Gubei Water Town & Simatai Great Wall 1-Day Tour

As this is more of a meet-up/pick-up (to the meeting place), brief explanations of the day’s itinerary (in both English and Mandarin), mainly to visit the Gubei Old Water Town (nice and quiet on our visit), and cable car up to the Simatai Great Wall (behind the Water town) - explore them on your own time till dark, once you set such expectations, this is a good trip to visit the places. Our guide Christina is awesome and very helpful to answer everyone’s questions, gave good tips about the Water town (what to see and eat), best time for sunset on the Great Wall and which towers to hike (if one is up to it). there are some optional selections (depends on your options and where you book from) like boat ride, hot pot lunch, Great Wall visit (we ended up doing both day and evening visits - hike when there’s light and enjoy the late afternoon views), all at reasonable group discount price. This is a no shopping trip and thanks to Christina and our driver, we had a smooth and great time.

We had a wonderful day visiting Gubei Water Town and the Simatai Great Wall. The Simatai Great Wall was definitely a good experience and the views were amazing, but be prepared — it is quite a tough climb! It was challenging, but well worth it for the scenery and the experience. A special mention to our tour guide, Lisa, who was excellent throughout the day. She was very patient, friendly and helpful, and made sure we knew what to expect at each stage of the tour. Her instructions were always clear, both verbally and through WhatsApp, which made everything very easy and stress-free. Overall, a great day out and a memorable experience. Highly recommend the tour, especially with Lisa as the guide!

We were met without delay, and on the bus, Lucy explained everything in detail and sent a WhatsApp message with the schedule and other useful information. There was also an option to purchase a daytime ascent if we had chosen the evening one, as well as a boat ride. During the day, there weren't many people on the Great Wall; this section of the wall is not well-maintained, so there aren't railings everywhere along the sides. Lunch was delicious (hotpot), and Lucy showed us how to make a non-spicy sauce and how long to cook the ingredients. The only thing I didn't particularly like was the evening ascent. It's better to go up only during the day. The lighting at the bottom looks just as good as from the top.

We had an amazing day today with our lovely tour guide Cindy. The day was very fun packed with plenty of things to do. Gubei has a lot to offer and if you take Cindy’s recommendations you can enjoy some awesome local snacks. the best way to finish the trip was with the stunning sunset from the top of the wall and a walk though Gubei after dark, once all the lights come on and the shows start. Cindy was extremely helpful and communicated with us the entire time, while still giving us the opportunity to explore on our own. Departure time was 9PM so we enjoyed a good amount of time.

Tour was very well planned, pickup at GuoMao Subway at 8:50am and return to Gubei Parking lot for the bus at 9pm. We are able to watch the light show and fire show. But you might have to run out of the area as it is quite a distance to the carpark. Thank you tour guide Cindy for all the recommendations for the good street food and places to visit!

Highly recommend the full-day tour to Gubei water town and simatai great wall of chiba with lunch included. Everything was perfectly organized from hotel pickup to drop-off. The guide miss SUZIE spoke great English and very nice. They took us to a fantastic local restaurant for lunch. It was stress-free, informative, and a highlight of our China trip. I just wish they would extend the night tour because there wasn't enough time.

Enjoyed my visit to Gubei Water Town and Simatai Great Wall. Tour was well-paced and not rushed. Gubei Water Town also had very little tourists, making it especially enjoyable to explore. The Simatai Great Wall at sunset was absolutely stunning and a true highlight. Jane, our guide, was very helpful throughout the tour and responsive on both WhatsApp and WeChat throughout. Highly recommended for travellers who wants to visit a lesser-known area of the Great Wall!

Satisfied with overall experience. There's an ample time to explore the town. Managed to cover two best view from Pagoda & church on top of hill. For Muslim info, there're two restaurant options ie No. 8 Tanghe Muslim Restaurant and No.9 Guguan Hot Pot (check label 清真 Qīngzhēn Halal). No comment in terms of food taste/quality because I brought own food. 2nd part of package was Simatai Night Tour. We're suggested to start walk back to cable car by 7.05 pm to make it to the bus by 7.30-8 pm. Entry to Simatai night tour begins around 5.30 pm. There's enough time to see the start of sunset but a bit tight if wait for the light to turn on which is about 6.50+pm onwards. I was able to make it but it felt a bit rushed and almost missed shuttle bus (additional 10yuan) back to town's entrance 😂. There's also a 10 minute firework performance otw back. Christina was an excellent guide, on top of verbal explanation, she sent written guide personally & every question asked received prompt response.

This was an unforgettable experience. While most tourists go to Badaling or Mutianyu, Simatai is much more peaceful, making it perfect for photos and for truly appreciating the beauty of the Great Wall. Gubei Water Town was also a highlight. I enjoyed walking around, taking photos, and trying a variety of food, from savory dishes to desserts. My package didn’t include the night tour, but I paid for it separately on the way. We went up before sunset, and I was surprised by how few tourists were left. It felt almost empty. Watching the sunset during golden hour in the cool weather was incredible, and it was surreal to realize I was on the Great Wall of China. The tour itself was very convenient. I was picked up from my hotel and travel time was about 2 hours. Our guide, Roberta, handled everything, including tickets, and was easy to contact via WhatsApp. After receiving the tickets, the tour was mostly self-guided, but her instructions were clear and helpful.

Overall I had a very satisfying visit to Gubei Water Town and the Simatai Great Wall. The scenery is beautiful and the experience of seeing the wall, especially toward the evening, was memorable. The tour itself was well organized and everything ran smoothly. One suggestion for improvement would be clearer information about what exactly is included in each tour option. I booked the night visit thinking it was the most complete option since it was the most expensive, but it would be helpful if the listing clearly explained the differences between packages (day visit, night visit, boat ride, lunch included, both day and night, etc.). Having more clearly defined options would make it easier for visitors to choose the experience that suits them best. Shoutout to our tour guide Jane, who explained everything very clearly in English and was also very responsive to my inquiries over chat. Overall, I’m glad I went and would still recommend the experience.