High-speed rail (bullet train)
- Shanghai Hongqiao→LinhaiAbout 3 hours each way; same-day round trip
Want to climb the Great Wall, but you're in Shanghai or Zhejiang?
The Great Wall is the first wish on many people's list when they come to China. But if your trip is in Shanghai or Zhejiang, reaching Badaling means a 4-hour-plus high-speed rail ride to Beijing first, and on public holidays you're in the crush along with everyone else. You don't actually have to go that far. The Taizhou Prefecture Wall in Linhai, Zhejiang, is known as the 'Jiangnan Great Wall': here the Ming general Qi Jiguang fought off Japanese pirates and built double-storey hollow watchtowers, and when he was later posted north, the design went with him to the Ming Great Wall. The architectural historian Luo Zhewen called it the model and blueprint for the northern Ming Great Wall. Leave your hotel in the morning, stand on the wall in the afternoon, and you're back at your hotel the same day.
What you get on the Jiangnan Great Wall
Views from the wall, quiet corners for photos — plus a pirate-fighting story and old-street snacks
Climb up onto the wall itself and look out over river and hills
The wall hugs the Ling River on one side and climbs Beigu Hill on the other. Once you're up the Haohan Slope, the rooftops of the old town and the whole river lie at your feet — this is that 'standing on the Great Wall' moment you imagined.
No jostling in the crowds
On weekdays this stretch of wall is far quieter than Badaling. No waiting ages for a photo, and you can sit down and rest whenever you've had enough. It does get busy on public holidays, so avoid those dates if you want the quiet.
A real pirate-fighting story
Pirates, a famous general, and a curved wall built both to hold off enemies and to carry floodwater away — your guide tells it as you walk, and you'll see how the watchtowers of the northern Great Wall were copied from here.
Below the wall, an old street still going about its daily life
The old shops on Ziyang Street are all still trading. Lunch is right there on the street: freshly fried egg-white sheep's tails and seaweed cakes straight from the oven — not a backdrop put up for tourists.
What to see on the wall, what to eat on Ziyang Street
Your guide will stop with you at these spots on the wall, and help you pick a few snacks on Ziyang Street.
Signature 
Hollow double-storey watchtower
Built under Qi Jiguang's direction, with two levels where soldiers could be stationed and shelter from the rain. The forerunner of the watchtowers on the northern Ming Great Wall — stand inside it and you're standing at the start of the Great Wall's story.
Signature 
Barbican and curved bastion
The side facing the Ling River was deliberately built as a semicircle so that floodwater slides past. This wall still shields the old town from floods today.
Beigu Hill section and the Haohan Slope
The steepest and most photogenic stretch. Climb it and the wall winds along the ridge with the whole old town below you.
Signature 
Ziyang Street
An old street more than a kilometre long at the foot of the wall, listed among China's historic and cultural streets. Egg-white sheep's tails are crisp outside and chewy inside, seaweed cakes are baked to order, and thin pancakes come rolled full of vegetables.
Signature 
Egg-white sheep's tails
A famous Linhai snack: whipped egg white wrapped around red bean paste and deep-fried, crisp on the outside and chewy within, named for its resemblance to a sheep's tail.
Seaweed cakes
Flaky pastries baked to order with a seaweed filling — savoury, fragrant and crisp. The old shops on Ziyang Street often have a queue outside.
Prawn fritters
Fresh prawns and minced pork in a batter, deep-fried until golden and puffed up — eat them hot as you walk.
Sweet-and-sour egg-wrapped glutinous rice cakes
Soft, chewy glutinous rice cakes wrapped in egg, griddled, then doused in a sweet-and-sour sauce — sweet with a tang.
Your itinerary
Taking a Shanghai departure as the example; times are indicative and train times are subject to the tickets issued. Departures from Zhejiang are adjusted to your starting point.
-
A private car picks you up at your hotel and takes you to Shanghai Hongqiao Station, with your guide alongside. Tickets are booked in advance using your passport details.
-
About 3 hours, arriving at Linhai Station around midday, where a local private car is waiting outside for you.
-
Work your way through Linhai's snacks one by one on the old street, with your guide doing the ordering. Please tell us about any dietary restrictions or allergies in advance.
-
First the riverside stretch and the barbican, then up Beigu Hill and through the hollow watchtower. How far you walk is up to you, and you can head down whenever you've had enough.
