I just returned from 9 days in Beijing and I have to say that the highlight of my trip was when I accidentally signed up for the Jinshaling to Simatai Great Wall hike. I happened to stop by a small travel agency near Tiananmen Square by the Qiamen subway. I asked the travel agent about going to Simatai as I... more

Cannot recommend the hike from jinshanling to simatai highly enough. It was incredible to see the vastness of the great wall and to be hiking along such a historic structure. The first part of the hike at jinshanling has a remoteness and you really feel you are seeing the authentic part of the wall. It is a nice comparison to... more

We took a day tour through the Forbidden City Hostel, it was a very reasonable price compared to the othes we looked at. We arrived at Jinshanling around 11AM and began our 12km trek along the wall to Simatai. Our tour group numbered around 50 people, but once on the Great Wall we hardly saw anybody else around. You basically... more

Absolutely awesome part of The Great Wall to visit. Previously on my first trip to Beijing I visited Badaling but this part is so much quieter and a place where you can really appreciate the beautiful scenic views. We visited in May which was very hot but well worth it, we literally saw only a handful of other tourists. Takes... more

It took me 4 hours to walk from J to S, but it took 6 hours to get there (subway, then bus, then walking a lot, then another bus, then a taxi, then another bus, then a van and then I was there) and I think like 3 hours to get back by a taxi bus (expensive...). But the wall... more

After reading some reviews and doing some online search, we decided to go with Beijing Downtown Backpackers. They provided everything we needed (transportation both ways, all entrance fees and bridge toll) and none of the stuff we didn’t need (shopping stops, meals, etc), all for 260RMB per person. That’s hard to beat. What you get in return is awesome scenery,... more

My fiancee and I just came back from a 6-day trip to Beijing, and I must say the highlight of the trip was the hike from the Jinshanling section to the Simatai section of the Great Wall! We got our hotel to arrange for a cab (RMB800 both ways) to pick us up at around 8:30am, and after a comfortable... more

My wife and I just returned to the US after a 2 week stay in China. The hike from Jinshanling to Simatai was the absolute highlight of our trip. It is a pretty good hike for those of us who aren't in the best of shape. If you are older, or out of shape, you will need more than 3-4... more

Jinshanling Great Wall has not been turned into the "Great Mall of China" as the stretches closer to Beijing have (Babaling, Mutianyu). We took a comfortable 4 hrs from Jinshanling to Simatai, stopping frequently to take pictures and catch the incredible view. Saw fox droppings on the wall, falcons flying above us. Talked with the locals selling water and souvenir... more