Simatai Great Wall & Gubei Water Town
司马台长城·古北水镇
A steep Ming-dynasty Great Wall section connected to Jinshanling. The Gubei Water Town at its foot offers overnight stays and night climbs, making it the only Great Wall open to tourists at night.
The Simatai Great Wall lies in Gubeikou Town in Miyun District, Beijing. It is connected east to west with the Jinshanling Great Wall in Luanping, Chengde. Built during the Ming dynasty, it has densely packed watchtowers and steep ridges. The section including the Heavenly Ladder and Wangjing Tower is known as the most dangerous stretch of the Great Wall, and much of its original character survives. At the foot of the mountain, Gubei Water Town is a holiday resort built in the style of a northern water town, with hot springs, inns and night views. Most visitors stay one night. During the day, take the cable car or walk up the Great Wall. In the evening, climb it again to see the night lights, which requires advance booking for a night ticket. The water town admission is about 150 yuan. Climbing the Great Wall costs an extra 40 yuan, and the cable car is charged separately. Jinshanling Great Wall is about 10 km by car, so you can visit both in one trip. There are tourist shuttle buses from Dongzhimen in Beijing, which take about 2 hours. From Chengde city, the drive takes about 1.5 hours.
Opening hours
Water town 9:00–22:00; Great Wall opening hours per official booking
Nearby sights
- Jinshanling Great Wall
- Wuling Mountain
- Kangxi Grand Ceremony Live Show
- Shuangta Mountain
- Chengde City God Temple
- Rehe Confucian Temple
- Nanyingzi Street
- Shuxiang Temple