High-speed rail (bullet train)
- Shanghai Hongqiao→LinhaiAbout 3 hours each way; same-day round trip
Want to climb the Great Wall, but your trip is in Shanghai or Zhejiang?
The Great Wall is the first wish on a lot of travelers' lists for China. But if your itinerary is in Shanghai or Zhejiang, getting to Badaling means a four-hour-plus high-speed train to Beijing first, and shuffling through holiday crowds once you're there. You don't have to go that far. The Taizhou Prefecture Wall in Linhai, Zhejiang, is known as the “Jiangnan Great Wall”: the Ming general Qi Jiguang fought pirates here, and it was he who built its two-storey hollow watchtowers. When he was posted north later on, the design went with him, onto the Ming Great Wall. The architectural historian Luo Zhewen called this wall the “model” and the “blueprint” for the northern Ming wall. You leave your hotel in the morning, stand on the ramparts in the afternoon, and sleep in your own bed that night.
What you get on the Jiangnan Great Wall
Climb for the view, shoot without the crowds, plus a pirate-fighting story and old-street snacks
Stand on the ramparts and look out over river and town
The wall runs along the Ling River on one side and up over Beigu Hill on the other. Climb the Haohan Slope and the rooftops of the old town and the whole river are below you — the “standing on the Great Wall” moment you had in mind.
Skip 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 your legs want a break. Holidays do get busy here, so avoid them if quiet is what you're after.
A real pirate-fighting story
Pirates, a celebrated general, and a curved rampart built to keep out enemies and floods at the same time — your guide talks as you walk, and you'll find out how the watchtowers on the northern Great Wall were learned from here.
An old street that's still lived in
The old shops on Ziyang Street are all still trading. Lunch happens right there on the street: freshly fried egg-white “sheep's tails”, seaweed biscuits hot off the griddle. None of it is a set dressed up for tourists.
What to see on the wall, what to eat on Ziyang Street
Your guide stops at these spots up on the wall, and picks out a few snacks with you on Ziyang Street.
Signature 
Two-storey hollow watchtower
Built under Qi Jiguang's direction, with two levels and room for troops to shelter from the rain. It's the ancestor of the watchtowers on the northern Ming Great Wall — stand inside and you're standing at the beginning of the Great Wall's story.
Signature 
The barbican and the curved bastion
The side facing the Ling River was deliberately built as a semicircle, so floodwater flows around it. The wall still shields the old town from flooding today.
The Beigu Hill stretch and Haohan Slope
The steepest section, and the best one for photos. Climb it and the wall winds along the ridge with the whole old town at your feet.
Signature 
Ziyang Street
More than a kilometre of old street at the foot of the wall, and officially a Chinese Historical and Cultural Street. Egg-white “sheep's tails” are crisp outside and soft within, seaweed biscuits come straight off the griddle, and a shibingtong is one thin crepe rolled full of fillings.
Signature 
Egg-white “sheep's tail”
A famous Linhai snack: egg whites whipped stiff, wrapped around red bean paste and deep-fried. Crisp outside, soft inside, and named for its resemblance to a sheep's tail.
Seaweed biscuit
A freshly baked flaky pastry with a seaweed filling — savoury, crisp, and often worth a queue at the old shops on Ziyang Street.
Fried prawn fritter
Fresh prawns and minced pork in a batter, deep-fried until golden and puffed, and eaten hot as you walk.
Sweet-and-sour mochi in egg
Soft glutinous rice cake wrapped in egg and griddled, then finished with a sweet-and-sour sauce. Sweet with a tang.
Your itinerary
Timings below assume a Shanghai departure and are for reference; actual train times depend on the tickets issued. Departures from Zhejiang are adjusted to your starting point.
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A private car collects you from your hotel and takes you to Shanghai Hongqiao Station, with your guide travelling alongside. Train tickets are booked in advance using your passport details.
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About 3 hours. You reach Linhai Station around midday, where a local private car is waiting outside for you.
