In sum, China travelers are confronted with a question similar to the one that confronted northern barbarians eager to penetrate the Wall's defenses all those years ago: Where in the Wall's 6,400 km length is the best place to stage your assault? For convenience's sake, we'll concentrate our effort of Beijing-area sites today, saving for another time exploration of intriguing spots running between the Wall's eastern extreme at seaside Shanhaiguan, near Qingdao all the way to its desert-bound terminus at Jiayuguan in Gansu.

The Great Wall at Badaling: Join the Crowd

Located just 44 miles from Beijing, the Great Wall at Badaling is by far the most popular destination for foreign tourists. Its convenient proximity to the capital and relatively easy-to-manage, restored steps make Badaling a prime choice for visitors with minimal time, older tourists, people with medical conditions, or those who would just rather not navigate some of the more treacherous parts of the Wall.

That said, it's still a lot of work to walk the Wall at Badaling as it snakes up and down rugged mountainsides. It's just that you've got the option of a cable car (RMB 50 round trip) and frequent stops for refreshing drinks peddled by vendors at nearly every battlement and tower. And if this stretch of reconstructed Ming Dynasty-era Wall itself isn't enough for you (or proves too much), there's always the film version: The Great Wall Circle Vision Theatre (RMB 25, 9 a.m.–9:45 p.m.) presents short pieces on the Wall's history to complement the exhibits on view in the China Great Wall Museum (film and museum admission are a package; museum opens at 9 a.m. and closes at 4 p.m.).

One last must-know fact about Badaling: During the summer high season, you won't be the only barbarian storming the battlements, far from it. A hot and sticky human gridlock awaits those who hit the Wall on summer weekends, though weekdays and off-season visits can be considerably less packed. If you've got a crowd phobia, don't do Badaling on a Saturday unless you go between late October and early May.

Ever-present hawkers, selling everything from t-shirts and cans of beer, to sausages and postcards are inevitable, but then again so is Starbucks. If this sounds like your hit, than catch the No. 919 bus from DeSheng Men on Second Ring Road, or just arrange a bus or driver from your hotel. Tickets in are RMB 45.

For more, including real travelers' comments on Badaling, go here.

The Great Wall at Juyongguan: A Cloud Platform with a View

Less overdone than Badaling and even closer to downtown Beijing is the Juyongguan (Juyong Pass) section of the Wall. Badaling is actually the northern mouth of this valley pass that has historically been a strategic key to Beijing's defenses, with Nan Pass (South Pass) forming the other point of access to the valley. In between, there's a stretch of Wall perfected during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD) and the famed Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368 AD) Cloud

Platform, a 9.5 meter-tall white marble base with an enormous archway running through it that in past years served as the foundation for three white watch towers.

The site is dramatic, with the mountains sweeping up out of the valley on both sides, and though it is not as lush as it was in years gone by when the site was particularly famous for the annual blooms of wildflowers on the surrounding slopes, it is still a place of great beauty and power. The perfect Great Wall site for those pressed for time and not in the mood for the crowds at Badaling, a circuit walk of the fortifications takes about two hours.

Entry will set you back RMB 45. City bus 919 departing from Dasheng Gate is good value, and tourist buses depart from Beijing Railway Station, the Beijing Zoo, the Qianmen (Front Gate) Metro stop just south of Tian'anmen and other points around the city (enquire at your hotel for the most direct route from your location).

For more, including real travelers' comments on Juyongguan, go here.

The Great Wall at Mutianyu: Restored Glory

Built to divert attacks from Badaling, Mutianyu now benefits from the massive popularity of its neighboring section of Wall, at least from the point of view of those who would prefer more Wall and fewer tourists and vendors.

East of Juyongguan, and approximately 70 kilometers from Beijing, Mutianyu is one of the better-preserved sections of the Great Wall. Comprised of 22 towers and roughly 2,250 meters in length, this granite Ming-era stretch runs up and down rolling hills. A great alternative to crowded Badaling and boasting more of a classic "Great Wall" look than Juyongguan, Mutianyu is particularly beautiful in the fall when the surrounding wooded hills flare with autumn colors.

Entry is RMB 40, and for an additional RMB 50 you can take a cable car. For RMB 55 more, you can toboggan down the Mutianyu slideway afterward.

For more, including real travelers' comments on Mutianyu, go here.

The Great Wall at Jinshanling: Get Rugged

While the aforementioned portions of the Great Wall are close to Beijing and are relatively hazard free, more adventurous travelers should consider heading northeast to rugged partially restored Jinshanling. Although significantly further from town than both Badaling and Juyongguan (it takes about three hours, with traffic, to get there), Jinshanling’s steep ridges and crumbling steps keep climbers alert, while breathtaking views out over the mountains of Hebei Province make the exertion worthwhile.

Of course, there's the almost ubiquitous cable car (RMB 50 roundtrip, RMB 35 one way) that will drop you off on top, but the point to Jinshanling is to hike, climb and clamber over stretches of Wall that haven't yet received an extreme makeover. In fact, Jinshanling is a popular point of departure for the five-hour, ten-kilometer hike to our next station on the wall, Simatai. Five hours is a lot of time to make it just ten kilometers, but with steep ups and downs and portions of the Wall in near ruins, it's no cakewalk.

Though there are hawkers holed up in many of the towers, gone is the congestion of site closer to Beijing, and you’ll likely be glad to purchase a seriously marked-up bottle of water after doing time in the scorching sun. Important information for anyone considering embarking on the hike: SAVE YOUR TICKET STUBS. There are guards posted at several towers who check receipts, denying passage without proof of purchase. Additionally, to complete the hike, you'll need to purchase entrance to Simatai (RMB 40), and throw down an extra RMB 5 to cross the narrow chain bridge linking the two.

For more, including real travelers' comments on Jinshanling, go here.

The Great Wall at Simatai: Get Even More Rugged

The final stop on this tour of Great Wall sites within striking distance of Beijing, Simatai, is our favorite. 110 kilometers from Beijing, Simatai, like Jinshanling, requires a full day to get to, explore and return from, but it's worth it.

Celebrated for its steep climbs and dramatic views, Simatai is home to 35 towers, Mandarin Duck Lake, and the Flying Fox, the only zip line on the Great Wall, as well as its own toboggan slide (RMB 30). From its highest watchtower, nicknamed the "Fairy Tower," you can see Beijing, over 100 kilometers away (that's on clear days, of course, so don't count on it).

Simatai features a number of affordable guesthouses and hostels for anyone who wishes to spend the evening in the vicinity, which can spare one the rush to return to Beijing, allowing for more leisurely exploration—and if you've done the rugged hike from Jinshanling, you might not care to spend another four or five hours riding back to Beijing, and an early rise guarantees a lovely view of Simatai before the day's first tourists arrive (yourself excluded, of course).

Simatai is officially open at 8 a.m. and closes at 5 p.m., though we do know of people who have circumvented the official hours and boundaries, opting to engage in a little guerrilla tourism, camping out overnight on the Wall between Simatai and Jinshanling (see the ChinaTravel.net feature Camping the Great Wall: Escape from Simatraz, by the intrepid Rebekah Pothaar). Though this is not technically recommended, it is an option for the adventurous. Just be prepared for anything, including run ins with the Walls modern-day guardians.

Check out our Simatai page, including real travelers' comments.

* Okay, okay... there's no waterslide (yet). But there is an RMB 30 dry slide at Badaling and a slideway at Mutianyu and a toboggan slide at Simatai