New Year's Trip to Gubei Water Town

There are many transportation options to Gubei Water Town, remember to check the official website. The bus from Dongzhimen does not accept Alipay or WeChat, you need to install another app or prepare cash. I personally prefer to stay inside the scenic area, it's more convenient to get in and out, especially after watching the drone show and New Year's Eve, when there are a lot of people heading to the exit. Staying in the opposite direction is better. However, this year the scenic area waived the entrance fee for New Year's Eve, so there were a lot of people, which is not usually the case. On the first day, after arriving at the scenic area, I checked my luggage at the visitor center and then went directly to have lunch at the foot of the Great Wall. The window seat at Wangjing Tower allows you to enjoy the view while eating. After eating, I went to walk the Simatai Great Wall. Many people choose to hike, but to save energy, I took the cable car round trip. The Simatai Great Wall is definitely worth visiting, it's very beautiful. It should be even more beautiful at sunset. This time I chose to stay at the Eight Banners Inn because it's close to the Great Wall, so I could rest immediately after the walk. Another selling point is that each room has a private hot spring, but the cleanliness could be improved a bit, so I ended up just soaking my feet. New Year's Eve was really crowded, so it's better to find food early. On the second day, I took my time walking around the water town. The water town is quiet and peaceful in the early morning. Although it's a man-made attraction, the planning and service are good, and the buildings are quite unique, especially the Yuan Tong Temple, I didn't expect there to be so much to see at the base of the tower. Gubei Water Town is quite international, I encountered many foreigners along the way. The only downside this time was that there was no snow, as it was an unusually warm winter.