Visiting The Great Wall Of China: My Last World Wonder
- Konrad Tillman
- Mar 16
- 5 min read
Intro
Yesterday I had the privilege of visiting my last World Wonder of the current 7: The Great Wall Of China. For countless years, this place has evaded me due to time and visa constraints, but after finding a good deal with Air China in Business Class with a 17-hour layover. My dream became a reality!
Without a doubt, the Great Wall Of China is the most magical World Wonder in my opinion. The attention to detail, the history, and how un-crowded it is, this place is special!
Driving To The Great Wall Of China
For those unaware, the Great Wall Of China is extremely large. This means that if you want to visit, there are multiple different sections you can visit. At 6 am sharp, my alarm went off at the Camfrey Hotel where I proceeded to get ready and head downstairs to meet my driver for the day.
It was an extremely brisk day in Beijing, snow filled the trees, and you could see your breath when exhaling. However, within minutes my driver had arrived, and we headed off on the 70-minute drive from Beijing Capital Airport to the Great Wall of China.
It’s honestly not that far, but be aware that you pass through a town which can sometimes have a little bit of traffic.
The Cable Car Up
Once arriving at the entrance to the Great Wall Of China, there will be a small coffee and souvenir shop that opens around 7 am. Most places around the area open at 8-10 am, but if you are need dire need of a coffee, there is a nice shop right by the toilets. I ended up buying a little Panda hat as well which is so cute!!
Prior to the flight from Hong Kong, I had been speaking with my driver for the day who had arranged tickets for the cable car up, and the slide down (20 USD for both ways including the entrance fee). Scanning the QR code, I was ushered onto the cable car, the wind blowing upon me in nothing but a hoodie. To say it was cold is the understatement of the year…
However, all of that soon went away when a couple of minutes into the ride there were views like I’d never seen before. Holy sh*t: my last world wonder!
6 minutes later, we arrived at the top where someone took a picture of me on the cable car (I didn’t get the memo about what it was for. Do I buy it?).
Around The Great Wall Of China
Getting to the top, a certain shiver went down my spine. It was one of fulfillment down my left side and one of relaxation down my right. It’s peaceful up here, all you hear are the birds chirping away (or squawking) and a Chinese couple having tea on the Great Wall Of China.
For the next few hours, I roamed around, taking in the most beautiful views I have ever seen in my life. I mean take a look at these mountains: how firggin gorgeous is that??
It’s nice up here as from what I know, anyone can walk along the Great Wall Of China for as long as they so desire. Not that I would since it goes on for a long, long time, but I wish I had spent the whole day up here.
Every 2-400 meters features a “watchtower”, in which I presume soldiers used to be posted back in the day. You can walk around them, and explore inside of them without any issues whatsoever.
However, eventually, I had to call it a day, as I had a flight to catch to Islamabad…
The Cable Car Down+ Journey Back
At this point, it was around 9:30 am, and the tourism seemed to pick up (note: come early, it’s even more beautiful with no one around). Sad to leave, I settled back into the cable car (the slide was closed due to the ice at the time) and enjoyed the last of the breathtaking views over the Chinese countryside. HEAVEN!
Once back on the ground, I stopped back at the cafe to pick up another coffee, and a sandwich, before heading back to the car where my driver was waiting to take me back to the airport.
80 minutes later (a little bit of traffic), and a 10-minute power nap concluded, we arrived back at Terminal 3 ready to get on board Air China to Islamabad.
I just wanted to make a quick note about my driver. I paid 130 USD roundtrip for the driver, and while pricey, he was one of the kindest men I have ever met in my life. We didn’t speak each other's language, but we ended up talking through Google Translate most of the way there, and most of the way back. Amazing. The Chinese people are so friendly (more on that in the next Air China Review).
Final Thoughts
Visiting the Great Wall Of China was honestly, a dream come true. I have a problem in life relaxing, but being at the top of the Great Wall Of China with the cool breeze blowing on my face is a memory I will never forget. If you are thinking about stopping over in Beijing and visiting the Great Wall Of China this is something that I cannot recommend highly enough. Words cannot describe how special this place is!
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