How to visit the Great Wall with kids? Mom gives you the most practical tips~

Number of days: 1 day
Time: November
Average cost: 120 yuan
With whom：parents and children

It's said, "Autumn has always been a time of sorrow and loneliness." The quiet and bleakness of autumn and winter perfectly capture the poetic beauty of the Great Wall.

Preparing for the Trip

I thought today would be just another typical weekend. But the weather was beautiful and sunny. As soon as my son woke up, he begged me to go out and play. I said, "Sure, where do you want to go?" He said he didn't know. Suddenly, an idea struck me: let's climb the Great Wall. He jumped for joy. He had just learned about the Great Wall in his Chinese textbook and had long been fascinated by it. This was exactly what he wanted.

But when I looked at the time, it was almost 8:00. I guess I wouldn't be able to make it that day. I checked on my phone, but two companies said no. Then I saw the Busda website showed multiple departures. After listening to my idea, the customer service lady said we could take the 10:00 p.m. bus, which would definitely be in time. She even kindly sent me travel instructions and directions. I checked the time and saw that we were still in time for the 10:00 p.m. bus. My child and I quickly washed up and headed out.

Transportation

The bus to Badaling departs at Beitucheng Station on Line 5. It's not far from where I live. The subway arrives in less than half an hour, and there's no need to back up. Once on the subway, I remembered we hadn't booked tickets yet, so I quickly contacted customer service. The customer service representative said they would buy tickets for my son through the tour guide, and they could get both the bus fare and the ticket at half price. That was really nice. She also thoughtfully reminded us to use the restroom before leaving the station, as the bus goes directly to the scenic spot without stopping. What a considerate girl.

As soon as we exited the subway station, we saw the tour guide in a green vest. She greeted us warmly, checked our information, and we boarded the bus smoothly. The bus was very clean. Everyone else was punctual, too. It truly departed on time. Unlike the day-trip tour we signed up for that year, where the bus was constantly picking up people, and quite a few were late. We were left waiting on the bus, which was incredibly frustrating. We boarded the bus at 6:00, and by 8:00, everyone still hadn't arrived. It was incredibly frustrating. Buses like Busda, where you can gather on your own and depart on time, are much easier. The tour guide was a beautiful lady, very nice. She gave us an overview of Beijing tourism, focusing on the history and culture of the Great Wall. She even thoughtfully bought us tickets for a full-dome movie. The beautiful tour guide said the dome movie theater is a must-buy for almost every tourist. I checked, and it's actually quite a bit cheaper than online. We didn't buy cable car tickets this time, figuring I was still young and strong enough to climb, and with the kids full of energy, it would be no problem. But then it turned out—well, that was a bummer. For those of us who are a little older and haven't exercised often, it's better to take the cable car. Otherwise, your kneecaps and thighs will be ruined. But that's another story.

Lunch

Finally, we could get off the bus and have some fun. My son said he was hungry as soon as he got off. That's right! We left so quickly this morning that the kids barely had time to eat, and it's almost noon now, perfect for lunch. Not to mention that Badaling Food Street is the gateway to the scenic area, and there's so much delicious food, both Chinese and Western. My son loves beef noodles, and the owner, upon hearing we were customers of Basda, was so kind as to give us a discount. That was awesome! After a hearty meal, we both began our climb up the Great Wall.

Start climbing the wall

Following our guide's suggestion, my son and I climbed the northern slope of the Great Wall. The north slope was relatively easy, and we took photos as we went. We were able to take it easy at first, but the climb got really intense towards the end, requiring some scrambling. The north slope was quite crowded, and the route only reached the eighth north tower. I had hoped to continue climbing, as my son was still in high spirits, but by the time I reached the sixth north tower, I was already exhausted, primarily due to the pain in my knees. Fortunately, the path down to the right of the sixth north tower led us back through the small gate below the beacon tower at the north tower. We also passed the famous Hero Monument. The line of people waiting to take photos was so long, we hurried down the mountain.

Beautiful views of the Great Wall

Badaling in autumn is the most beautiful time of the year. The mountains are covered with red leaves, and the forests are dyed with red. Forgive me for my lack of words, and I will give you beautiful pictures to make up for it~

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Dome Movie

After we got down the mountain, we realized over two hours had passed. We quickly headed to the dome movie theater. The theater was easy to find; it was across from the parking lot where we got off the bus. The 9D movie was really shocking. The electric chairs were movable, and there were special effects like wind and rain. Wearing VR glasses, sitting on them really felt like flying over the mountains. The immersive experience was real, it was awesome~

Thoughts from the trip

The car drove a little slower on the way back, probably because everyone was a little tired, but the kids were still excited. My son was chatting animatedly with the other kids in the car. Even happier, the staff gifted him a car. The model was incredibly lifelike, made of high-quality materials. Boys probably all love cars, and he's a huge fan, absolutely adoring it. It was a truly wonderful day! Everything was perfect. I'm so grateful and thankful for Busda. They've arranged everything perfectly for tourists, allowing us to enjoy our trip without any worries. I heard Busda also offers tours to the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, and more. Having lived in Beijing for many years, I still don't know much about its famous attractions. With this travel manager, I can plan trips to all of these attractions in the future. Most importantly, it allows my children to be exposed to history and culture earlier in life, which is much better than just watching TV and playing with their phones at home on weekends. It's really a win-win situation.