Poke tourists on the Great Chinese Wall

I expected the Great Chinese Wall to be really boring. It would be. If not for all those amazing wonderful people. Getting in each and every of your picture, poking you with their selfie sticks and limiting the basic freedom of your movement. So you if are set on visiting the number #1 attraction in China: a) visit less popular parts of the wall, b) walk further to get away from the crowds; c) come in the offbeat season (late autumn for example). You can even stay there for the night in a tent, stare at the Milky Way and meet the unforgettable sunrise right on the Wall. Sadly, my adventure spirit was crushed by the cold weather right away, so no sunrise for me.

What to know: walking the Great Wall is a pretty amazing experience on its own. If you want to get the most of it – carefully choose the side of the wall: some are close to Beijing but super touristy, others more offbeat and wild. You can choose to walk, cycle, hike, or just sit there and drink champagne. The degree of your laziness is directly proportional to the total cost: you can spend under $12 if you decide to get there on your own with local transport, or up to $300+ if you want a more private and intimate experience.

When to go: any time as long as you check the schedule. Each part of the wall is open at different times and they do love to close some parts too.

How to book: look for a reliable provider; there are literally thousands of those. I’ve read sad stories of people being dumped somewhere half way. TripAdvisor is your best friend here.