Best China Family Tour

Welcome to Beijing! After meeting the guide at the airport, you will be escorted to the hotel for check-in. The rest day is free: hang out or enjoy a good rest to recover from jet lag. Have dinner at the hotel or a nearby restaurant (you can ask for recommendations from your guide).

● Stay at a hotel offering ancient Chinese cultural experience:
Over 200 years old, the Beijing Double Happiness Courtyard Hotel we select for you is of a traditional courtyard house architecture, top-rated among the several hotels of its kind in Beijing. Some people even come here just for staycation, as it is also an immersive scenic site to feel ancient Chinese lifestyle, with carved mahogany furniture, embroidered silk beddings, landscaped courtyard… Living here is like living in a mansion left by Chinese Qing-era (1644 to 1911 AD) ancestors. Your kids and you will love it!

● Enjoy a service that addresses all your major concerns:
A healthy journey: Considering that you have kids with you, a smoke-free private ride will be offered throughout.
Tailor-made meals: If you want vegetarian meals during your journey, please inform us in advance for us to arrange.

Accommodation: Double Happiness Beijing Courtyard Hotel  - A boutique courtyard hotel in Hutong

Your China family holiday will start from today. First, the guide will accompany you to stroll the Tiananmen Square, a landmark in Beijing to find monumental edifices and used for holding massive national events. The Square leads to the Forbidden City, our first UNESCO-honored destination. As the imperial office and living quarter during Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368 – 1911 AD), the Forbidden City will impress you as one of the world's largest and best-preserved ancient wooden palace complex. The lunch today is a la carte for you to enjoy authentic Chinese food. For foodies, Peking Roast Duck is unmissable.

In the afternoon, enjoy a 1-hour walking tour in Hutongs, historical alleys lined with traditional Chinese courtyard houses. It’s just the right place to experience traditional life of Beijing people, with the most authentic found in the east. Along the way, first have a panoramic view of the Hutongs on the Drum Tower, and then go on a dive through the hutongs on foot. The tour will culminate with a visit to a local family in one of those courtyard houses, where you can interact with locals and learn about Chinese culture. There will be three things for you to choose to experience: Chinese calligraphy, face painting (the kind of face seen in Peking Opera theatre), or paper-cutting, all being symbolic components of the Chinese cultural tapestry.

Later, we will take you to watch an acrobatic show at the Red Theatre. The acrobats’ gripping coordinated movements will wow you and your kids from start to finish. After that, you will be transferred back to the hotel.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, A la carte lunch

Today, you will visit two more World Cultural Heritage Sites. The first one is Temple of Heaven, the world's largest existing sacrificial building complex, visited by ancient Chinese emperors to pray for bumper harvest. Over time, it has evolved to a park where locals do morning exercises. If you catch some practicing Taichi (a famous school of martial art), you might seize the chance to say “hi” and join them to learn some moves.

Continue with a 1.5-hour drive to the next heritage site and one of the Seven Wonders of the World - the Great Wall of China (at Mutianyu). We will go uphill by a chair lift, enjoy an amazing hiking tour, and slide all the way down through a toboggan run, which is a big draw here. Fitted onto the side of the mountain, the run is 1,580 meters (5,180 feet) long and offers a thrilling fun missing in the cable car. While sliding, you will find totally different perspectives of this “most beautiful section of the Great Wall”. As the run is not covered and the speed needs manual control, for those with little kids, you might let them sit with you. Of course, if you don’t like such activity, we can arrange a cable car ride down.

As for dinner, we highly recommend you to eat at the AI-powered Haidilao Hot Pot Restaurant (at your own expense). With blue-lighted atmosphere, an intelligent kitchen, and AI robot servers, you will be like stepping into a sci-fi movie! If you are interested, we can reserve seats for you.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

In a city where present meets past, it has something that caters to everyone, from ancient sites to feel China’s captivating history to modern attractions just for fun. To make the most of your stay here, we’d like to leave a free day for you to explore Beijing on your own. You can ask your guide for recommendations or simply have fun at the Universal Studios theme park, which might be your kids’ favorite.

● What to expect from Universal Studios Beijing Resort
Of all the five Universal Studios theme parks in the world, Beijing’s is the largest and home to the themed land of Kungfu Panda: Land of Awesomeness, a Chinese-style wonderland overall adorned by elements from the animation. Also take time with your kids to explore Harry Potter’s magical world, take photos with the Minions, and experience a thrilling 4D fight using massive weapons to help Optimus Prime against villains! From the hotel, you can take a cab (a 40-min drive that costs CNY 80-90) or subway (which takes 1h 15min) to get there. We are also glad to help with services of a round-trip transfer and ticket booking (at your own expense).

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

We will take you to the Panda Hall to see giant pandas early in the morning, when they are during their activity peak in a day. These roly-poly creatures will let you see them eat and sport, until they start to drowse around 11 am. Let’s end your tour in Beijing with a visit to the Summer Palace, a Qing dynasty-era royal summer retreat, to witness the longest gallery honored by Guinness World Records. Another famous spot here is Hall of Joyful Longevity. On the northeastern bank of Kunming Lake and backed by Longevity Hill, it is known for the residence of Empress Dowager Cixi in her old age. She lived in the Summer Palace for five to ten months every year, and led a lavish life here. It’s said that 150,000 jin (165,347 lb) of apples was served to Empress Dowager Cixi just for enjoying the fragrance, as she liked the fruity odor very much. She took more than 100 towels every time she bathed, and 108 dishes to eat at a meal. Only one table of dishes she would taste, while the other two tables were never touched. Following our guide, you can see the extravagant hall with many decorations that trespassed upon the power of the emperor.

