
Jinshanling Private Tour with Night View of Simatai and Gubei Water Town from Beijing
Traveler rating
5.0/5
Based on 119 traveler reviews. Ratings and reviews provided by Viator and Tripadvisor.
Quick answer
Is Jinshanling Private Tour with Night View of Simatai and Gubei Water Town from Beijing worth booking?
Jinshanling Private Tour with Night View of Simatai and Gubei Water Town from Beijing is a 8-hour experience in Beijing, China, from $278 per person. It scores 78 out of 100 on the Outty Ranking, which we label “Strongly Recommended”, based on a 5/5 rating across 119 reviews. Cancellation is free up to 24 hours before the start time. Same-day spots are currently showing.
- Outty Ranking
- 78 / 100
- Rating
- 5/5 (119)
- Duration
- 8 hours
- From
- $278 per person
First trip to Beijing? This private tour is a must for Great Wall exploration—and it’s a rare crowd-free gem! Spend your daytime wandering Jinshanling Great Wall, known for its well-preserved ancient watchtowers and unobstructed mountain vistas—no pushing through crowds, just peaceful immersion in history and scenery. As night falls, head to Simatai Great Wall (one of the few sections open after dark) and nearby Gubei Water Town: watch the town’s lantern-lit lanes glow, then take a cable car to marvel at Simatai’s twinkling night views—romantic, quiet, and utterly breathtaking. Pick your preferred departure time for a worry-free experience: exclusive tour guide, entrance tickets, Simatai cable car ride, local-style lunch, private vehicle, plus hotel pickup and drop-off—we’ve got your perfect day fully covered!
What you get
About this experience
First trip to Beijing? This private tour is a must for Great Wall exploration—and it’s a rare crowd-free gem! Spend your daytime wandering Jinshanling Great Wall, known for its well-preserved ancient watchtowers and unobstructed mountain vistas—no pushing through crowds, just peaceful immersion in history and scenery. As night falls, head to Simatai Great Wall (one of the few sections open after dark) and nearby Gubei Water Town: watch the town’s lantern-lit lanes glow, then take a cable car to marvel at Simatai’s twinkling night views—romantic, quiet, and utterly breathtaking. Pick your preferred departure time for a worry-free experience: exclusive tour guide, entrance tickets, Simatai cable car ride, local-style lunch, private vehicle, plus hotel pickup and drop-off—we’ve got your perfect day fully covered!
What's included
Included
- Bottled water
- Chinese lunch or dinner you can choose one of them
- Cable car round trip at Simatai Great Wall
- English Speaking tour guide
- Private air conditioned vehicle
- Transport by private vehicle
- Entrance Fee
Not included
- Cable car on the Jinshanling Great Wall
- Gratuities
What you'll see and do
Jinshanling Great Wall
Your friendly tour guide will meet you right in your hotel lobby at your prearranged time, then whisk you directly to Jinshanling Great Wall—no hassle, just a smooth start. The roughly 2-hour drive flies by: your guide will share fascinating Great Wall history and stories along the way, while you soak in the idyllic countryside views outside the window. Once you arrive, you’ll step into Jinshanling Great Wall—a crowd-free treasure&one of the best-preserved Great Wall sections, always captivating hikers. Stretching east to Simatai and west to Gubeikou, this section dates back to the Ming Dynasty (1368-1389) and was later rebuilt under General Qi Jiguang—a living piece of history. With over 100 ancient enemy towers dotting its length, every step tells a story: your guide will hike with you, share these tales, help snap photos, or even keep an eye on the kids. You’ll have 2-3 hours to savor this peaceful, scenic spot—no pushing through crowds, just you and the Great Wall’s timeless charm
120 minutes here · Admission included
Gubei Water Town
After a satisfying dinner, you’ll head straight to Gubei Water Town—just a 30-minute drive away, so the relaxation keeps flowing. Accompanied by your guide, you’ll start a leisurely walking tour to uncover the town’s unique charms: modeled after the iconic Wuzhen Water Town of southern China, Gubei Water Town is divided into 6 distinct areas, including the Old Barracks Area, Minguo Street Area, and Water Street Area. As you wander, you’ll stumble upon charming boutiques, mouthwatering local eateries, and distinctive hotels—each corner holding a little surprise to make your evening unforgettable.
