China Great Wall Museum Reopens at Badaling Near Beijing With Free Entry
The China Great Wall Museum at the foot of the Badaling Great Wall near Beijing opened to the public on 24 October after more than three years of renovation.[1] Entry is free and needs no reservation during the trial opening, and the museum admits at most 4,000 visitors a day.[1][2] Foreign visitors get in with their passport after registering their details at the entrance.[2]
What is new
The rebuilt museum has a total floor area of about 16,000 square meters and is the core landmark project of the Great Wall National Cultural Park in Beijing.[1] The permanent exhibition brings together Great Wall relics from 24 museums across the country, more than 700 items in all, 10 of them first-class cultural relics.[1] It traces how the wall was built from the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods to the Ming and Qing dynasties.[1]
A special exhibition on the second floor presents archaeological finds from 15 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities along the wall, including a Jin dynasty bronze seated dragon from the Taizicheng site in Chongli, Hebei.[1] On the ground floor, the Peace Hall holds a marble relief called Ten Thousand Miles of Peace, made of 472 panels and covering about 450 square meters.[1]
Seeing the wall from inside
The second-floor Great Wall Hall has a 7 meter high glass wall that frames the Badaling Great Wall as the largest exhibit, so you can look at the wall from indoors whatever the weather.[1]
Planning your visit
- The museum is open from 9:00 to 17:00, with last entry at 16:30, and closes on Tuesdays except on public holidays.[2]
- Holders of a Chinese resident ID card scan it at the gates; with any other valid ID, such as a passport, you register your details at the entrance first, and visitors without ID are turned away.[2]
- Children aged 14 and under must be accompanied by an adult.[2]
- Arrive early on busy days: the museum admits at most 4,000 visitors a day and stops entry once the limit is reached.[2]
- The museum is separate from the Badaling Great Wall itself, so check the wall's own entry rules if you plan to walk it.
For getting to Beijing and around the capital, see our Beijing guide.
Sources and background
Numbers in the text such as [1] refer to these sources.
- [1] Beijing Municipal People's Government (Capital Window): 总建筑面积约1.6万平方米 共展出700余件（套）文物 中国长城博物馆焕新开馆. Retrieved October 25, 2026.
- [2] Beijing Daily (Beijing Youth Daily report): 中国长城博物馆两天迎客近7000人次. Retrieved October 27, 2026.
Frequently Asked Questions
No. Entry is free and needs no reservation during the trial opening, but the museum admits at most 4,000 visitors a day. Foreign visitors bring their passport and register at the entrance.
More than 700 relics from 24 museums, an archaeology exhibition covering 15 provinces, regions and municipalities, a marble relief of 472 panels and a 7 meter glass wall facing the Badaling Great Wall.
It opened to the public on 24 October 2026 after more than three years of renovation.
Daily from 9:00 to 17:00, with last entry at 16:30. It is closed on Tuesdays except on public holidays.
