Family Happiness in China
Just put on your backpack, take your passport, and fly to China? This will not happen smoothly when you are travelling with kids! A China tour is an adventure to discover various cultures, lifestyles, and landscapes. But how can you explore China in a family-friendly way? We are happy to customize an itinerary to your interests.
The itinerary below is for your reference. Talk to your travel advisor to tailor-make a unique journey for your family.
Days
11
Price
from US$2,459 p/p
Best For
Family
Best Time
Apr. to Oct.
Discover real reviews of Highlights Travel Family's best-rated service across trusted platforms.
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Mark. The Best Beijing Guide!
He met our every need above and beyond our expectations. My family of 6 had such a wonderful and memorable holiday.He is patient, well-versed and eloquent in both English and Mandarin. My Chinese-speaking parents and my English-dominant children clearly understood all that was explained. He included insights and aspects at each attraction that is not commonly known expanding our appreciation of the places we went. No questions too big and requests too small.. Every meal he arranged over the 5 days was very thoughtfully planned and had such variety that we were spoilt and well fed indeed. We will certainly look for Mark again on our next trip to Beijing and strongly recommend him to all and sundry if they plan to visit Beijing. More
Ng yik kelly, Mar 2025
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7 day Beijing trip with China Highlights
We were in Beijing for 7 days and went to the Great Wall, Gubei Watertown, Forbidden City, Summer Palace, Lama Temple, Beihai Park, Confucius Temple, Ming and Qing Tombs. Also went to watch the Acrobatic Show and the Golden Mask Show. The views are fantastic and the shows are amazing. Our tour guide, Colin, from China Highlights was awesome. He planned our itinerary flawlessly and took us to restaurants that served great authentic local food. Colin is very caring of my elderly mother and provided superb service. Thank you, Colin, for making my trip memorable. More
Adrene, Mar 2025
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Best tour guide ever
Extremely delighted with my Beijing tours. I was so fortunate to get Mark as my guide. and Hang to patiently drive us everywhere.Mark is extremely knowledgeable. witty and caring. Hang is sweet and mindful of my age. I am also grateful to Leaky of China highlights for planning an incredible itinerary for me. More
Pope Kavita Michelle, Mar 2025
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Tour Highlights
Itinerary Details
Your guide and driver will meet you at the airport. Please look for your name sign outside the luggage claim area.
They will transfer you to your hotel and help with check-in. For the rest of the day, you are free to acclimatize from jetlag at your hotel. Or, if you can't wait to self-explore the surroundings, your guide will be happy to make some recommendations.
On day 2, you will discover life in Beijing from the royal palace to a siheyuan (traditional courtyard residence) inside a hutong (traditional alleyway area).
As the landmark of Beijing, Tian'anmen Square watches over the big changes in China. It is also the main entrance to the Forbidden City.
Entering the Forbidden City, you will learn how emperors lived, studied, and worked inside the countless halls. Your guide will share interesting explanations of the architecture and vivid stories of its hidden history.
After an à la carte lunch at a local restaurant, you can walk leisurely through the hutongs. Different from the luxury of the palace, you can get close to locals' life there. Visit one of the local families and see the traditional houses. There, your family can do some folk handcrafts with a local artist, such as mask painting for the Peking opera, paper cutting, or Chinese calligraphy.
Return to your hotel after the tour.
Tips to Tailor-Make Your Tour
In Summer (June to October), Water Cube Water Park is quite popular for its water slides.
The Great Wall, the symbol of China, attracts countless tourists to see its great engineering and spectacular scenery, but first warm up with an engineering marvel in the city.
The Temple of Heaven was the most important imperial temple. Besides the mystical architecture, you can meet the locals and join in their morning exercises if you like.
Then you're heading to the highlight, the Mutianyu section of the Great Wall. Of all the sections of the Wall, it is the most time-friendly, easily-accessible, and highly-reputed. Take a chairlift up to the Great Wall after lunch. Enjoy your free time on the Wall. Hiking or just walking a little bit is fine. To finish, try the exciting toboggan down. A round-way cable car is available if you prefer.
Tips to Tailor-Make Your Tour:
- A night tour at Simatai Great Wall section is a distinctive experience. You can discover the unique length of Great Wall that's lit up and open at night.
- We are happy to customize a Great Wall hiking tour based on your time (from hours to days).
The Summer Palace, the best-preserved royal garden, harmonizes plants and paths, water and land. It served as a retreat for the royal family. Pavilions, The Long Corridor, and Kunming Lake (with a boat trip) are the must-sees.
In the afternoon, get on a speedy bullet train to Xi'an. This 1,075-kilometer (668-mile) journey only takes 4½ hours. The scenery along the railway is also a great bonus. Your Xi'an guide and driver will be waiting for you and take you to your hotel.
Start your day with a biking tour along the Ancient City Wall. Leisurely walking is a good alternative as well. Get to know how this defense project guarded Xi'an for several centuries.
Seated in the suburban area of Xi'an, the Terracotta Army was built to protect China's First Emperor as afterlife guards. All the soldiers are distinct from each other, with different facial expressions, hair, and clothing.
Even after 2,000+ years, all the soldiers and horses were still lifelike with unfaded colors when they were first discovered. What was the secret to it? Let's go into a local cave-dwelling and make a small terracotta warrior with a local craftsman.
Get an insight into Chinese Buddhism when visiting the Big Wild Goose Pagoda. Some locals still worship there on certain days.
