The Great Wall

Pros: Extremely well-preserved, spectacular views
Cons: Crowds, narrows and uneven steps, hard climb

An ancient Chinese legend tells the story of a young woman whose husband had left to work on the Great Wall. It was common for workers to be gone for many years before they finally returned to their families but she loved her husband so much and she had...

Pros: An authentic Great Wall experience that is unique and wonderful.
Cons: None.

The Great Wall of China— Come to Visit the Huang Hua Section. By James P. Zaworski . One of the highlights of my life was to visit the Great Wall of China during my recent one-month adventure vacation to that ancient and fascinating land. I ...

Pros: definitely the 8th wonder of the world
Cons: A hard walk

I have traveled extensively throughout China, especially over the last two summers and in my time there I have fell further and further in love with the country.

During my last trip I spent most of my time in southern China. I enjoyed the...

Pros: 1 of the 7 wonders, amazing view, rich history
Cons: rough climb for asthmatics and fatties like me, lol!

I went to the Bada Ling section of the Great Wall with a small tour group consisting of myself, 2 Nepalese, a Brit, and a Brazillian. What many people don't realize is the Great Wall is not one long unending wall, but rather a series of walls, built over ...

Pros: Great view, cheap souvenirs, memories to last a lifetime.
Cons: Aggressive salesmen, Crowds, slippery and uneven steps.

We had just finished a huge lunch at the Yulong Restaurant and was continuing our drive down the road to the Badaling section of the Great Wall of China. We were pretty full and were very sluggish from our food-induced comas. The...

Pros: Very historic, beautiful scenery, good shopping
Cons: Very tiring if you want to see the good stuff

During the past ten months that I have been living in China, I have had the opportunity to visit the Great Wall on three different occasions. I spent two of these times at the most famous restored section, Badaling, and so that is where I will focus most...

Pros: A trip to China without seeing the Great Wall isn't a trip to China.
Cons: Many stairs, very steep, winter isn't the best time to go.

My trip to Beijing was given to me by my employer and the only time I could go was just prior to the Chinese Lunar New Year. Needless to say it was rather cold, like about 30F during the day. After I arrived in Beijing my private tour guide told me ...

Pros: A must see! One of the 7 wonders of the world, and rightly so!
Cons: The climb is steep and it can be very windy.

Traveling from Beijing to the Badaling section of the Great Wall in November, 2000 was an adventure ...

Pros: Great historic site, solitude
Cons: None

The Great Wall is the most must-see place in Beijing. If you have not been there, you have not been to Beijing. Looking from the space, the Great Wall is the one of the only two man-built things you can see on the earth, and it was built more than a...

Pros: an irreplaceable experience
Cons: better not to come during winter or rainy days

"The Great Wall of China, one of the greatest wonders of the world, was enlisted in the World Heritage by UNESCO in 1987. Just like a gigantic dragon, the Great Wall winds up and down across deserts, grasslands, mountains and plateaus stretching ...

Pros: this is the single greatest thing I have ever seen- history,scenic view, architecture supreme
Cons: none

The Great Wall of China is the greatest thing I have ever seen. I was prepared for it - as much as one can be.

How to prepare? well, making this trip at the end of a long stay might be best, but, if you can't do it that way, simply get to...

Pros: Well maintained, great history, beautiful views
Cons: Crowded at the main entrance

When my friend and I saw a woman walking up a steep part of the wall in 4 inch spike heels, we were quite surprised. Some of the Great Wall, once you get away from the crowded entrance at Badeling, is a wonderful, but steep walk.

We...

Pros: Direct route, no side trips to tourist traps. Great fun. Wall very photogenic.
Cons: A little more dilapidation would have made it more "real"

Our 5 star hotel offered us a limo to Badaling; our guide book suggested a tourist bus from Qianmen. Instead we opted to take the metro to the Deshengmen bus station and ride the ordinary bus. There are two (we now know)one called the 919 and the other ...

