
 Beijing North station  depart06:1207:5808:3409:0310:5712:4313:1413:3315:2517:1117:4118:0121:30
 Badaling (for Great Wall) arrive07:3009:1909:4310:1412:1114:0014:2314:4616:4218:2918:5519:1822:43

 Badaling for Great Wall of China ► Beijing  

 Train number:
S208S210S212S214S216S218S220S222S224S226S230S232
 Badaling (for Great Wall) depart08:2310:5311:2111:5113:0315:1915:5116:2317:3419:5520:4621:53
 Beijing North station  arrive09:4612:1312:4113:1214:2016:4317:2517:3918:5421:1522:1623:16
You can double-check these train times using www.cnvol.com.  The final destination of these trains is Yanqing, 1 stop beyond Badaling.
Fare:  RMB 13  (£1.30 or $2) each way hard seat (2nd class), or RMB 19 (£2 or $3) in soft seat (1st class). 
How to buy tickets:  No reservation is necessary, simply turn up at Beijing North station and buy a ticket at the upstairs ticket office, not the downstairs one.  One report says it's ticket window 8 for Badaling tickets.  Then head for the platforms through the ticket check and hop on the next train.  Buying tickets is normally fairly easy, you are given a ticket with 'S2' printed on it and you can use this on any train with a train number beginning 'S2', meaning any of the trains shown above.  It's easiest to buy your ticket back to Beijing when you get to Badaling.  Although several travellers say that buying a ticket was easy with short or no queues, one traveller reports very long queues at the ticket office at a weekend when many Chinese were visiting the Wall.  So for travel on weekends or holidays, allow plenty of time to buy a ticket or buy one the day before.  Feedback would be appreciated.
Beijing North station (Beijing Bei Zhan in Chinese) is at metro stop Xizhimen on metro lines 2 & 4.  On exiting the metro follow signs in English to Beijing North Station, and look for the upstairs ticket office, window 8.  Beijing metro map.  Street map of Beijing showing stations.
Badaling station:  On arrival at Badaling station, leave the station and turn left and walk up the hill, following everyone else.  The Great Wall ticket office is about 800m away on the right, you can't miss it.  Entrance fee is around RMB 45 (£4.50 or $7.50).  Signs are in English, no guide is required.

Taking the train to the Great Wall of China...

For the first 20 minutes, the train negotiates the Beijing suburbs, then it accelerates for a brief sprint to its first station stop.  After stopping briefly at this station, the train starts climbing at slow speed into the mountains to Badaling.  You start to see parts of the Great Wall as soon as you leave the station stop, so have your camera ready!  The train reverses direction at the stop before Badaling, so don't be surprised when this happens.  2 hours at the wall is enough for most people, but when you take the train, how long you stay is up to you!
The train to Badaling about to leave Beijing North stationHard class seats on the train from Beijing to Badaling
The easy, independent way to the Great Wall...  A train to Badaling about to leave Beijing North station...  Photo courtesy of Robert Mortell.
Inside the train...  Hard class seats on the regular air-conditioned train linking Beijing with Badaling... Photo courtesy of Barnaby Hornshaw.
Visiting The Great Wall of China at BadalingThe Great Wall of China, looking beyond Badaling
Above:  The Great Wall of China at Badaling.  The town & ticket office are in the valley in the background.  This photo was taken at almost the highest point of this bit of Wall.

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