Not worth a separate trip but often incorporated into journey back from Great Wall. The tombs are dull and unimpressive to Westerners (other reviews liken to visiting a bank vault) but the Chinese love this site. You are herded through security then down a long staircase into a crowded dark chamber with a few stone thrones and some large plain... more

Our visit to the Ming Tombs was a pleasant, relaxed, though unspectacular trip. We arrived at the Ding Ling before noon and there were few visitors. The stairs down into the underground palace was not difficult. If you are expecting walls covered with carvings and a pyramid type surrounding you would be very disappointed. But for history buffs it was... more

I went to the tomb located where the Dingling Museum is. The grounds were the most impressive part to me. The tomb itself was pretty average. There were ramps up and down the stairs in the courtyard, but I didn't see an elevator in the tomb itself. It was about 8 flights of stairs down. The walk to the tomb... more

The least impressive and least interesting stop I had while in Beijing. I would call it a tourist trap except they don't really pander all that much to tourists. Most places will try to put this in a tour package along with the great wall. You'd be better off telling them you're not interested in the Ming Tombs, the 13th... more

I have been on many tours and the Ming Tomb tour is interesting if your into the history of early China. But if you visit the Forbidden City.... then you've just about seen the Ming Tombs.....My Advise don't waist your time on the visit....I have had to go 2 times because it was included in the tour...and there is nothing... more

For people who know a great deal of China's history, especially the history of Ming Dynasty, this place is a must visit. It provides one-of-a-kind authentic experience. That explains why this place is a hot spot for native Chinese, especially those who are fascinated by history. For each of the thirteen emperors who was buried here, there was a very... more

This was by far the least interesting stop I made in Beijing. My work colleague and I stopped here on our way back from visiting the Great Wall. If we'd stopped first, it may have been more interesting. We visited the DingLing tomb, and as other reviewers have stated, it wasn't exactly as I expected. The tomb is very bland...looks... more

My wife and I went here, while returning from the Great Wall. Overall it is bland and the underground area is very empty. The walls are smooth concrete and you have the feeling of being in an underground bank vault/storage area vs. an old cultural site. You do not get a sense for how it looked/was when it was built... more

Like a lot of things in China, Ming Tombs are just not what American tourists expect of cultural heritage sites. English translatations on signs make NO sense, (its hard enough to get a grasp of several hundred years of Ming history anyway) and there's just not much there. Only one tomb is "excavated" and I use the term extremely loosely... more