Pros: Amazing work of man to see
Cons: can be physically challenging if you are not in shape

If there is only one thing you see while in Beijing, it has to be the Great Wall of China. You can see thousands of photographs of the wall, but the true magnificence of it will not hit you until you see the wall that seems to have no end in person. I ...

Pros: It's a great wall
Cons: beware of rip-offs

Your hotel will want to take you on an air-conditioned bus trip to the Great Wall. Unless you are really short on time or are really fearful about being on your own in China, don't take the hotel tour. Like all tourist companies aimed at foreigners, they...

Pros: must see one of the ancient wonders of the world
Cons: crowded if not there early

I used to travel to China a lot on business trips and found time and time again the best way to see the Great Wall is early in the morning. I usually fly and arrive in Beijing at night. Jetlag keeps me up during the early hours of the morning. What I...

Pros: AWESOME VIEW, RELIVING HISTORY
Cons: CROWDS, NO ESCALATORS

I VISITED THE GREAT WALL WHILE ON A TRIP TO BEIJING CHINA AND I WAS SUPRISED TO DISCOVER THAT THE WALL WAS SO LARGE AND STEEP. IT TAKES ONE OF STRONG ENDURANCE TO CLIMB THE GREAT WALL. THE WALL WAS STEEP WITH THE STEPS BEING OF VARIOUS HEIGHTS AND...

Pros: One of The Greatest Sights in The World
Cons: Strenuous Walk

If you want to walk at one of the greatest sights in the world, put on some good walkin' shoes, and go for it! As you get off the bus, you will be subjected to tee shirt sellers of "I Climbed the Great Wall". They are tacky but make great...

Pros: The wall itsel is not impressive except for the length of the wall.  
Cons: Difficult to walk up as the wall is going up a mountain.

The Great Wall is very impressive but what impressed me the most about China is its' rich cultural history, the costume designs of different Chinese periods, the food(much more delicious then American Chinese food and without the salt), Chinese acrobats, ...

Pros: The opportunity to walk, touch and see a historical architectural figure.
Cons: Sellers creating potential hostile situations.

A couple of years ago I went to Beijing and visited the Great Wall. The structure is not only amazing to see in person, climbing it is a different story. The steps are steep so you will definitely get a work out. Be sure to wear comfortable shoes. Once you reach the top, you can see the countryside of China for miles. There are little shops that sell souvenirs. Don't be afraid to bargain for some over charge. Near the top of the great wall people sell paintings they made and images of the great wall chiseled in stone. Beware of some of the sellers. Once you start talking with them, some will follow and bump into you up and down the wall until you buy something. The best thing to do if you know you don't want to buy anything is not talk them.

Pros: Nice views, A must see
Cons: High hills to climb

Nearly everyone has heard of the huge stone wall known as the Great Wall of China. The Great Wall of China was built to protect the Chinese Empire from invaders.


Our impression - Reasons to go there

This wall is huge and definitly worth seeing. When we reached there , we noticed we were the only ones from a foreign country, the rests were locals.

We went to the Badaling section where you have nice views and can walk up the hill for quite some height. The left part of the Badaling wall is steeper but gives a better scenery of the wall.

Badaling, located at Yanqing County 70 km northwest of Beijing, is about 5 km long with 19 watchtowers. The wall extends from peak to peak and is made of rectangular slabs, standing eight to ten meters high, six meters wide at the base and five meters wide at the ramparts.

Read about Tips and how to get there on my page about the great wall.
http://www.travel-picture-blog.com/china/the-great-wall-badaling-sights-beijing/

Pros: One of the seven wonders of the world!
Cons: Crowded, but mostly Asians - part of the cultural experience. Go for it!

Only had one free day in China while on a business trip. Very easy ... called Gray Line for an all-day tour, was picked up at my hotel (Swisshotel ... very nice) and saw Tianemen Square, Forbidden City, and Great Wall (Badaling). Am so glad I didn't miss these incredible sites .... awe-inspiring. Also glad I didn't have to take a cab or try to get there on my own ... too intimadating for a neophyte traveler. Now I want to go back and really experience China as a tourist and not on a compressed work schedule.