Beijing to Great Wall (Badaling) by Train

Getting to the Great Wall of China in Badaling by train from Beijing is as easy as 123. The train leaves from the Beijing North Railway Station and it does help if you read Chinese because there’s no English signages around. I’ve taken a few photos to help you get to Badaling with ease:)

First, take the Beijing Subway to Xizhimen Station, which can be reached via line 2 (dark blue line), line 4 (Daxing Line) and line 13 (yellow line). Click here for Map of Beijing Subway.

Once you have reached Xizhimen Station, follow the signage to Beijing North Railway Station, and exit at EXIT A.

At this point, you are still underground so you have to follow the arrows and go one level up to the ground floor to take the S2 train to Badaling, which is what the signage here says.

There’s one ticket counter on the underground level on your way out but that’s not the one you are looking for.

This ticket counter is the one that you are looking for.

This is the official published time table for Beijing to Badaling and return (as of 2013). There are 12 trains that goes to Badaling from Beijing North Railway Station at 6.12 am, 7.58 am, 9.02 am, 10.57 am, 13.14 pm, 13.35 pm, 15.24 pm, 17.41 pm, 18.39 pm, 19.11 pm, 22.03 pm and 22.36 pm. The journey is 1 hour 20 minutes.

From Badaling back to Beijing North Railway Station, there are 8 trains leaving at 8.20 am, 11.47 am, 13.33 pm, 15.43 pm, 16.14 pm, 17.30 pm, 19.55 pm, 21.31 pm.

And here is my ticket at only RMB 6!

The queue to buy the ticket wasn’t long, but the queue waiting for the train gate to open was long! As soon as the gate opened, people RACED to the train and I didn’t understand what the rush was all about.

Ah, it was because you may not get a seat and might have to end up standing or sitting on the floor for 1 hour 20 minutes.

Entrance ticket to Great Wall of China was sold together with the ticket to the Great Wall Circle Vision Theater. You get a discount for purchasing the two together and you can’t buy the tickets individually. The theater basically shows the history, the past and present of Great Wall of China. No English commentaries though. You can still purchase the tickets separately once you are at Badaling.