Then stop at an ancient academy, listen to the stories of China's traditions and try on Hanfu (traditional clothing for Han people). A family photo with Hanfu will be a great souvenir from China. Next, it's lunchtime. Let's knock on the door of a local family and make dumplings with them. Chat with the hosts while you make and taste your own dumplings. What could be better than this?
In the afternoon, fly to Guilin. Upon arrival, just enjoy your free time.
Stepping into Reed Flute Cave, you will be impressed by the magical underground karst landscape. The colorful lights make every limestone formation more vivid. Please wear your antiskid shoes during your visit.
After lunch, decorate a Chinese landscape painting with Li River pebbles.
Then, you will drive to Daxu Ancient Town, once a prosperous port on the Li River. A native, Uncle Chow, will share his life and stories with you.
Tips to Tailor-Make Your Tour
We are happy to change landscape painting to Chinese learning if you like. You can learn some daily expressions from a 1-to-2-hour class.
The stunning scenery of the Li River is a classic theme for poets and artists. The 4-hour cruise will be a feast of karst landscape and rural life. You will see the oddly-shaped peaks, grazing water buffalos, traditional villages.
Arriving at Yangshuo in the early afternoon, your kids will have an opportunity to gain some farming knowledge. Roll up your sleeves and help the local farmers to plow, sow, or harvest. This special experience will bring some inspiration to life. Get back to your hotel after farm work.
Tips to Tailor-Make Your Tour
Instead of farm work, you could choose Chinese calligraphy, painting, a cooking class, a tai chi lesson, or rock climbing.
Escaping from the big cities, you can slow down your pace here. Hop on a bike / electric buggy, go through the villages and markets and stop to say hi to the farmers in the fields.
After lunch, you will be transferred to Guilin airport and fly to Shanghai. Your Shanghai guide and driver will be waiting for you and take you to your hotel.Tips to Tailor-Make Your Tour:
- The suggested cycling distance is about 10 to 15 kilometers (7 to 10 miles). This 1-to-2-hour biking trip is suitable for all ages. It's flexibly adjusted to your group's abilities.
- For families with kids below 10 years old, you can choose an electric buggy (golf cart) or electric scooter, which is typical Asian transport. They are very easy to operate.
Shanghai is famous for skyscrapers and being a cultural hub, and is even regarded as the representation of China's modernity. How does Shanghai stand out from other cities?
You will find out the secrets at Shanghai Urban Planning Exhibition Center. These exhibition halls will show you the changes in Shanghai city over the decades and use some high-tech to display Shanghai's future life.
Discover the busy Yuyuan Market and exquisite Yu Garden. This is the best place to get a glimpse of ancient Shanghai, as reflected in the movies.
Lastly, take the fastest elevator in the world to the observation level of Shanghai Tower (the highest building in China) and take in a panoramic view of the Bund.
We'll drive you back to your hotel, where you can enjoy a free evening.
Tips to Tailor-Make Your Tour
Shanghai Disneyland opened in 2016 and has become a popular choice for family trips. If your time permits, we can help to arrange tickets, private transfers and even a hotel inside the theme park.
At the appointed time, your guide and driver will take you to the airport to catch your flight home. They will see you off after airline check-in.
We wish you a great trip!
Price Includes
Price from: $2,459 (Tour code: gh-cht-ft-02)
Trip Notes
Every element of the tour above can be tailored. Feel free to tell us your ideas and we will be happy to make adjustments for you.
1. Extend the Tour
- Luoyang: Add 2–3 days for a Chinese kung fu experience.
- Chengdu: Add 2–3 days to join a panda keeper program to feed a panda and have your photo taken next to a panda.
- Hong Kong: Add 2–3 days for Victoria Peak, Hong Kong Disneyland, and a day-tour of Macau.
- Free days: Yangshuo and Shanghai are popular destinations to add one or more free days to explore on your own.
- More destinations: Visit Zhangjiajie for its glass bridge, Suzhou for its water towns, and go on a Yangtze River cruise. Inform us of your interests and we will offer you some recommendations.
2. Accommodation
Various types of accommodation are available, including famous 5-star hotel chains, 4-star hotels in the best locations, good value 3-star hotels, or boutique hotels that reflect the style of the region.
Whatever your accommodation preferences are, our travel experts will seek out and find the perfect one for you.
Most hotels in China allow a maximum of three people in one room. If there are more than three people in your group, we will check if there is a family room available or do our best to arrange interconnecting or adjoining rooms.
3. Transportation
China is a huge country so, to make your travel experience more efficient, we usually arrange flights to connect your destinations.
China's high-speed rail network is a fast-paced way to travel. We recommend taking high-speed trains for journeys of less than 6 hours to interested customers — please tell us if you are one of them.
4. Car Seats, Strollers, and Cribs
To maximize the safety of your children, we can arrange for car seats and baby strollers to be provided at your request during the private transfers in big cities.
For infants under 2 years old, we will inform your hotel to arrange a crib for you. No extra cost is needed.
The number of car seats, strollers, and cribs are limited. Please inquire and confirm early to reserve them.
5. Meals
Lunches at popular local restaurants are included for you so you can taste authentic Chinese food. Your guide will assist you with ordering the dishes.
Most families enjoy eating local Chinese food as there is plenty of variety and different flavors. Some children may prefer Western food or have some special requirements for meals.
Western, vegetarian, halal, kosher, Indian, gluten-free… — all dietary requirements can be catered for by our experienced private guides. Let us know if you have any of these dietary requirements during your booking.
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