6 Days Private Beijing Family Tour, Kids-Friendly

After breakfast, lace up your shoes to join your guide and driver at the hotel lobby for a comfortable private car ride to Tiananmen Square, which can accommodate a million people at a time for a massive gathering. Stroll northwards, pass by buildings of national importance like Monument to the People's Heroes and the Great Hall of the People, and we will reach the Forbidden City, aka Palace Museum. Here, at the once home of 24 emperors from 1420 to 1911 AD, let us unveil the past imperial life by digging into distinctive details of royal buildings like the most splendid Hall of Supreme Harmony where grand ceremonies are held and the Palace of Heavenly Purity served as the emperor’s sleeping quarter, as well as invaluable relics in the Gallery of Timepieces and Treasure Gallery. When appreciating those delicate antiques, you might wonder why it’s rare to see an item clearly marked as having been used by someone, especially some women’s jewelry. That’s because everything in the imperial palace belonged to the emperor, and even the high-status empress and concubines had no ownership of anything. Without special approval, the remains after their death will all be recycled, either given to others or remade for other uses. 

★ A La Carte Lunch at Restaurant Selected by Our Local Expert

This noon, we have carefully arranged a la carte lunch for you at a restaurant with authentic Beijing flavors. You don’t want to miss the top-rated Peking Roast Duck, an elaborately designed royal court dish, made of crispy and tender duck meat, along with sliced scallions and cucumber, wrapped in thin rice paper smeared with a special sauce. If you are interested, we will book it in advance for the chef to prepare.

In the afternoon, let’s make our way to the Temple of Heaven, the most expansive sacrificial building complex in China once for emperors to prayed to Heaven for good harvests. 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”.

★ Eye-opening at Traditional Chinese Acrobatic Show

Finish off today’s trip with an exciting Acrobatic Show for more fun at the Red Theater. Jiu-jitsu, high chairs, bowl balancing, tightrope walking, artistic cycling...... All of these stunts that challenge human limits will keep you occupied for about an hour. While watching the actors perform various difficult moves on the constantly stacking chairs, feel the heart skip a beat in a deliberately arranged, dangerous falling move.

After that, your guide and driver will convoy you to the hotel.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, a la carte lunch

After breakfast at the hotel, enjoy a 1.5-hour private car ride with your guide and driver out of downtown Beijing towards the Mutianyu Great Wall for an epic adventure. It is less touristy and less steep, so your kids can explore freely on it as they wish without risks. We have arranged for you thrilling rides via chairlift up and toboggan down the Wall. Note that big kids can have separate toboggans while kids under 10 years old need to share one with parent. You can also choose the round-trip cable car with a fully enclosed transparent cabin. Either way, you'll have enough time to hike on this ancient architectural wonder to discover all its 20 watchtowers and meanwhile appreciate how this giant stone dragon traces the mountain ridges until it disappears in the horizon. When you enter the small room on the west side of the No. 14 Watchtower, you’ll be shocked by the scene before your eyes: all four walls are covered with a layer of white cloth, on which are densely marked by visitors in Chinese, English, Japanese, and Korean. Just like them, leave precious memories with your children in this specially designed ‘graffiti area’.

For lunch, you can prepare some food beforehand and enjoy picnicking on the wall, or have a light meal at your own expense at the Subway or Burger King at the foot of the Mutianyu Great Wall. 

When driving back to the downtown area, we’ll make a photo stop at the Olympic Park for the National Stadium (Bird’s Nest) and National Aquatic Center (Water Cube), two futuristic landmarks for hosting large-scale sports events like the Olympic Games. Finally, the guide and driver will escort you back to your hotel.

