Travel Review – The Badaling Section of the Great Wall

Recently, I went to the Great Wall with a group of co-workers. We went to the Badaling section of the wall, which is about 50 miles northwest of Beijing. With traffic, it took us about two hours to get there.

If I had to describe the Badaling section of the Great Wall, I would say this: It stinks! Now, what do I mean by that? Do I mean that it’s boring or uninteresting? No, the Great Wall is amazing to look at. It’s incredible to think that it goes on for about 5,500 miles. What I mean is that, literally, it stinks.

The Badaling section of the Great Wall has a terrible odor to it. Let me try to give you an idea of the smell. First, imagine the world’s filthiest, smelliest Port-a-Potty.  Then, imagine an incredibly overcrowded cow pasture. Now, combine those two smells. That is how the Badaling section of the Great Wall smells.

I don’t know why this part of the Great Wall smells so badly. As this is the most crowded and touristy of the Great Wall’s sections, I imagine that the smell is the result of poor bathroom facilities and babies in backless pants. Whatever the reason, the Badaling section of the Great Wall should only be braved while wearing a mask. 

Though smelly, it really is beautiful.

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This section of the Wall is very crowded.

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Admission Fee	CNY 45 (Apr. 1 to Oct.31); CNY 40 (Nov.1 to Mar.31)
Cable Car	CNY 60 (single trip); CNY 80 (round trip)
Pulley	CNY 30 (single trip); CNY 60 (round trip)
Opening Hours	06:30-19:00 (In summer); 07:00-18:00 (In winter)

If you can stand the smell, here is some information from ChinaTravelGuide.com about the Badaling section of the Great Wall.

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Edit: My original trip was during the end of summer. I went back to the Badaling Section of the Great Wall during February and it did not smell! It was icy and cold but, odorless. :)