Originally Posted by unigus

Thanks to so many here and on Tripadvisor, I have decided I will avoid tour companies and do most of the planning myself for my upcoming trip to Beijing.

I was wondering if someone was familiar with the distance and feasibility of combining an excursion to the Mutianyu section of the Wall (since it is more appealing to me than the busier Badaling part) then going to the Longqing Gorge Ice Festival later that night. Of course I understand that anything is possible if you want to pay enough....I was curious to know if there are decent roads and if it's actually 'doable'. It just seemed if I was venturing out of the city for the day I would want to try and combine this...

My propensity is to look at getting a car from the hotel (even if it costs more) for the comfort and security as opposed to hiring a misc person off emails or a taxi, especially since I'll be traveling alone.

Thoughts?