Gubei Water Town

Gubei Water Town was built from 2010 on the site of an older village below the Simatai section of the Great Wall, a resort of canals, stone lanes, courtyard hotels, workshops and restaurants constructed in a southern water-town style that has no historical basis this far north. It is entirely a creation, and it is upfront about that. What it offers is a base directly beneath the wall and, unusually, access to Simatai at night, when a section is lit and walkable after dark, the only night-open stretch of the Great Wall. Boats run the canals, a cable car climbs to the wall, and the whole town is lit by lanterns in the evening.

What you actually see

• The night Great Wall - Simatai lit and open after dark, unique in China.
• The canal town - built lanes, bridges and courtyards below the wall.
• The lantern lighting - the town illuminated in the evening.
• The cable car - the lift from the town up to the wall.

When to go

April to June and September to November for the best weather; autumn colour on the hills around the wall is strong in October. Winter is very cold but the town is atmospheric with snow. Weekends and holidays are busy and accommodation prices rise.

Honest expectations

The town is a modern construction, not a historic settlement, and reads as a theme park to some visitors. Costs stack up: town entry, wall ticket, cable car and hotels are all charged separately and are not cheap. Night wall access requires a timed ticket.

Nearby

Simatai Great Wall rises directly above; Jinshanling lies west along the ridge.