60 minutes here · Admission included
Simatai Great Wall
Afterwards, you’ll take a cable car up to the top of Simatai Great Wall—an effortless ride to one of the most magical night views. If you’d love to catch the sunset over Simatai, your guide will thoughtfully adjust the itinerary timing to ensure you don’t miss this stunning moment. Here, few well-preserved watchtowers are open to visitors after dark: you’ll get free time to wander as warm lanterns light up the Great Wall’s path, casting a soft glow over the ancient stones. From the top, you can also overlook the entire Gubei Water Town below, its lights twinkling like stars—truly a view you’ll remember forever. When the night’s magic comes to an end, we’ll drive you back to your centrally located Beijing hotel, wrapping up this fantastic day of history, scenery, and unforgettable moments.
60 minutes here · Admission included
Where it starts and ends
Hotel pickup
Pickup is included for all travelers.
Before you book
- Cancellation
- For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
- Languages
- zh-TW, cmn, en
- Ticket
- Mobile Only
- Runs on
- Every day
- Group size
- Up to 15 travelers per booking
- Operated by
- Discover Beijing Tours
Know before you go
- 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
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Please wear comfortable walking shoes
- Please advise any specific dietary requirements at time of booking
- Vegetarian option is available, please advise at time of booking if required
- The whole-day tour will take approximately 10 to 12 hours. Please ensure you are in good physical condition, or have a good rest in advance to keep up with the schedule.
- This tour departs in the afternoon/early noon, specially arranged for you to enjoy the stunning night view of Gubei Water Town and the breathtaking sunset at Simatai Great Wall. We provide either a lunch or a dinner for the tour, and you can choose one of the two meal options as you like.
- Jinshanling Great Wall features two classic hiking trails for exploration. A certain level of physical stamina is required for the hiking part.
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What travelers are saying
Outty’s summary of the themes that recur across 119 traveler reviews. Written by us, not quoted from reviewers.
The guide
10 mentionsTravelers single out the guide as the reason the experience works.
Knowledge and storytelling
6 mentionsReviewers describe the commentary as informative rather than scripted.
Food and drink
6 mentionsThe tastings and food stops are a highlight for most reviewers.
Photo opportunities
5 mentionsThe views and photo stops come up again and again.
Organization
3 mentionsPickup, timing, and logistics are described as running smoothly.
Physical effort
3 mentionsExpect real walking or climbing: reviewers mention the effort involved.
Traveler reviews
119 verified traveler reviews for Jinshanling Private Tour with Night View of Simatai and Gubei Water Town from Beijing. Ratings and reviews provided by Viator and Tripadvisor.
Jimmy tour guide Great Wall
Jimmy was our tour guide to this beautiful part of the great wall. It was perfectly organized and in excellent English. The evening walk and the sunset on the illuminated Simatai part was unforgettable !
via Viator
The afternoon evening...
The afternoon evening trip is a wonderfully curated, efficient exploration of two sections of the wall. One in the day, the other in the evening, there were very few people in both sections at the end of September. Alan was a delightful guide; not only did he explain the history of the wall, but he answered many of my cultural questions. He was open to walking instead of taking the shuttle, which was nice for an evening stroll in Watertown. The walking itself up and down was not difficult,. The roads were well restored. The dinner was simple and wonderful. If you are older, I would recommend using hiking poles. Thank you Alan for a wonderful day.
