How to Get to Huanghuacheng Great Wall, Lakeside Great Wall 2025

Located in the northern outskirts of Beijing and 80km away from the city center, Huanghuacheng is a crowd-free scenic place to view the Great Wall. Situated on the Wall's only body of water (a reservoir/lake), you can take a sightseeing or high-speed boat from the entrance to the submerged part of the wall. (You can also hike in along a trail that hugs the lake). Once there, you can choose from multiple parts of the Wall to climb, including incredible vistas of unrestored Wall and remote mountains. The smaller lake also has recreational activities like electric and paddle boats to take out for a picnic lunch on the lake. lt is great for climbing here with multiple watchtowers and wonderful vistas. Visitos can get there by car, tourist bus, city bus,etc., for 2 hours or so. ⨠ Click to see Which Section of the Great Wall to Visit

2 Days Mutianyu & Huanghuacheng Lakeside Great Walls Hiking Tour

Itinerary: Beijing - Mutianyu / Huanghuacheng / Beijing
Highlights: Great Wall Section(s): Mutianyu/Huanghuacheng

Huanghuacheng Great Wall Location

Huanghuacheng Great Wall is located in Xishuiyu, Duhe County, Huairou District, Beijing (北京市怀柔区九渡河镇西水峪村), about 80km (2h15m by car) to the north of central Beijing. It's 26km to Mutianyu Great Wall, 67km to Badaling Great Wall, 67km to Summer Palace, 87km to the Forbidden City.

Huanghuacheng Location Map
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Huanghuacheng Transportation Map
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Travel to Huanghuacheng Great Wall with China Discovery

Taking a city bus or a tourist bus is the only way to Huanghuacheng Great Wall by public transportation. It is extremely busy during holidays and weekend, and you may encounter traffic jams and language barriers and complicate transfers. China Discovery offers private car service for every customer visiting Beijing. Our skilled driver and experienced guide will pick you up wherever you are in Beijing including the airport, train stations, and busy scenic areas, etc. It's time-saving (only about 1.5 hours) and much more safe and you will be escorted all the way to Badaling Great Wall with comfortable travelling experience and professional travelling guidance.⨠ Contact Us Now>

Tourist Bus to Huanghuacheng Great Wall from Beijing

Taking a Zanbus

You can take a direct tourist bus departing from Beijing Hub of Tour Dispatch (北京游客集散中心) at 7:45 am. It will pass by Exit H/B of Shaoyaoju Metro Station (芍药居站) for a quick stop at 8:00. The round way ticket fare is around CNY 80 per person. You're suggested to arrive the station 20 minutes in advance. The bus will arrive at Huanghuacheng Great Wall at about 8:00 and then it's time for you to have fun there. Remember to take the tourist bus again at 14:30 and transfer back to the departure stations of the morning.

● Depart From: Beijing Hub of Tour Dispatch opposite Dongzhimen Metro Station (东直门地铁站) Exit H at No 39, Dongzhimen Outer Street, Dongcheng District, Beijing (北京市东城区东直门外大街39号)

● Running Schedule: on weekends

● How to get to Shaoyaoju Metro Station: take Metro line 10 and get off at Shaoyaoju Station.

● How to get to Beijing Hub of Tour Dispatch: take Metro Line 2/Line 13, go straight to the east and then walk for about 7 minutes.

Taking a Mubus

You can also take a direct Mubus departing from Exit B1 at Dongzhimen Metro Station of Metro Line 2. Mubus runs two buses in a day - at 6:30 and 8:00. Its single way ticket is CNY 50 and a round way ticket is CNY 80. For about 2 hours to 2.5 hours, Musbus will reach Huanghuacheng Great Wall. You have 6 hours to visit this wonderful historical site on your own and then you'll be sent back to the Dongzhimen Metro Station.

● Depart From: Dongzhimen Metro Station of Metro Line 2

● Running Schedule: every Monday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and national holidays.

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Bus to Huanghuacheng Great Wall from Beijing Via Huairou District

The direct tourist bus always serves passengers during the peak season (April to October). Apart from it, you can also take bus 916 or 916快 （Pinyin: JiuyiaoLiu Kuai, 916 express）and the later one is much faster. It takes you to Huairou District and stops at the 3rd Area of Nanhuayuan Stop (Pinyin: Nanhuayuan Sanqu, 南华园三区). After getting off there, you need to walk along the Nanhua Avenue (Pinyin: Nanhua Dajie, 南华大街) for about 200 meters to the next bus stop called the 4th Area of Nanhuayuan Stop (Pinyin: Nanhuayuan Siqu, 南华园四区).

As you reach that stop, you can either take the direct tourist bus or the county bus H21 there from Huairou District to Huanghuacheng. As soon as you notice the sign on the tourist bus, “怀柔—水长城”(Huairou - Huanghuacheng), please get on it.

Besides the tourist bus from Huairou, bus H21 at the 4th Area of Nanhuayuan Stop (Pinyin: Nanhuayuan Siqu, 南华园四区) is able to Huanghuacheng too. Remember to get off at Xishuiyu (Pinyin: Xishuiyu Zhan, 西水峪) after 48 stops. Although Bus H21 takes longer to get to Huanghuacheng, it is the only accessible way when the direct tourist bus in Huairou shuts down during the off-season.

Useful Links:

>>Huanghuacheng Great Wall Maps | >>How to get to Badaling Great Wall | >>How to get to Simatai Great Wall

>>How to get to Mutianyu Great Wall | >>How to get to Jinshanling Great Wall

4 Days Beijing Essence Tour with Simatai Great Wall Night Sightseeing

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Transfering between Mutianyu Great Wall and Huanghuacheng

Mutianyu Great Wall is about 26km (40 minutes' drive) to the east of Huanghuacheng and is consistently ranked as China's No.1 Sight on TripAdvisor. If you want to travel to more attarctions near Huanghuacheng, Mutianyu will be a perfect choice. It is the “longest great wall in China” so far and boasts splendid culture, beautiful scenery, and densely dotted watchtowers. Since it's well protected, you can still see its original appearance there. To transfer between these two places, it is recommended to take a car, because the bus will make a long detour that takes you about 2.5 hours. >> Read More About Mutianyu Great Wall.

Mutianyu Great Wall

How to Plan Your Trip in Beijing

Huanghuacheng Great Wall, nicknamed “Lakeside Great Wall”, is the only Great Wall section next to a lake. Besides it, there are many other great walls offering you the same marvellous views, including Mutianyu Great Wall, Jiankou Great Wall, Jinshanling Great Wall, Badaling Great Wall and Simatai Great Wall. Trekking on the well-preserved Mutianyu Great Wall, exploring the wild and ancient Jingshanling Great Wall and the neighboring Simatai Great Wall,  admiring the famous and renovated Badaling Great Wall, you can encounter different sparking sides of each section and commemorate the man-made wonder of the ancient Chinese people. China Discovery offers you tailor-made tour service, and you can fully experience all the famous great walls in 2 days. If you have more time, it's also recommended to explore other attractions in Beijing, such as the Forbidden City, Summer Palace, the Temple of Heaven, and More!

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