Originally Posted by
DrSavant
In other words, plan to dedicate at least half a day +, i.e. if you leave town at 8, you can be back by 14:00, having hung out at the highest part of the wall for 30-40 minutes.
We left at 8a from Wangfujing, went to Mutianyu, had plenty of time on the wall (at least "plenty" in the context of a very humid summer day) and we were dropped off at the Lama Temple by 1p.