-
Take an evening high-speed train back, arriving at Shanghai Hongqiao around 21:00, where a private car takes you to your hotel. Dinner isn't included — you can buy snacks on Ziyang Street to take on board.
Getting around
Intercity travel
Private car with driver
5-seat private car
- Shanghai hotel ⇄ Hongqiao Station transfers
7-seat private car
- Shanghai hotel ⇄ Hongqiao Station transfers
- Linhai: private car for the day
With 2–3 travellers, your guide arranges taxis locally in Linhai; for 6 or more, ask us about vehicles.
Priced by group size
A private trip for you and your companions only. The car and guide are booked per group, so the more of you travel, the less each person pays.
Before you go
Duration One day, around 13 hours, including about 6 hours of high-speed rail there and back
Departure From Shanghai or Zhejiang, with hotel pickup and drop-off; the timings shown are for a Shanghai departure
Group type Private tour, from 1 traveller (solo travellers, please ask us first); 6 or more pay the 5-person rate
Guide English and Chinese as standard; German, French, Spanish, Italian and others on request in advance
Documents Please bring your original passport — both high-speed rail and the scenic area require names registered to the traveller
Fitness The Beigu Hill steps are steep; you can stick to the gentler riverside stretch
Included
- Private car between your hotel and the high-speed rail station
- Return high-speed rail tickets
- Local car in Linhai
- Taizhou Prefecture Wall entrance ticket
- Street-food lunch on Ziyang Street
- Guide throughout
Not included
- Dinner
- Personal expenses
- Gratuities
Badaling, or the Jiangnan Great Wall?
From Shanghai, it's the same Great Wall — but a far easier day
- Badaling means a 4-hour-plus high-speed rail ride to Beijing; the Jiangnan Great Wall is about 3 hours by high-speed rail
- Badaling usually means a night in Beijing; here you set off in the morning and are back at your hotel the same day
- Badaling is crowded in peak season and on public holidays; this wall is quiet on weekdays and you won't queue for photos
- At Badaling you see the Great Wall; here you climb the blueprint for the northern Great Wall, and hear the full pirate-fighting story
Add the Great Wall to your Jiangnan itinerary
Tell us where you're starting from (Shanghai or Zhejiang), your dates and how many people are travelling, and we'll confirm the tickets and guide. English and Chinese guides are standard; other languages on request in advance.
Ask us- From £258 per person
- Departs Shanghai or Zhejiang
- Return high-speed rail included
- From 1 traveller
Frequently asked questions
Is the Jiangnan Great Wall a real Great Wall?
It isn't the 10,000-li Great Wall outside Beijing, but the Taizhou Prefecture Wall in Linhai, Zhejiang, also called the 'Jiangnan Great Wall' or 'Jiangnan Badaling'. The hollow watchtowers that Qi Jiguang built here in the Ming dynasty were later used on the northern Ming Great Wall, which is why it's called that wall's blueprint.
How long does Linhai take to reach from Shanghai? Can it be done in a day?
It's about 3 hours by high-speed rail from Shanghai Hongqiao to Linhai, so a day trip works. Taking a Shanghai departure as the example, we pick you up at your hotel around 07:30 and drop you back around 21:00; departures from Zhejiang are arranged around your starting point.
Can we set off from Zhejiang?
Yes. We depart from both Shanghai and Zhejiang and pick you up at the hotel you're staying in; train times and departure times are rearranged around your starting point, and the times on this page use a Shanghai departure as the example.
Is the wall hard to climb? Can older people and children manage it?
The riverside stretch is fairly gentle, while the Beigu Hill steps are steep. How far you go is up to you — you can walk only the gentle section. If anyone has limited mobility, please tell us in advance.
Why does the price per person drop as the group gets bigger?
The private car and guide are arranged for the group as a whole, so the more of you travelling together, the less each person pays. 3 to 4 people pay the same rate; from 5 people upwards the per-person price is at its lowest.
What language does the guide speak?
English and Chinese guides are provided as standard; German, French, Spanish, Italian and other guides need to be arranged in advance when you book.
What documents do we need to bring?
Please bring your original passport. Both high-speed rail and the scenic area are registered-name only; we book your train tickets and entrance tickets in advance using your passport details.
What identification do I need to bring?
Please bring your original passport. The high-speed train and scenic areas require real-name booking; we will pre-book your tickets using your passport details in advance.