Passing the hours during an airport layover can be painful at the best of times. So, when my family and I had eight hours to kill at Beijing Capital International Airport on the way back from Australia recently, I nearly panicked. But, after a little research, we turned our layover into a highlight of the trip with a visit to the Great Wall of China.
That's right, typically reserved as a bucket list item, we actually landed in China, got a guided tour of the Unesco World Heritage Site, and returned in time to make the long flight home to New York. How? After a frantic Google search of “what to do during an eight-hour layover in Beijing airport,” I came across Beijing Layover Tours. Realizing that there were a number of travelers like myself, the tour company has created itineraries specifically catered to fill that pesky time otherwise spent at the terminal. Those with a minimum layover of six hours can book a visit to the Mutianyu section of the wall, which is a little over an hour from the airport.
While Americans or Canadians traveling to mainland China typically need to apply for a visa beforehand, there is actually 72-hour visa-free transit access available. Short-term visitors receive a temporary visa on the spot, and prior to arrival, I was sent comprehensive instructions on how to clear customs quickly, and where to meet our guide to assure timing ran smoothly. After securing the necessary paperwork and immigration procedures, which took about an hour in total, a guide and driver met us and off we went to the Great Wall of China.
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Mutianyu is actually one of the less crowded spots along the Great Wall, according to the guide, yet still has incredible views due to its position at the top of the mountains. Our flight landed around 4:30 a.m., so lucky for us, we were the first visitors that day and had it all to ourselves. Unfortunately, however, the temperatures were well below freezing, so we cut our visit a bit short. But, depending on the length of your layover, you can spend hours walking the breathtaking structure, take a cable car ride up the mountain, and enjoy a 15-minute toboggan ride back down. No matter how long you have, the guide provides a comprehensive history of the 5,500-mile long wall, and gets you back to the airport with enough time to comfortably make your flight.
The tour is available daily, and travel specialists at the company will work with you to plan a custom itinerary based off your flight times. Prices depend on the number of people in your group, with one person costing $180 and a group of 10 or more costing just $50 per person (I paid $300 for the three of us traveling). And if you happen to have a particularly long layover, Beijing Layover Tours also offers a variety of other options like combined trips to the Great Wall and the Forbidden City, a chance to see the Temple of Heaven, or even the opportunity to visit pandas. It beats spending hours trying to find an electrical outlet in the airport any day.