Later, you will be transferred to the train station and take a high speed train for Xi'an. The journey is about 4.5 to 6 hours. After arrival, the guide in Xi'an will pick you up and transfer you to the hotel.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast
Accommodation: Holiday Inn Xian Big Goose Pagoda

The essence of China’s history is found in Xi’an, a city chosen by thirteen ancient dynasties as their capital. Today, we will first tour the UNESCO-recognized heritage site of Terracotta Army Museum. It is an underground army made by terracotta, built under the order of the Emperor Qin Shi Huang (259 – 210 BC) - the first emperor in China’s history who unified ancient China - to serve him after his death. You will marvel at the life-sized warriors, horses, and bronze chariots, etc, which total more than 9,000 pieces.

● Make your own terracotta warrior and take it home
After exiting the museum, we will give you an unforgettable memory by taking you to a workshop to make a mini terracotta soldier by yourself, with your logo carved on it. There will be an artist giving you instructions throughout. The rare clay used are just the same as what Emperor Qin used to make his own ones 2,000 years ago, excavated from the underground at 7-9 meters (23-29 feet) deep. Bring it home as you finish your masterpiece!

Let’s then head downtown to visit the Giant Wild Goose Pagoda, the oldest and largest square brick pagoda in China. Built in Tang Dynasty (618 – 907 AD) under royal patronage, it was used to store Buddhist statues, relics and sutras brought from India by hierarch Xuanzang. Next, have some free time at the nearby Grand Tang Dynasty Ever-Bright City, a cult pedestrian street for locals and tourists alike to encounter cultural phenomena, like the spectacle of passers-by dressed in traditional Chinese clothes.

● Dinner Suggestion: You can take your kids to dine at Spacelab Weightless Restaurant. As the name suggested, the restaurant takes you to another dimension with a futuristic design: dishes are sent down through spiral orbits. If you’d like to try, we will assist in booking seats and taking you there. After the meal, go back to the hotel via taxi or subway by yourself.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast

In the morning, we will first go to the City Wall Park, a green belt encircling the City Wall where you can find locals do exercise, dance, practice Tai Chi martial art, and play table tennis. These hospitable people will welcome you if you want to join them! Afterwards, we will climb up to the top of the Xi’an City Wall to have a panoramic view of the city. Then go on a biking tour for about 30 minutes to 1 hour on the City Wall. If you don’t feel like cycling, we can go sightseeing by a battery car.

Around noon time, let’s head for the Muslim Quarter, a lively snack street that fascinates travelers and locals with various authentic local foods. Our next surprise for you awaits in the Gao’s Grand Courtyard, the residence of a Ming-era (1368 to 1644 AD) official. Here, you will watch a show of shadow puppetry, a form of traditional Chinese theatre protected by UNESCO as an intangible cultural heritage. Instead of real people, the show is performed by silhouette figures manipulated by artists with rods behind a back-lit cloth screen, telling folklores or Chinese history.

Your tour in Xi’an will end with a transfer to the airport for the flight to Shanghai. On arrival, you will be met and led to the hotel by your local guide.

● Overnight in Andersen’s fairy tales
The carefully-selected Hengshan Moller Villa Hotel doesn’t just look like a castle; it indeed is. Modelled after a castle described in Andersen’s fairy tales, the European-style villa was built in 1927 by a rich merchant named Moller for his little daughter, a die-hard fan of the writer. Besides appreciating its architecture, you can also have dinner at its Chinese-style restaurant, which serves an innovative combination of Shanghai cuisine and it of other local styles. With stomach full, enjoy a stroll through its vast garden, with flowers, plants, and a little pond adding charm to it. Kids’ paradise, isn’t it?

Meals: Western buffet breakfast
Accommodation: Hengshan Moller Villa Hotel - An enchanting fairytale hotel

Today will start from the Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Hall, where you can have a quick impression of this metropolis through its past, present, and the vision for its future. Then, head to Yu Garden, a typical classic Chinese Garden that will charm you with its ancient architecture and meticulous layout. A visit to the nearby Yuyuan Bazaar, a street flanked by snack and craft shops in traditional Chinese buildings, will be followed.

You will be served with a la carte lunch today. After that, let’s take the world’s fastest lift to the 52nd floor of Shanghai Tower to Duoyun Bookstore. While sipping a drink we will specially order for you, you can savor from its viewing platforms eye-level vistas of Shanghai World Financial Center and the spire of the Oriental Pearl TV Tower, as well as a panorama of the Huangpu River. After that, go on to enjoy a cruise along the Huangpu River and then come ashore to explore the Bund on the west bank. You will wonder at the contrast between historical edifices of varied western architectures on this side of the bank and the modern skyscrapers on the opposite. At the end of the trip, we will drive you back to your hotel.

Meals: Western buffet breakfast, A la carte lunch

Our family tour in China comes to an end today. According to your flight schedule, the guide will escort you on a maglev train to the airport and see you off (our driver will take your luggage to the airport). You are to experience the most advanced means of transportation on earth, which takes only 7 minutes with a speed up to 430 km/h (267 mi/h) from our boarding point to Shanghai Putong International Airport.

● Tip: If you want to experience more about China, we can extend your tour by 1 day for excursions to hot destinations like the Disneyland, the nearby beautiful water towns, or Suzhou city.
Bon Voyage!

Meals: Western buffet breakfast