via Viator
Beautiful Sights, but the Tour Experience Could Be Better
Overall, there were some really lovely parts to this trip, but unfortunately a few things let it down. We’ll start with the car. For a journey of around two hours each way, it really wasn’t very comfortable, and unfortunately it didn’t smell particularly pleasant either. Our guide was good. He was clearly knowledgeable and polite, and spoke excellent English. Jinshanling itself was beautiful. We would have liked to take the cable car up, but our guide told us it was too slow, so unfortunately we didn’t get that option. The food was tasty and we enjoyed what we had, although it was a little surprising that the driver appeared to eat most of it! Watertown was absolutely gorgeous and one of the highlights of the trip. It’s a replica of a town around 1,000 km away, and I loved walking through it towards the Wall. It was a beautiful setting and a really enjoyable part of the day. The Simatai section of the Great Wall was also lovely. Only a relatively small portion is open at night, but seeing the Wall illuminated after dark was beautiful and definitely worth experiencing. Unfortunately, the journey back to the hotel ended the day on a negative note. It was raining, visibility was poor and we found the driver’s driving quite erratic. We genuinely didn’t feel safe at times and I was very relieved when we arrived back at our hotel. There are some beautiful places included in this tour — particularly Watertown and seeing Simatai illuminated at night — but the comfort of the transport, and most importantly, the standard of driving on the return journey really need improvement. Overall, there are better trips available that offer more comfortable transport and give you more options for how you experience the Great Wall.
via Tripadvisor
Totally memorable
What an amazing day. Started with pickup being on time. Tony our guide was fantastic. Full of history knowledge and humour. Kevin our driver was brilliant. We could not have asked for two better people to spend day with The Great Wall experience is something that is hard to describe Would have loved it if we were able to do two days. So much to see and do Thanks for a memorable experience
via Tripadvisor
Best Great Wall + Gubei Watertown tour in Beijing
Hands down the BEST tour we've been on during our trip to Beijing. Our tour guide Anson and driver Mr.Li curated such a breathtaking experience. We started at Jinshaling greatwall, then made our way down to a delicious homemade style restaurant in the village nearby. Then it was a 30 min drive to Gubei Watertown, where we took the cable car up to the night lit Simatai Great wall. We were even able to make it down in time to catch the must see arrowflower show! Shoutout to Anson for being a secret professional photographer as well... took so many great family photos for us!! 10/10 would highly recommend. Friendly and informative tour guide ✅️ Safe Driver ✅️
via Tripadvisor
Good to know
- Duration
- 8 hours
- Free cancellation
- Up to 24h before
- Minimum age to book
- All ages
- Availability
- Bookable today
- Runs on
- Every day
- Price range
- $278 to $474
- Hotel pickup
- Included for all travelers
- Booked in 30 days
- 42
- Verdict
- Strongly Recommended
Who runs this experience
Operated by Discover Beijing Tours, who run 82 experiences we rank across 5 cities, with an average Outty Ranking of 52.7.
See everything Discover Beijing Tours runsWhy this scores 78
The Outty Ranking is a weighted composite. Here is how this experience performed on each component.
Jinshanling Private Tour with Night View of Simatai and Gubei Water Town from Beijing: questions travelers ask
Practical detail on this experience, plus the wider planning questions for Beijing.
How much does Jinshanling Private Tour with Night View of Simatai and Gubei Water Town from Beijing cost?
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Prices start at $278 per person. The final price depends on the date, the time slot and the number of travelers, and peak weekends in Beijing usually price higher than midweek mornings. Live pricing and remaining availability are confirmed on the booking screen before you pay.
How long does Jinshanling Private Tour with Night View of Simatai and Gubei Water Town from Beijing take?
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Plan for about 8 hours from start to finish, not counting travel to the meeting point. Most travelers leave another 30 minutes on either side so the rest of the day in Beijing is not rushed.
Is Jinshanling Private Tour with Night View of Simatai and Gubei Water Town from Beijing worth it?
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It holds an Outty Ranking of 78 out of 100, which we label "Strongly Recommended". That score blends traveler sentiment (5/5 across 119 reviews), the depth of that review evidence, recent booking momentum, value for money against comparable last minute in Beijing, and how flexible the cancellation terms are.
Can I cancel or reschedule Jinshanling Private Tour with Night View of Simatai and Gubei Water Town from Beijing?
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Yes. Cancel free up to 24 hours before the start time for a full refund. Inside that window the booking is non-refundable, and no-shows are not refunded.
Is Jinshanling Private Tour with Night View of Simatai and Gubei Water Town from Beijing suitable for kids and families?
