Beijing｜Gubei Water Town & Simatai Great Wall Day Tour
Description
Two famous locations for cultural experiences around Beijing are the Simatai area of the Great Wall and Gubei Water Town.You'll be visiting both these locations, exploring their landscapes, and learning about their past and significance to Chinese culture.Starting in Gubei Water Town, you'll see the famous Mandarin Duck Lake Reservoir that holds the water flowing through the town itself.Admire the northern architectural style of its carefully preserved old buildings, standing in elegance and full of street shows, before proceeding to the next destination close by. Against Gubei Water Town's lake is the Simatai area of the iconic Great Wall of China.This UNESCO World Heritage site has been partially restored, allowing you to climb up upon the battlements to take in the marvelous views of the jagged mountains and their greenery.The view changes throughout the seasons, casting new colors with every visit.Your tour ends back in downtown Beijing at the drop off.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Gubei Water Town perfectly blends the gentleness of Jiangnan’s water towns with the grandeur of northern mountains. Visitors can stroll through the ancient town and look up to admire the Simatai Great Wall winding along the mountain ridges—the only section of the Great Wall that retains its original Ming Dynasty architecture. At night, when the Great Wall is illuminated, its lights intertwine with the glow of the town, creating a truly spectacular scene.
The Simatai section of the Great Wall is one of the few sections to retain the original appearance of the Great Wall. It’s very varied in makeup. Simatai has many characteristics of other Great Wall sections, and some unique features of its own. It's the only section opened for a night tour.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
Reviews(6)
The views from the wall are incredible and worth the trip there. The tour is very long and there was a lot of time wasted waiting for people or for the guide to go through the chinese version of the explanation. They plan three hours for you to spend in the water town, which for us at least was more of a nice stroll, but not a place we wanted to deeply explore. You return around 10pm which is too late after an already long day.
I booked this trip for my friend, and this is her feedback. An incredible experience. Maybe it's because the product is new, there aren't many reviews, but the service is amazing! The tour guide said that they have been a travel agency in Beijing for sixteen years. Simatai and Gubei Water Town are both very peaceful and lovely (we went in late May). The scenery is magnificent and pleasant throughout the journey. The guide was excellent, the explanation was clear and easy to understand (English was our native language), she was very patient, the bus was comfortable and the transfer was easy. The lunch was delicious, it was a hot pot, very good experience. It's worth the money. The boat tour is as beautiful as a painting. Everything they suggested felt like a really good choice, I would recommend this trip to my friends, it was awesome.
The water city is small but very charming. At the wall, we were practically alone. Perfect option to spend the day without rush, eating typical food (if one wants). We took the funicular round trip to also enjoy the village without stress. Our local guide (Christina) was very funny, kind, and provided very clear explanations. There were people who chose not to take the boat or restaurant, others did the night tour; in any case, she gave us tips for each situation so that everyone could organize their day as they wished. Totally recommendable
We decided to book the trip, even though on TripAdvisor there were no reviews and not so many details about how we will meet the guide. In the end all was great. Our guide, Susie, was very well organized, with clear info. You get the evening before a message from your guide and how to meet. We decided to take the day tour of the wall and visit the town after. Also, we chose to take a one way up cable car only. There is plenty of time to do this, you need only medium physical condition to do the entire wall. For us, with a 15 year old girl, it took us 2.5 hours going up by cable car, walk to tower 8 directly, walk to tower 10, walk back to tower 2 and walk back to the entrance (which is a 30 min walk). In the end, you leave at 20.00 from Gubei, which also allows you to see the city at night, which is lovely.
A day trip to the ancient village of Gubeishuzhen and the Great Wall of Simatayu is amazing! The whole day was very comfortable, not tired at all. In the village beautiful views, bridges over streams create a very pleasant atmosphere, photos get great anywhere. The great wall of Simatu is majestic and impressive, the view from the top is simply stunning. The route is well planned, the traffic is smooth, the overall impression is very good. I sincerely recommend that everyone visit this place.
Tour guide Cindy was very helpful and manage to ensure the trip follow the itinerary schedule and is on time. Gubei old town is very large and has the medieval China aesthetic for photo taking. Simatai Great Wall at sunset was very beautiful and the view is amazing.
