Great Wall Tickets 2026: Prices & Booking

There is no single "Great Wall ticket"

The first thing to understand: the Great Wall isn't one attraction with one ticket. Badaling, Mutianyu, and Jinshanling are separately managed sections, each with its own admission price, booking channel, and entry rules. Everything below is organized by section — pick yours first (our section comparison guide helps if you haven't).

One rule applies everywhere: bring your passport. China uses real-name ticketing, so your ticket is tied to your ID or passport number and you'll need the original document to get in.

All prices are in Chinese yuan (CNY). Dollar figures are approximate, at about ¥7.2 = $1 (September 2026).

Badaling tickets

Badaling is the most visited section — and the most tightly controlled. A daily visitor cap (65,000, in place since 2019) means advance booking is effectively required, especially on weekends and holidays.

• Admission: reported around ¥40 ($5.50) peak season / ¥35 ($5) off-peak (peak roughly April–October). Treat this as a going rate, not a guarantee — the official site was unreachable during our research, so confirm before you go.
• Hours: reported around 6:30 AM–7:00 PM in peak season, shorter in winter. Sources conflict on the details; check the current schedule before your visit.
• How to book: the official channels are the "Badaling Great Wall" WeChat public account, the official site (badaling.cn), the "长城内外" WeChat mini-program, and ticket.badaling.cn. These are Chinese-language and usually need a Chinese phone number for SMS verification — foreign visitors have an easier path through Trip.com or Klook, which sell the same tickets with passport-number pre-registration.
• Booking window: reports vary between 7 and 10 days ahead. Book as early as your dates allow.
• Cable cars: the North Line aerial cable car runs around ¥100 ($14) one-way / ¥140 ($19) round trip; the South Line pulley around ¥80 ($11)/¥120 ($17). Prices are from 2026 secondary sources — confirm on site.

Mutianyu tickets

Mutianyu has the best-documented booking system of the three — its official English site publishes the full visitor notice, so this section has the fewest unknowns.

• Admission: reported around ¥45 (~$6) for adults (some sources list ¥40 — budget ¥45). A shuttle bus from the ticket gate to the wall base adds around ¥15 (~$2) round trip.
• Booking (verified): real-name reservation through the official Mutianyu site, bookable up to 15 days in advance, one ticket per ID/passport per day. Foreign visitors enter with their original passport — no ticket exchange needed. Refunds and changes are allowed before midnight on the reservation day.
• Cable car hours (verified): peak season (March 16–November 15) Monday–Friday 7:30 AM–6:00 PM, weekends 7:30 AM–6:30 PM; off-peak 8:00 AM–5:30 PM. Ticket sales stop one hour before close.
• Lifts: cable car (to Tower 14), chairlift (to Tower 6), and the famous toboggan ride down (from Tower 6) each run around ¥100 ($14) one-way / ¥140 ($19) round trip — reported prices, not official. Note the cable car and the ropeway/slide are run by different companies and their tickets are not interchangeable; cable-car holders use the North Ticket Gate, ropeway/slide holders use the Slide Ticket Gate.
• Weather closures (verified): the section closes temporarily in thunderstorms, rain, snow, hail, fog, or high winds.

Jinshanling tickets

Jinshanling is the "wild wall" — partially unrestored, far fewer visitors, and refreshingly simple ticketing.

• Admission: reported around ¥65 ($9) peak / ¥55 ($7.50) off-peak. No special hiking permit has been reported — walk-up tickets at the gate are normal, though bringing your passport is still required.
• Cable car: reported around ¥40 ($5.50) one-way / ¥60 ($8.50) return, running from the middle-gate checkpoint to Xiaojinshan Tower.
• Booking: advance purchase exists through the Jinshanling WeChat mini-program, but recent visitor reports describe buying at the window with no queue. In practice, booking ahead isn't necessary here — the exception is Chinese public holidays.

Discounts and free entry

Discount policies vary by section and are inconsistently published in English. As a rough guide: minors under 18, students with ID, and seniors over 60 typically get reduced or free entry — but the exact thresholds differ (Mutianyu's official notice, for example, distinguishes foreign minors 6–18 for discounts). If you qualify for a discount, bring the supporting ID and expect to sort it out at the gate rather than through the online booking flow.

The honest summary

Section	Admission (reported)	Booking	Crowds
Badaling	¥40 / ¥35 ($5.50 / $5)	Advance, real-name, capped	Heaviest
Mutianyu	¥45 ($6)	Advance, real-name, passport entry	Moderate
Jinshanling	¥65 / ¥55 ($9 / $7.50)	Walk-up usually fine	Lightest

Prices above are 2026 going rates from secondary sources — Mutianyu's booking rules are officially verified, but none of the sections publish English-language price lists we could confirm directly. Verify prices and hours through official channels before you travel, and when in doubt, budget 10–20% above the figures here.

Next: which section should you actually visit? — the decision that shapes your whole day.