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Yes, all ages are welcome. Families should still weigh the 8-hour running time, and strollers are easier on the earlier, quieter departures.
How far in advance should I book Jinshanling Private Tour with Night View of Simatai and Gubei Water Town from Beijing?
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Around 42 people booked this in the last 30 days, so popular slots go early. Two to three weeks ahead is comfortable in shoulder season, while summer weekends and holidays in Beijing can sell out a month out. Same-day spots do open up when other travelers cancel, so it is worth checking if you are already in town.
What should I bring or wear?
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Bring photo ID, your booking confirmation on your phone, a refillable water bottle and comfortable shoes. Dress for the weather in Beijing and add a light layer if any part of the 8-hour experience runs outdoors or after sunset.
Where does Jinshanling Private Tour with Night View of Simatai and Gubei Water Town from Beijing start and how do I get there?
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The exact meeting point and directions are on your voucher once you book, and they sit in central Beijing within reach of public transport. Arrive 15 minutes early: late arrivals are treated as no-shows by most operators.
What are the best things to do in Beijing?
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On Outty we rank every Beijing experience on the same 0 to 100 scale, and alongside this one the highest scorers right now include Temple Heaven, Lama Temple, Summer Palace & Peking Duck Bus Tour, Beijing Mutianyu Great Wall Sightseeing Full-day Group Tours, Mubus: Mutianyu Great Wall Bus Tour with Summer Palace Options. The city page groups everything into most popular, highest reviewed, last minute and family-friendly so you can build a day around what actually delivers.
When is the best time to visit Beijing?
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Booking patterns follow the same curve: prices and queues climb in peak weeks, while shoulder season gives you better availability on the top-ranked experiences and more room to change plans.
How many days do you need in Beijing?
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Three full days covers the headline sights without sprinting. A workable rhythm is one anchor experience each morning, such as this one, an unhurried afternoon in a single neighborhood, then a food or nightlife booking in the evening. Five days lets you add a day trip outside the city.
Do I book through Outty or through the operator?
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Outty ranks and explains the experiences, then hands you to Viator to complete the booking with the operator directly. The price is the same as booking on Viator yourself, and Outty earns an affiliate commission on the referral, which is how the rankings stay free to read.
What is included in Jinshanling Private Tour with Night View of Simatai and Gubei Water Town from Beijing?
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Included: Bottled water; Chinese lunch or dinner you can choose one of them; Cable car round trip at Simatai Great Wall; English Speaking tour guide; and Private air conditioned vehicle. Not included: Cable car on the Jinshanling Great Wall; and Gratuities. Always check the voucher for the final list before you travel.
Does Jinshanling Private Tour with Night View of Simatai and Gubei Water Town from Beijing include hotel pickup?
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Yes, pickup is offered for every traveler from 2246 listed pickup locations in and around Beijing. You can also enter a custom pickup address when booking.
What languages is Jinshanling Private Tour with Night View of Simatai and Gubei Water Town from Beijing offered in?
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It is offered in Chinese and English. Pick your language when choosing a date and time, as not every departure runs in every language.
Will I get instant confirmation and a mobile ticket for Jinshanling Private Tour with Night View of Simatai and Gubei Water Town from Beijing?
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Confirmation is sent by the operator after booking, usually within 48 hours; if it is not confirmed you are not charged. Mobile tickets are accepted, so you can show the voucher on your phone.
Is Jinshanling Private Tour with Night View of Simatai and Gubei Water Town from Beijing wheelchair or stroller accessible?
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The operator notes: Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap. If accessibility is critical, contact the operator after booking to confirm arrangements for your date.
What happens to Jinshanling Private Tour with Night View of Simatai and Gubei Water Town from Beijing if the weather is bad?
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This experience depends on good weather. If it is canceled because of poor weather, you are offered a different date or a full refund.
What do travelers say about Jinshanling Private Tour with Night View of Simatai and Gubei Water Town from Beijing?
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Across 119 reviews averaging 5.0 out of 5, recurring themes include the guide, knowledge and storytelling, food and drink. Travelers single out the guide as the reason the experience works. One thing to know: Expect real walking or climbing: reviewers mention the effort involved.
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