6 Days Beijing Family Tours: Kids-Friendly & Hassle-free

We are honored to have you on our 6 days guided Beijing family tour! Beijing, the capital of China for the past 5 dynasties, is a one-of-a-kind window to glimpse China. Its profound history and modern development have brought it abundant instructive ancient and present-day wonders, cultural experience and recreational activities, making for an ideal destination for families with kids.

As you land at the airport, please meet your guide and driver who’ve been waiting for you and will transfer you to your hotel. Check in and enjoy a rest at the luxury hotel we handpicked for you. Later, maybe venture into the downtown hustle and bustle beneath and get a feel for what Beijing is like.

► Insider Tips for Dinner:
Ask your guide where to find a branch of Huguosi Snack Restaurant near your hotel. There is not a Beijing local that doesn’t know the time-honored brand, which originated from its namesake snack street, a cultural heritage famous for holding temple fairs 300 years ago. You get to try any typical Beijing snacks, dishes and desserts here, like Steamed Rice Cakes with Sweet Stuffing (Ai Wo Wo) and Pea Cake (Wan Dou Huang). Maybe also go for Fried Rings (Jiao Quan) with Fermented Mung Bean Juice (Dou Zhi), a combo considered classic by locals. Dou Zhi might taste literally bizarre to you - you will either love it or “ugh” - but you won’t want to miss this 300-year-old dish, sold only for CNY 3 / USD 0.4!

After breakfast, lace up your shoes to join your guide at hotel lobby for a ride to Tiananmen Square. (If you need a baby seat, please tell us in advance and we will make proper arrangements for you.) Now you’re at the largest city square in the world, which can accommodate a million people at a time for massive gathering. Stroll northwards, pass by buildings of national importance like Mao’s memorial hall and the Great Hall of the People, and we will reach the Forbidden City, aka Palace Museum. Here, we will take you for a journey into the imperial life of Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368 - 1911), by admiring splendid royal buildings and invaluable relics most of which royal members were keeping by their side. Our visit includes the eye-opening Clock and Watch Gallery, which exhibits some two hundred timepieces crafted in the 18th century collected from all over the world. You and your kids will surely be dazzled by these horology wonders - imagine those mechanisms in shapes of delicate vase, potted landscape, towers and even pavilions! What’s more, details like cute Chinese mythological creatures on the palace roofs and before the gates also have stories to let your guide unveil.

★ A La Carte Lunch at Restaurant Selected by Our Local Expert
This noon, we will take you to enjoy a la carte lunch at a restaurant housed in a courtyard house. Not only the chef here is an old hand at authentic Beijing flavors, but the environment will immerse you in ravishing old charms. You don’t want to miss their top-rated Peking Roast Duck, an elaborately-designed royal court dish dating from the Northern and Southern Dynasties (420-589), and if you are interested, we will book it this morning for the chef to prepare it.

In the afternoon, continue to marvel at Temple of Heaven, the most expansive sacrificial building complex in China once for Ming and Qing emperors to pray to Heaven for good harvest. Since the ritual of sacrifice was abolished, it has become a large park with ancient trees shading local retired life and visitors like us who are here to witness its spectacular and allusive architecture. Your guide will show you how the main sites here all manifest the Chinese philosophy “Heaven is round and Earth square”. Encounter squirrels on the way! Good luck meeting the only pure white squirrel and brave ones daring to approach you. Finish off today’s trip with Beijing Acrobatic Show for more fun at the Red Theater.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, A La Carte lunch

After breakfast, we will drive out of downtown Beijing towards the Mutianyu Great Wall for an epic adventure. We have arranged for you thrilling rides via chairlift up and toboggan down the Wall. Big kids can have separate toboggans while little kids too young to rely on themselves need to share one with parent. You will have enough time to hike on this ancient military wonder and meanwhile appreciate how this giant stone dragon traces the mountain ridges until it disappears in the horizon. Tell your kids to imagine they are walking on the back of a dragon! The Mutianyu section is less touristy and less steep, so kids on it can explore as they wish without risks. Your guide would recommend good places for family photos.

