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Going to The Great Wall of China and Resisting the Urge to Get a Subway Footlong

Where: China
February 9, 2012 at 6:03 PM | by | Comments (0)

There may no longer be a Starbucks at The Forbidden City in China but there is a Subway sandwich shop at The Great Wall. Seriously.

You can find the footlong mecca at the entrance to the impressive 2.5-kilometer stretch of the Great Wall in Mutianyu. From here you can walk in, out and around several of the 22 watchtowers that were built during the early Ming dynasty.

Some of the steps are steep and tiny and, as to be expected, you need to watch where you're going.There are no handrails and very few informational signs. It's just you, the wall and silence (well, when the other tourists aren't chattering that is. We managed to grab a quick little video on our iPhone of the Mutianyu section. Enjoy!

Aside from the Subway, you can also expect a row of souvenir hawkers selling very touristy and cheesy mementos. Some of them are not worth your time but if you do happen to see something you like remember to barter with the seller. Don't be shy, they expect this from you! And after a few back and forths, they will sell at your price. Just hold firm. Hopping on the random camel that's tied up near the entrance for a photo op will, however, cost you RMB 35, no bartering allowed.

General admission is just RMB 45 and this part of the wall is open 365 days a year. While you can hike up to the wall, the fastest and easiest way to get up there is by cable car which is an additional RMB 80. You can opt to take a toboggan sled down too for RMB 40.

[Photo: Courtesy of Evan Orensten of CoolHunting.com]

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