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Work your way through Linhai's snacks on the old street, one thing at a time, with your guide ordering for you. Please tell us about any dietary restrictions or allergies in advance.
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Walk the riverside stretch first to see the barbican, then head up Beigu Hill and past the hollow watchtowers. How far you go is up to you, and you can come down off the wall whenever you're tired.
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Take an early-evening high-speed train back, reaching Shanghai Hongqiao around 21:00, where a private car returns you to your hotel. Dinner isn't included; you can pick up snacks on Ziyang Street to eat on the train.
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 travelers, 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, about 13 hours, including roughly 6 hours of high-speed rail round trip
Departure Available from Shanghai or Zhejiang, with hotel pickup and drop-off; the timings shown assume a Shanghai departure
Group type Private tour, from 1 traveler (solo travelers, 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 — high-speed rail and the scenic area both require names registered to each traveler
Fitness The Beigu Hill steps are steep; you can walk only the gentler riverside stretch
Included
- Private car between your hotel and the high-speed rail station
- Round-trip high-speed rail tickets
- Local transport in Linhai
- Taizhou Prefecture Wall entrance tickets
- Ziyang Street street-food lunch
- Guide throughout
Not included
- Dinner
- Personal expenses
- Gratuities
Badaling — or the Jiangnan Great Wall?
From Shanghai, it's the same Great Wall, and a far easier day
- Badaling means a four-hour-plus high-speed train 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 you're back at your hotel the same day
- Badaling is crowded in peak season and on holidays; here weekdays are quiet and you don't queue for photos
- At Badaling you see the Great Wall; here you climb the “blueprint” for the northern wall and hear the pirate-fighting story from start to finish
Add the Great Wall to your Shanghai and Zhejiang trip
Tell us where you're starting from (Shanghai or Zhejiang), your dates and how many people are travelling, and we'll confirm the train tickets and guide. English and Chinese guides as standard; other languages on request in advance.
Ask us- From $343 per person
- Departs Shanghai or Zhejiang
- Round-trip high-speed rail included
- From 1 traveler
Frequently asked questions
Is the Jiangnan Great Wall the Great Wall?
It isn't the Great Wall that runs past Beijing — it's the Taizhou Prefecture Wall in Linhai, Zhejiang, also called the “Jiangnan Great Wall” or “Jiangnan Badaling”. The hollow watchtowers Qi Jiguang built here were later used on the northern Ming Great Wall, which is why this wall is called its “blueprint”.
How long does it take to get to Linhai from Shanghai? Can it be done in a day?
Shanghai Hongqiao to Linhai is about 3 hours by high-speed rail, so a day trip works. On a Shanghai departure we collect you from your hotel around 07:30 and return you around 21:00; from Zhejiang, everything is arranged around your departure point.
Can we start from Zhejiang?
Yes. We depart from either Shanghai or Zhejiang and pick you up at your hotel; train times and departure times are rearranged around where you're starting from, and the times on this page assume a Shanghai departure.
Is the wall hard to climb? Can older travelers and children manage it?
The riverside stretch is fairly gentle, while the Beigu Hill section has steep steps. How far you walk is up to you, and you can stick to the gentle stretch. If anyone in your group has limited mobility, please tell us in advance.
Why does the price per person go down when more people come?
The private car and guide are arranged for the group as a whole, so the more people travelling together, the less each person pays. Three and four people pay the same rate; five or more get the best per-person price.
What language does the guide speak?
English and Chinese guides are provided as standard; German, French, Spanish, Italian and other languages need to be arranged in advance when you book.
What documents do we need to bring?
Please bring your original passport. High-speed rail and the scenic area both require names registered to each traveler, and we book your train tickets and entrance passes in advance using your passport details.
What documents do I need to bring?
Please bring your original passport. Both high-speed rail and tourist sites require name-matched entry; we’ll book your tickets in advance using the passport details.