At noon, as there is no decent restaurant nearby, you can have lunch at the Subway or Burger King. Or you can prepare some foods beforehand and enjoy picnicking on the wall, which will be a special experience. After that, we will drive back to downtown Beijing and make a photo stop at the Olympic Park for the Bird's Nest and the Water Cube, venues for 2008 Summer Olympics.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

Ever dreamed of meeting lovely giant pandas in their hometown and watching your kids shouting for joy right before them? This morning, let’s go for this in the Beijing Zoo and visit the dedicated Panda Hall, one of the best places to find these furry treasures of China. We need to get up a bit early today so as to see them in their activity peak and playing. No one can resist the loveliness of panda, no matter what age. Out of the hall, maybe give yourself and kids some time to spot more than other 500 species of rare animals from both China and other countries. There are golden monkeys, Siberian tigers, Tibetan gazelle, blue fogs, flying ducks, saltwater crocodiles… You name it! Next, head to the Bell Tower (or the Drum Tower if you like) and climb it to command the crisscrossed Hutong alleys below. Continue to have a walk through those hutongs and dive into traditional Beijing life. A family visit is round the corner to one of the courtyard houses packed on either side for you to actually engage with locals and traditional culture. There will be three cultural activities to choose from - you will learn either calligraphy, or Peking Opera face painting, or paper cutting. Into noon, join the hostess in making dumplings, which you will eat for lunch.

In the afternoon, take a stroll and be refreshed like ancient Chinese emperors at the Summer Palace. It is China’s best-preserved royal garden, a sprawling patchwork including palaces, hills and lakes. A boat ride on the immense Kunming Lake will be specially arranged for you to appreciate alluring surrounds with a unique perspective and enjoy a leisurely time with your family. Capture birds like black swans and Mandarin ducks that often appear in pairs on the way!

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch

Beijing is home to the fifth Universal Studios Theme Park in the world! We recommend you spend a whole day with your kids immersing in the seven fantasy worlds it holds. You can take subway Line 1 or Line 7 to Universal Beijing Resort by yourself, or if you need, we can arrange a private car for you at an extra charge. Feel free to ask your travel consultant for help.

Here we have crafted an itinerary for you to follow, covering blockbuster projects you can’t miss according to our research. The park opens at 9:00 but you can get in 15 minutes earlier. The first scene that comes into view would be the Hollywood Boulevard; don’t linger here for too long. To beat the crowds, instead of Harry Porter’s world, we recommend you hit Transformers Metrobase next to experience Battle for the AllSpark. Continue to Kung Fu Panda Land of Awesomeness for Kung Fu Panda Journey of the Dragon Warrior. At around 11:00, stop at WaterWorld for a stunt show when it’s less-crowded - pick a seat you prefer to better interact with the performers; remember to bring rain ponchos in advance.

For lunch, you can eat at Drifters' Cantina located in the WaterWorld and order the Drifter Land and Sea, a platter of meat and vegetables sold for CNY 198 / USD 27. Or visit Hammond's in the Minion Land and opt for the signature massive Hammond Burger at CNY 138 / USD 19. The recommended dishes are among the best in the park!

Next on the agenda is the Minion Land for Despicable Me Minion Mayhem and Super Swirly. Then it’s time to immerse in Harry Potter’s Wizard World. You need to know that it is always the most popular park, so by visiting it this time you will avoid waiting up in a long line. Don’t think twice to join in its Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey! Later, head to Jurassic World Isla Nublar for Jurassic World Adventure and Jurassic Flyers. Leave some time to marvel at the grant float parade that usually begins at 17:00 from the Hollywood Boulevard. If you want to avoid seas of crowds, we recommend you not to see it at the boulevard, unless you may arrive there earlier and occupy a good standpoint for your kids. Next, head to the Majestic Theater to watch the live stage show Untrainable, which is based on the animation How to Train your Dragon. At last, go to the Hogwarts Castle again and wait for a spectacular nighttime light show!

For dinner, perhaps treat yourself and your kids to Sugar-Coated Haws (Tang Hu Lu) and bowls of Noodles with Soybean Paste (Zha Jiang Mian), Beijing’s iconic traditional snack and dish. Restaurants we’d recommend include Old Beijing Zha Jiang Mian Da Wang, which has a branch near either the hotel you choose; cost per person on average here is CNY 36 / USD 5.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

Today your tour will reach the end. Enjoy a breakfast at leisure and make sure you’ve double checked your luggage. We will pick you up at the agreed time for your departing flight. Consider booking a late flight in advance so you can enjoy more of your last day. The hotel offers luggage storage service, allowing you to explore freely after check-out without being burdened. Take care!

Meals: Western buffet breakfast