Beijing Miyun Simatai Great Wall

⭐ 5.00

Simatai Village, Gubeikou Town, Miyun District, Beijing, Simatai Great Wall Scenic Area

Beijing Miyun Simatai Great Wall
The Simatai Great Wall was first built in the early years of the Ming Hongwu reign (1373) and later reinforced under the supervision of the famed anti-piracy general Qi Jiguang. It served as a core component of the Jizhou section's defensive system. In 1987, it was inscribed on the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage list and hailed as "the finest of China's Great Wall sections," holding an irreplaceable value for the study of Chinese military architectural history. The richness and variety of its architectural forms is Simatai's most striking feature. Along its 5.4-kilometer wall stand 35 closely spaced watchtowers, encompassing single-vision to five-vision and even multi-tiered structures, with ceiling coffers of varied designs and ingenious tianshi (grid) and jingzi (well-frame) layouts. The Sky Ladder rises at a near-vertical gradient of approximately 85°, while the Sky Bridge narrows to just 40 centimeters at its tightest point — levels of steepness rarely seen along the entire Great Wall. The wall preserves a large number of inscribed bricks bearing marks such as "Built in the Fifth Year of Wanli," making it a precious physical artifact for the study of Ming Dynasty Great Wall construction. Standing at an elevation of 986 meters, the Wangjing Tower is the highest point of Simatai. From its summit, visitors can gaze out at the silhouette of Beijing and the rolling sea of clouds over the Yan Mountains, with vistas that shift endlessly with the weather. As the only section of the Great Wall to offer year-round night tours in China, Simatai's nighttime lighting traces the form of a giant dragon, its glow intertwining with the lanterns of Gubei Water Town to create a visual atmosphere impossible to achieve by daylight. The scenic area's daytime opening hours run from 9:00 to 16:30 (last entry at 16:00), while the night session operates from 18:00 to 22:30. Tickets are priced at 40 yuan per person; the cable car costs 90 yuan one way or 160 yuan round trip. Visitors with average fitness are advised to take the cable car up to Watchtowers 5–8 of the eastern section before continuing on foot. The best season to visit is from May to October. It is recommended to drive via the Jingcheng Expressway, taking Exit 24, and navigate to "Gubei Water Town Parking Lot." Be sure to wear non-slip athletic shoes during your visit, follow staff instructions, and strictly refrain from crossing guardrails or climbing into closed-off areas. Those with heart conditions, high blood pressure, or severe acrophobia should exercise caution on the steep sections. Please do not carve or deface the walls — together, let us preserve this precious cultural heritage.

Traveler reviews

Many sections have no railings, so it feels quite wild and original. The slopes aren't very steep, but it's not really suitable for older visitors. We took the cable car up at 9:15, then hiked up to Tower 10, and walked back down — the whole trip took us less than three hours. Right below the Wa...
⭐ 4 · Charlie Brooks Expand
Simatai Great Wall is now combined with Gubei Water Town as one ticket. You can buy tickets separately, and even after taking the shuttle bus in, there's still a fair bit of walking before you reach the wall itself. I climbed up to Tower 4, bu...
⭐ 5 · Robin Hayes Expand