Simatai Great Wall sunset tour from Beijing: Cable car at night
Nine hours: water town at dusk, cable car at sunset, illuminated wall after dark
A private sunset and night tour from Beijing to Simatai Great Wall and Gubei Water Town, departing at noon with hotel pickup and returning by evening. You walk the flagstone streets of the water town, then ride the cable car up the wall at sunset to watch the Simatai section light up after dark. Guide service, entrance fees, cable car and round-trip transport are included.
Step-by-step itinerary
- Gubei Water Town Entry included 2h
- Great Wall from Jinshanling to Simatai Entry included 2h
Visit Gubei Water Town and Simatai Great Wall
- Be picked up at hotel at 12:30pm
- Drive 2 hours to Gubei Water Town
- Listen to guide's Great Wall history
- Explore Gubei Water Town streets and shops
- Visit old safeguard agency, temple, academy, guild hall
- Enjoy Kongming lantern show
- See Great Wall illuminated at night
- Try street food in water town
- Drive to Simatai Great Wall
- Take cable car up Simatai Great Wall
- Watch sunset and view Gubei Water Town
- Take cable car down Simatai Great Wall
- Return to hotel by car
What’s included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off.
- round-trip cable car fees.
- air-conditioned private vehicle with driver.
- entrance tickets to both sites.
- English-speaking tour guide service (All Inclusive option).
- gas, toll and parking fees.
Times
- Every day 08:30 09:00 09:30 10:00 12:30 13:00 13:30 14:00
Options for this experience
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Information
Prices and times updated 3 days ago
Operated by Catherine Lu Tours
The experience
The tour leaves your Beijing hotel at 12:30pm and drives two hours north to Gubei Water Town, a reconstructed military village built around the Mandarin Duck Lake Reservoir. The town sits at the foot of Simatai, the only section of the Great Wall open to visitors after dark. On arrival you walk the main flagstone streets past kite workshops, lantern shops and cloisonné craft stalls, then visit the old safeguard agency, temple and academy. Bridges cross the canals throughout, each one framing views of the wall rising behind the rooflines. As evening falls, hundreds of Kongming lanterns lift into the night sky from the town, and the wall itself begins to glow with illumination.
Around sunset you head to Simatai itself, built during the Ming Dynasty and known for its steep, unrestored sections. Instead of climbing, you take the cable car up the wall, which gives you views across the entire Gubei Water Town below while the sun sets over the surrounding mountains. The cable car descent happens after dark, so you see the wall fully lit against the night sky: Simatai is the only part of the Great Wall in Beijing where this happens. The tour ends with time to eat street food in the water town before the drive back to your hotel.
The nine-hour itinerary keeps you away from central Beijing's crowds and poor air quality. Simatai retains its original wild appearance across all four seasons: spring blooms, summer sunsets over clouds, autumn maples and winter snow. The cable car removes the need to hike steep sections, so the experience suits all fitness levels.
Is this one for you?Pick All Inclusive if you want a guide narrating history as you walk both sites. Choose Transfer & Tickets if you'd rather explore independently while the app translates signs and directions.
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Top questions
Can children come?
Yes. Ticket types: Child (4 to 7 years); Infant (under 4): free.
What is Gubei Water Town like to walk through?
Gubei Water Town is a reconstructed historic military village with flagstone streets, canals and bridges modeled after Wuzhen in Southern China. You pass kite workshops, lantern shops and cloisonné craft stalls, and visit the old safeguard agency, temple, academy and eight banners guild hall. The bridges throughout offer photo spots overlooking the water and the Great Wall behind it.
Can I hike the Great Wall at Simatai, or do I take the cable car?
You take the cable car both up and down the wall at Simatai. The cable car ride happens at sunset going up and after dark coming down, so you see the illuminated wall from the car rather than walking the ramparts themselves.
What time does the tour depart and when do I return to my hotel?
Hotel pickup is at 12:30pm. The full tour runs nine hours, so you return to your hotel in the evening. Exact return time depends on your hotel location and traffic.
Is the English-speaking guide included in the price?
The English-speaking guide is included with the All Inclusive option. The Transfer & Tickets option includes the driver with a translator app but not a dedicated guide.
What happens at night in the water town?
After dark, Gubei Water Town transforms with the Great Wall section illuminated above it. You see hundreds of Kongming lanterns released into the night sky, and can end the tour with street food in the town before returning to Beijing.
Simatai Great Wall sunset tour from Beijing: Cable car at night
9h · EN · at your hotel
from US$ 182 per person