Great Wall & Gubei Town: Cultural Exploration

Explore Gubei Water Town and Simatai Great Wall in a day. Discover cultural heritage, stunning landscapes, and historical architecture near Beijing.

Duration: 12 hours
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Gubei Water Town - Gubei Water Town beautifully combines the serene charm of Jiangnan’s water towns with the majestic presence of northern mountains. Guests can wander through the historic town and gaze up at the Simatai Great Wall, which gracefully follows the mountain ridges. This is the only part of the Great Wall that has preserved its…
What's Included
  • Admission tickets to Simatai Great Wall and Gubei Water Town
  • English-speaking guide
  • Air-conditioned bus
What's Not Included
  • personal expense
  • Cable car
  • Insurance
  • Lunch
  • Accommodation
Additional Information

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…

Location
Shaoyaoju
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
4.7
(6 Ratings)
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Grace_c
May 24, 2026
The perfect trip - 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.
Review provided by Viator
Ana_l
May 13, 2026
Wonderful visit without overcrowding - 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
Review provided by Viator
688cristianl
Apr 17, 2026
Wonderful day trip from Beijing - 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.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Grace_c
Apr 10, 2026
The perfect day - 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.
Review provided by Viator
Jame_j
Mar 20, 2026
Tour guide Cindy was very... - 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.
Review provided by Viator
Daniel_h
Jun 3, 2026
Best view of the wall - 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.
Review provided by Viator
From $8
up to 15 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).