6 of the 7 Continents For The Budget Traveler: The Great Wall Layover Tour

So you booked a great deal on a flight through China but have an insanely long layover? Why spend it in the airport when you can explore a new country or in my case return back to one! On our way to Vietnam in 2018 my friends and I decided to do a tour of the Great Wall. It was the one place I really wanted to see my first time in China that I didn't have the chance for.

This was a great benefit of traveling with friends verses solo travel, because the price is the same. It was a little over $100 each to get picked up from the airport and driven out to the wall. Bonus points for including warm coats that actually fit us, I'm 6'0 200lbs (1.82m 90kg) so China clothing usually doesn't work out for me. Self touring is of course an option, but not an easy one, you would need a taxi and have to have them wait, and deal with the language barrier, so as much as I love self touring, I would not recommend it in this case.

Some quick tips if you decide to do the tour:

As always read reviews with the company you choose
Off season is by far the best time to go, you can find youtube videos of the wall jammed with no room to walk or enjoy it in summer. The day we went there were maybe 10 other people there, it was freezing, but worth it.
There's some gift shops coming from the Beijing part of the wall, but not much in the line of authentic Chinese restaurants if you wanted to sit and eat, plan on doing it at the airport.
The driver will be able to stop at an ATM if you want some cash, they will of course already have been paid, but you can have some for coffee or a gift.
You will need a transit Visa, or a transit without Visa approved booked, I'm not gonna touch on this because it constantly changes, so just look into it and research what needs to be done before you leave.

I hope if you are in the Beijing airport for a long layover you get a chance to do this! It's a great tour and a great way to quickly see the only man made object you can see from space. And oh yeah, there's an option to take a toboggan sled down! Do it!