The Great Wall and the Forbidden City -- Beijing Mutianyu Great Wall and Forbidden City Travelogue -- Beijing Mutianyu Great Wall Tours

The Great Wall and the Forbidden City

We awoke at 6:30 to prepare for our "Mutianyu Great Wall , Tiananmen Sauare & Forbidden City 1 Day Private Tour" organized by Beijinglocaltour.com.

I am picked up at my hotel at 9.00am and today I am crossing off one of the listings on my personal bucket list.

The section of the great wall that we went to was called Mutianyu and was about an hour and half away from our hotel but apparently is known for being less crowded and touristy.

We got to the wall around 9:00am and took a cable car to get to the top of one of the watch towers. We were practically the only people there, didn't have to wait in any lines or anything! We started at tower 14 and mom and I hiked up all the way to tower 20. That may not sound that far, but it was mainly an uphill/upstairs hike.

I think our guide said it was something like 500+ steep steps from tower 19 to tower 20 . You have to take several breaks to make it all the way to the top because you are huffing and puffing the whole way. Once at the top you can look down at on the wall and it was such an amazing feeling that it is impossible to put into words. Mom wanted to keep on climbing, "unfortunately" you couldn't go any further than tower 20 because it is too dangerous and people have died.

We were so lucky that it wasn't crowded at all and there were only a few other foreigners on the wall. I met a little friend Asian friend on the wall who spoke a little bit of English and together we ecouraged each other to climb to the top.

After the Great Wall we went to a Chinese restaurant with our guide and driver. We learned along the way that there was a wedding ceremony taking place at the restaurant but apparently it was good luck for us to join them.

Next we went to Tiananmen Square. it is now mainly an area for tourists and is surrounded on the sides by various museums and the tomb of the famous Mao Zedong. The square stands in front of the Forbidden City, which was the Chinese imperial palace from the Ming Dynasty to the end of the Qing Dynasty. It currently consists of 8707 rooms which were once used for various purposes that the Emperor needed.

It is called "Forbidden" because no-one could enter or leave the palace without the emperor's permission. The area of the city covers alot of ground and it took us at least an hour to walk through it from one end to the other with a few stops in between. Our favorite part was the imperial garden which was dotted with various statues and temples.

We learned alot about the lifestyle of the Emperor and the Emperoress and were fascinated to learn about all of the Emperor's concubines [other wives]. We learned that every girl at the age of 10 if considered pretty enough was brought to the Emperor's court for him to decide whether or not she was worthy to live in his palace. 10 years old!!

>>> Post by Ana from United States of America

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About Great Wall

History of the Great Wall

"If you haven't climbed the Great Wall, you haven't seen China."

Beijing-Zhangjiakou Railway

Badaling Fortress

Meng Jiangnu's Bitter Weeping (A Legend Story of Great Wall)

Great Wall at Badaling Section

Great Wall at Mutianyu Section

Great Wall at Simatai Section

Great Wall at Jinshanling Section

Great Wall at Juyongguan Section

Great Wall at Huanghuacheng Section

Great Wall at Jiankou Section

Great Wall at Gubeikou Section

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Beijing Mutianyu Great Wall Tours

Mutianyu Great Wall, Underground Palace (Dingling) & Olympic Stadium Bus Tour --- from US$28
Visit the underground palace in the Ming Tombs (Dingling), then enjoy the most beautiful & green section of the Great Wall, return to downtown for an exterior visit of Olympic Stadiums, the Bird's Nest & the Water Cube. Departure: daily.

Mutianyu Great Wall and Summer Palace 1 Day Private Tour --- from US$47
The private tour covers the trip to Mutianyu Great Wall, Summer Palace and have a short exterior visit to the Birds Nest, water cube - the main Olympic Stadium now being built for the 2008 Olympic Games., enjoy your own car or van with your own tour guide and driver.

Mutianyu Great Wall and Temple of Heaven 1 Day Private Tour --- from US$48
The private tour covers the trip to Mutianyu Great Wall, Temple of Heaven and have a short exterior visit to the Birds Nest, water cube - the main Olympic Stadium now being built for the 2008 Olympic Games., enjoy your own car or van with your own tour guide and driver.

Mutianyu Great Wall , Tiananmen Sauare & Forbidden City 1 Day Private Tour --- from US$53
This 1 day private tour covers the trip to Beijing Mutianyu Great Wall, Beijing Tiananmen Sauare and Beijing Forbidden City.

Mutianyu Great Wall, Ming Tombs (Changling) and Sacred Way Private Day Tour --- from US$55
Visit the world famous Mutianyu Great Wall, the most beautiful and green section of the Great Wall in Beijing, and Ming Tombs (Changling), also including the Sacred Way.

Half Day Mutianyu Great Wall Private Tour --- from US$55
This half day private tour covers the trip to Mutianyu Great Wall, the most beautiful and green section of the Great Wall in Beijing, enjoy your own car or van with your own tour guide and driver.

Mutianyu Great Wall, Underground Palace (Dingling - Ming Tombs) & Sacred Way Private Day Tour --- from US$56
The private tour covers the trip to Mutianyu Great Wall, The Ming Tombs (Dingling-the Underground Palace) and Sacred Way, enjoy your own car or van with your own tour guide and driver.

2-Day Beijing Group Tour Package B --- from US$67
1 day Mutianyu Great Wall, Underground Palace (Dingling) & Olympic Stadium group tour.
1 day Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Temple of Heaven & Summer Palace group tour.
Enjoy 2 Chinese lunches on the tour.
Enjoy comfortable air-conditioned coach.
Daily Departure Small Group Tours.
Enjoy Airport Private Transfer Service

Beijing Special 2-Day Private Tour Package A --- from US$78
The 2-day private tour package covers the trip to the attractions: Mutianyu Great Wall, Summer Palace, Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City and Temple of Heaven.

Beijing Special 2-Day Private Tour Package B --- from US$86
The 2-day private tour package covers the trip to the attractions: Mutianyu Great Wall, Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City, Old Beijing Hutong, Beihai Park, Shichahai and Temple of Heaven.

Beijing Highlight 2-Day Private Tour Package --- from US$94
The 2-day private tour package covers the trip to the attractions: Mutianyu Great Wall, Ming Tombs (Dingling), Sacred Way, Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City (including the Hall of Clocks and Watches and the Treasure Hall) , Temple of Heaven and Old Beijing Hutong.

3-Day Classic Beijing Private Tour Package --- from US$141
3-day private tour package covers airport transfer & the trip to the attractions: Mutianyu Great Wall, Ming Tombs (Dingling), Summer Palace, Beijing Mongolian Hot Pot, Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City (including the Hall of Clocks and Watches and the Treasure Hall), Temple of Heaven, Chinese Acrobatics Show (Kung Fu Show or Peking Opera).

Beijing Classic 4-Day Private Tour Package --- from US$141
4-day private tour package covers airport transfer & the trip to the attractions: Tiananmen Square, Forbidden City (including the Hall of Clocks and Watches and the Treasure Hall), Temple of Heaven, Mutianyu Great Wall, Hutong Tour, Ming Tombs (Dingling), Sacred Way, Beijing Quanjude Roast Duck & Chinese Acrobatics Show (Kung Fu Show or Peking Opera).

More Beijing Great Wall Tours


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