China with Kids
Family travel guide for parents planning with children
Top Family Activities
The best things to do with kids in China.
Beijing Zoo Panda House
Arrive for the 8:30am panda feeding and you'll share the platform with a handful of early birds while the bears lumber about instead of snoozing. The outdoor enclosures are ringed by lawns where kids can sprint between viewpoints without colliding with tour groups.
Mutianyu Great Wall Toboggan Ride
A chairlift floats you up and a metal toboggan whooshes you back down, children exit grinning and begging for another run. The wall itself sees fewer feet than nearby Badaling.
Shanghai Disney Resort
The park is smaller than Orlando yet almost empty if you skip Chinese public holidays. The Tron coaster exists only in Shanghai and delivers silky loops that convert skeptical teens into repeat riders.
Chengdu Panda Research Base
From 8-10am the cubs tumble in outdoor pens before the day heats up. Behind the glass of the research hospital you can watch pink newborns in incubators no larger than a shoebox.
Xi'a City Wall Bike Ride
On the broad top of Xi'an's ancient wall you can rent four-person bikes. The surface is flat, traffic-free, and gives children a cyclist's-eye panorama of the old city, plus endless photo ops.
Guangzhou Chimelong Safari
The safari train rumbles through open enclosures where giraffes crane their necks into the carriages. White tiger cubs are raised in a glass nursery you can peer into.
Best Areas for Families
Where to base yourselves for the smoothest family trip.
Built for the 2008 Olympics, the zone has wide stroller-friendly sidewalks, a hands-on Olympic Museum, and the colossal Bird's Nest stadium where kids can sprint around the outer plaza.
Highlights: Olympic Park's splash fountains cool small feet, an indoor mall with a food court sits steps away, and subway Line 8 drops you at the gate.
Plane-tree shade makes stroller walks pleasant, and cafés line the streets with crayons and kids' menus already printed. If rain drives you indoors, the Propaganda Poster Art Centre offers quirky shelter.
Highlights: Fuxing Park pairs paddle boats with kite-flying retirees; ice-cream vendors work every corner, and the subway is an easy stroll.
The flat lakeside paths welcome strollers, and rental bikes come with child seats. When small legs protest, hop on a boat tour for a seated view of pagodas and bridges.
Highlights: Hangzhou's botanical gardens hide a playground, lakeside restaurants stock high chairs, and willow shade offers regular cooldowns.
Family Dining
Where and how to eat with children.
Chinese restaurants roll out the welcome mat for children, you'll spot three-generation tables everywhere. High chairs materialise the moment a baby appears, and most kitchens tone down chilli without prompting.
Dining Tips for Families
- Ask for 'fan' (plain rice) the moment you sit. Bowls land within minutes and silence hungry kids while the rest of the order arrives.
- Hot pot joints offer mild broths and kids relish dunking their own skewers like mini chefs.
- Honeymoon Dessert and similar chains set out high chairs beside mango puddings that taste like home.
Push-cart dim sum lets children point and sample. Portions are bite-sized and the clatter masks any toddler tantrum.
Crystal Jade and its peers hand over picture menus, fried rice for cautious eaters and clean high chairs without fuss.
Roujiamo stalls let kids assemble Chinese hamburgers with pulled pork and pickled veg, familiar yet new.
Tips by Age Group
Tailored advice for every stage of childhood.
Chinese strangers adore babies, so expect requests for photos with your blonde child. The attention is warm but can swamp shy toddlers.
Challenges: Jet lag shreds nap schedules, and changing tables outside department stores are scarcer than you'd expect.
- In packed quarters like the Forbidden City, a baby carrier beats a stroller every time.
- Pack familiar snacks, Chinese baby-food brands taste different and picky eaters may revolt.
This age group gets the most out of China - old enough to grasp the Terracotta Army's scale yet young enough to be dazzled by dumpling-making classes.