► Dinner Recommendation (at your own expense):
Want to be satisfied with more Beijing-style delicacies? It is recommended that you treat yourself and your kids to Sugar-Coated Haws and bowls of Noodles with Soybean Paste tonight at the branch of the Old Beijing Soybean Paste Noodles King Restaurants near your hotel. If you prefer to have some local desserts, such as the Steamed Rice Cakes with Sweet Stuffing, Pea Cake, and the Fried Rings with Fermented Mung Bean Juice, go to a branch of the Huguo Temple Snack Restaurant. The average cost per person at both is CNY 36 (USD 5), and no matter which one you are interested in, your guide will be happy to help you locate it.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

Today, in the company of your guide and driver, set off to first visit the Lama Temple, which combines royal grandeur with the solemnity of Tibetan Buddhism. One of the must-see sights here is the Pavilion of Ten Thousand Buddhas, which houses an 18-meter-tall (59-feet-tall) Maitreya Buddha statue. Sunlight filters through the skylight, gilding the wooden-carved figurine with a golden glow, endowing it with even more power of faith and charm of craftsmanship. Walk around the Buddha three times with your kids to show your respect and pray for wisdom and enlightenment.

Then, take a few steps westward to wander around the ancient complex composed of the Temple of Confucius and the Imperial Academy, which respectively served as the place where the emperor paid homage to Confucius and the Chinese highest educational institution, featuring an axisymmetric traditional Chinese architectural style. Surprisingly, there were still some foreign students studying at the Imperial Academy during the 14th to 17th centuries. 

Afterward, let’s head to the Bell and Drum Towers to admire the antique landmarks before delving into the crisscrossed Hutong alleys. Walk through those alleys and immerse in the genuine old Beijing life. A family visit to one of the courtyard houses deep in the Hutong area is round the corner for you to actually engage with locals and folk culture. Also, we have prepared for you three cultural activities to choose from - you’ll learn either calligraphy, Peking Opera face painting, or paper cutting. Into noon, join the hostess in making Chinese dumplings, which you’ll enjoy for lunch.

In the afternoon, take a stroll and be refreshed like ancient royal members 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 surroundings 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! At the end of the day, your guide and driver will escort you back to the hotel.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, Lunch

Beijing is home to the fifth Universal Studios Theme Park in the world! On this free day, we recommend you go there with your kids to immerse in the seven fantasy worlds it holds. You can take subway Line 1 or Line 7 to Universal Beijing Resort Station by yourself, or feel free to contact us to arrange a private car for you at an extra charge if you need.

Here we have crafted an itinerary for your reference, beating the crowds and covering blockbuster projects you can’t miss:
After entering at 9:00 when the park opens, cross Hollywood Boulevard and head straight to the Transformers Metrobase to experience Battle for the AllSpark first. 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 with your prepared rain ponchos. For lunch, you can try the Drifter Land and Sea, a platter of meat and vegetables sold for CNY 198 (USD 28) at Drifters' Cantina at WaterWorld, or the signature massive Hammond Burger at Hammond's for CNY 98 (USD 14) at Minion Land, where you can then view the Despicable Me Minion Mayhem and Super Swirly. Afterward, join in the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey in the most popular Harry Potter’s Wizard World. Later, head to Jurassic World Isla Nublar for Jurassic World Adventure and Jurassic Flyers. Arrive earlier than 17:00 at Hollywood Boulevard and occupy a good standpoint for your kids to marvel at the grand float parade. Next, move 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 Hogwarts Castle again and wait for a spectacular nighttime light show!

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, after greeting you at the hotel, your guide will accompany you to visit the dedicated Panda House of Beijing Zoo, one of the best places to find these furry treasures of China. Morning is when they are in their activity peak, so seize the chance to observe them gnawing on bamboo and playing. Out of the Panda House, enjoy some leisurely time to spot other 500 species of rare animals from both China and other countries, including golden monkeys, Siberian tigers, Tibetan gazelle, and saltwater crocodiles… You name it! 

Now your 6 days Beijing family tour has reached the end. Your guide and driver will escort you to the airport or railway station for your departing flight or train. Thank you for travelling with us! If your time permits, consider extending your trip to other popular cities, such as Xi’an for the Terracotta Warriors, Zhangjiajie and Guilin for grotesque karst mountains, or Shanghai for the magic Chinese cityscape. Welcome to contact us anytime for a fantastic China tour tailored to your preferences.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast