Attraction - Afternoon Mubus to the Mutianyu Great Wall (11:00am Departure) Review
- Michael
- Nov 5, 2019
- 2 min read
Updated: May 21, 2020
Fred
4*
Per the title, we had Fred as our tour guide for the day. We opted for the afternoon excursion as we didn't fancy getting up to early, and had heard that the wall was emptier towards the evening and also had a great view of the sunset, this was certainly true!
Getting to the bus is fairly simple if you follow the instructions they offer online; *note that Swissotel is currently undergoing maintenance and closed so it's a bit less clear when trying to find out where, and if, it exists. The bus left slightly after 12pm after waiting for some late arrivals. The condition of the bus wasn't great but it is what you can expect from a cheap 1hr30min return fare to the Wall. It felt 'safe enough' on the bus. Fred provided some information about Beijing and the Wall both on the way there and back, his English was very good however his instructions on tickets for the wall were slightly unclear; we opted for just the entrance tickets which are 40RMB per person and require you to ascend [walking] to either Tower 6 or 10 before actually getting onto the Wall. A bit more information on the history of the Wall would have been welcomed also. You pay the total of your bus fare and wall tickets directly on the bus, in cash.
Fred was very efficient in purchasing tickets for everyone and getting them moving, you save 15RMB pp getting to the entrance of the wall (a fair distance from the ticket office) as the bus takes you there and you don't have to wait for the shuttle. After this you're on your own but it's all very clear and if you have any questions the tour guide is there to assist, just basically make sure you're back on time! [*See my other reviews for our account of the Great Wall (5*)]
Once back at the meeting point the bus again arrived promptly and left as stated, Fred turned off the lights to allow people to rest and the journey back was shorter than expected so we arrived back in Beijing well on time. I don't think the afternoon tour runs during the winter and we made one of the last afternoon tours, however for summer months this definitely has to be the best way for tourists to reach the Great Wall!
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