Learning: The Shanghai Natural History Museum has excellent dinosaur exhibits with English labels, and the China Science and Technology Museum in Beijing has hands-on exhibits kids can touch
- Buy them a Chinese name stamp - they'll use it at every calligraphy class and it's a great souvenir
- Let them use the metro map - kids find the color-coded lines easier to navigate than adults
Teens love China's tech-forward culture - QR code payments, livestream shopping, and bullet trains going 200mph. They can navigate independently using translation apps.
Independence: Safe to let teens explore shopping districts alone during daytime - Shanghai's Xintiandi or Beijing's Sanlitun have familiar brands and English signage
- Get them a Chinese SIM card at the airport - cheaper than international roaming and works for Instagram through VPN
- Haggle at markets is expected - teach them to start at 30% of asking price
Practical Logistics
The nuts and bolts of family travel.
Bullet trains have wide luggage racks that swallow strollers whole. Shanghai and Beijing metros add elevators at most stops. Taxis rarely carry car seats, pack a portable booster. Didi's English app summons a ride in two taps.
Beijing United and Shanghai United Family hospitals keep English-speaking paediatricians on staff. Watson's pharmacies stock Pampers and Similac. Most international hotels can page an English-speaking doctor for a room call.
Book rooms near Beijing's subway Line 2 or Shanghai's Line 1 for one-seat rides to the big draws. Ask for connecting rooms, Chinese hotels often have them but leave them off websites. Pools come standard in four-star chains.
- Portable high chair that clips to tables - most restaurants don't have them
- Face masks in kids' sizes for pollution days in Beijing
- Small packets of tissues - public bathrooms rarely have toilet paper
- Portable phone charger - you'll use translation apps constantly
- Reserve train tickets 30 days ahead for a 30% discount; the Ctrip app handles the transaction in English.
- Many museums are free for kids under 1.2m, always ask at ticket window
- Hotel breakfast buffets often free for kids under 6 - confirm when checking in
Family Safety
Keeping your family safe and healthy.
- ! Crosswalks are suggestions, not rules - hold hands firmly and teach kids to make eye contact with drivers
- ! Tap water isn't safe - hotels provide free bottled water, and convenience stores sell 4-liter jugs for brushing teeth
- ! Sunscreen is expensive and limited selection - bring SPF 50 from home for pollution-sensitive skin
- ! Street food is generally safe if it's hot and fresh. But avoid cut fruit from street vendors
- ! Air pollution apps like Air Matters give real-time readings - when AQI hits 200, switch to indoor activities
- ! Teach kids 'ting bu dong' (I don't understand) - locals back off immediately when foreigners use it
Book Family Activities
Top-rated family experiences in China.
Tibet Tour 8 Days Lhasa to Everest Base Camp Small Group Tour
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Tibet Tour 15 Days Lhasa to Kailash Trekking Small Group via EBC
Our expertly-designed Mt.Kailash tour starts in Lhasa. You will have 3 days to get acclimatized to the Tibetan Plateau while touring the most well-known Buddhist sites in Lhasa city. Then, we set out
Xi'a Morning Food & Market Tour by TukTuk
This is not another walking tour but a small group tour travel by private tuktuk and offer unlimited food and drinks while you and your English-speaking guide are whisked around Xi'a less crowded. Yo
13 Day Lhasa, Mt. Everest, Mt. Kailash to Kathmandu Adventure
This is a spiritual tour and no others can compare with. Mt. Kailash is recognized as the holiest mountain, and the center of the world by Hinduism, Tibetan Buddhism, Bon - native religion in Tibet an
7 Days Lhasa to Kathmandu Overland Small Group Tibet Tour via EBC
This 7-day overland Tibet tour from Lhasa to Kathmandu follows the Sino-Nepal highway, which offer you amazing views of the Himalaya and the scenic Tibetan countryside. The visit to the old cities: Lh
Private Full-Day Xi'a Highlights Tour with Pickup and Lunch
Spend time in Chinese culture private tour. Save time without compromising on experience on this door-to-door private guided tour that covers Terracotta Army and key Xi'a highlights. First, explore t
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