/trv/, your my only hope. I was thinking about taking a vacation

>>1260979

Brit here, I went to Beijing a couple of years ago.

If you visit the Great Wall, make sure you don't go to Badaling, it's overcrowded, tacky and mostly a reconstruction anyway.

The wall at Mutianyu is much less crowded, although it's still restored, so less authentic, if that's your thing. It's a much better experience than Badaling though.

When I went to Beijing a couple of years ago, I went with an agency, Dandelion Hiking, and went camping on one of the unrestored bits of the wall a couple of hours' drive away from Beijing. It's a bit more expensive than just getting public transport to Mutianyu, but it was an absolutely amazing experience watching the sun rise over the Wall.

http://www.chinahiking.cn/beijing/great-wall-camping/

>>1261047
Is badaling mostly restored?
In any case, I only got 3 days on the ground, so I can only visit the wall for one and then Beijing for my rest of the time there.
An6thing else I should watch out for?

>>1261100

Well if you're only there for a short while, I'd recommend going to Mutianyu.

Yes, Badaling is almost 100% restored. It'll be absolutely packed with Chinese tourists, and you probably wouldn't have a very good time. It is the easiest bit of Wall to get to, though.

>>1261047
>The wall at Mutianyu is much less crowded
Second this. You really want to avoid Badaling because it's where the hordes get on their bus tours to.

Mutianyu is way quieter and you can hike up the hill through the forest (on paved paths, not like a barbarian) and feel like you earned the view, only takes 20minutes to climb it, whatever the guides say.

The downside is the Ming Tombs which you normally do in the same trip, the only really good one is near Badaling, the ones near Mutianyu are a bit shit (you can't go down into them).

>>1261549
>>1261181
Thanks guys!
appreciate the help.
I am visiting Beijing for a while too.
Anything recommended there?

>>1261831

Well it's a huge city with a ton of stuff to do, so it really depends on what you're into. Some stuff I did when I went there:

>Grand Chinese buildings

Forbidden City
Summer Palace
Temple of Heaven
Olympic park (it's kinda grand/depressing)

>Food

Peking duck at DaDong Restaurant (they made the whole duck in front of us and brought it over bit by bit, shit was cash)
Donghuamen night market (deep fried spiders on sticks and other gross stuff)

>Temples

Lama temple
While cloud Taoist temple

>Bars
Sanlitun district