Historically a strategic portal between the fertile lands of the capital and the more arid plains beyond, Badaling has been called the ‘Key to Northern China’, and is the site for what has become the defining section of the Great Wall. On this stretch of battlements, restored in the mid-1950s and again in 1987, Nixon, Thatcher, Reagan, Gorbachev and even Queen Elizabeth II have posed for the cameras. It's also the busiest and most commercial Great Wall destination by far.
Badaling ticks all the iffy Great Wall boxes in one flourish: souvenir stalls, fast-food chains, heavily restored brickwork, guardrails and mobs of sightseers. On the plus side, the scenery is raw and striking, and you get to see the Wall snaking off in classic fashion into the hills.
Ticket sales for Badaling are now online only, but until the official website (http://ticket.badaling.cn) can cater to foreigners, you can still purchase tickets on arrival. Be aware, though, of the daily visitor cap of 65,000 people. In high season, you might want to ask your hotel to help you pre-book (up to seven days in advance).
After 2020, high-speed trains will make the 20-minute hop from Beijing Railway Station to the new underground terminal at Badaling (dubbed the deepest high-speed train station in the world).