Ultimate China Family Adventure

Welcome to Beijing! Your family’s China adventure starts the moment you land.

Your guide will meet you at Beijing Capital (PEK) or Daxing (PKX) airport with a sign, and take you straight to your hotel. The rest of the day is free. You can take a walk around the neighbourhood, or just settle in with a quiet dinner before the days ahead.

Family-Friendly Dining (On Your Own)

• Dong Lai Shun: classic mutton hot pot, interactive and mild enough for kids.
• Huguo Temple Snack Street: try Lvdagun (rolling donkey cake) or Miancha (flour tea). Some flavours are an acquired taste, but worth trying.

Evening Ideas

• Liyuan Theatre: a good introduction to Beijing Opera, with English subtitles.
• Houhai Lake: a relaxed evening walk and a first taste of local life.

Morning
Start at Tian’anmen Square, the symbolic heart of modern China. Your guide will handle the logistics and security checks, leaving you free to grab a family photo with the Rostrum in the background.

From there, walk through the Meridian Gate into the Forbidden City. Rather than a straight history lecture, we turn it into a bit of a scavenger hunt, spotting hidden bronze lions and architectural details as you go, with your guide focusing on stories about the young emperors who lived here.

A short 10-minute walk brings you up to Jingshan Park. From the Wanchun Pavilion, you get a clear view over the Forbidden City’s rooftops, which is a good way to appreciate just how big the palace really is.

Afternoon
Take a rickshaw ride through the Shichahai area, one of Beijing’s best-preserved historic neighbourhoods, winding past old courtyard homes and the Yinding Bridge.

Step inside a local courtyard home and hear from residents who’ve lived there for generations, how tradition and modern life blend together in these old neighbourhoods.

Afterward, try a hands-on workshop, choosing from Chinese calligraphy, Peking Opera mask painting, or traditional paper-cutting.

(Let us know your preferred activity in advance, some may have small material fees.)

Morning
Head to the Mutianyu Great Wall, known for its scenery and comparatively manageable crowds.

Recommended route: chairlift up, walk the eastern route, toboggan down. Take the chairlift to the 6th watchtower, walk toward Watchtower No. 4 and No. 1 for good family photos, then descend via the 1,580-metre toboggan. You control the speed yourself.

(Note: children under 10, or below the height requirement, need to ride with an adult.)

Prefer a gentler pace? A fully enclosed cable car covers the western route round-trip instead, a good option for grandparents or families with toddlers. Just let us know.

Afternoon
Drive back into Beijing to visit the Summer Palace, the old retreat of Qing-dynasty emperors. Walk the Long Corridor, painted with thousands of small scenes, and see the Marble Boat.

Boating Experience: Board a traditional wooden boat to cruise across Kunming Lake, which is a relaxed way to take in the gardens without wearing out little legs.

Evening
Round out the day with a Peking Duck dinner, the crispy skin and the process of wrapping it yourself tends to be a hit with kids.

Morning
Your driver will take you to the station for the high-speed train to Xi’an (around 4.5 hours), a good stretch to relax or watch the countryside roll by. Your local guide will meet you on arrival and take you to your hotel.

Evening (Optional): Hanfu Experience & Grand Tang Everbright City
If your family’s up for it, dress in traditional Hanfu or Tang-style clothing for some memorable photos, then once the lights come on (around 7:30pm), walk through this open-air recreation of Tang-dynasty Xi’an, musical fountains, street performers, and plenty of atmosphere.

Morning
Visit the Terracotta Warriors and Horses Museum. For kids, it often becomes a kind of giant historical puzzle, spotting different facial expressions, hairstyles, and even shoe tread patterns among the 2,000-year-old soldiers. We’ll guide you to the best viewpoints in Pit 1 to take in the scale with fewer crowds.

DIY Mini-Warrior Workshop
Near the museum, join a hands-on workshop where kids can mold their own miniature warrior, pressing clay into molds and carving in details, and take home something they made themselves.

Afternoon
Back in downtown Xi’an, visit the Ancient City Wall which is 14 kilometres long and the best-preserved of its kind anywhere. Standing 12 metres high and traffic-free, it’s a good open space for kids to run around while the rest of the family takes in the view.

(Optional cycling: kids 8+ can ride their own bike; younger children can ride tandem with a parent. A 45-minute half-loop is usually the right length.)

Continue into the Muslim Quarter for its food stalls and lively atmosphere.

(Optional: a shadow puppet show at Gao’s Grand Courtyard which is a traditional Ming-style garden setting with leather puppets and live music, a nice quieter break for younger kids.)

Morning/Afternoon
Transfer to the airport for your flight to Zhangjiajie (around 1.5 hours). Depending on timing, you may have a free morning in Xi’an or arrive with time to spare in the mountains.

Your local guide will meet you on arrival and take you to your hotel.

Welcome to Zhangjiajie
You’ve arrived at one of China’s most striking natural landscapes, towering sandstone pillars and mist-covered valleys that inspired the floating mountains in Avatar. Settle in for a quieter evening before heading into the mountains tomorrow.

Morning
Head into the Wulingyuan Scenic Area and ride the Bailong Elevator, the world’s tallest outdoor lift, about two minutes from valley floor to mountaintop, with the sandstone pillars rising around you the whole way up.

Explore Yuanjiajie, home to the “Hallelujah Mountains” that inspired Avatar‘s floating peaks. Walk the scenic paths and cross the First Bridge Under Heaven, plenty of good photo spots along the way.

Afternoon
Continue to Tianzi Mountain, known for its “sea of peaks”, a sharper, more dramatic landscape than Yuanjiajie.

Family tip: we take the cable car down, giving everyone a relaxed, scenic descent without tiring out smaller legs.

Morning
Head to the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon for the Glass Bridge, walking across the transparent floor is a fun dare for kids, and watching their reaction looking down into the gorge is often a highlight for parents too.

Afternoon
After the morning’s thrill, slow down with a boat cruise across Baofeng Lake. Gliding between the limestone cliffs, you’ll likely hear local folk songs drifting across the water, a peaceful contrast to the morning.

Evening
Head into Zhangjiajie’s downtown area to see 72 Qilou (“72 Strange Buildings”) lit up after dark, a multi-level complex that looks almost like a film set once the lights come on. Good for a wander, a snack, and a bit of evening energy before wrapping up.

Morning/Afternoon
Board the high-speed train south to Guilin (around 6.5 hours), watching the landscape shift from Zhangjiajie’s sharp sandstone pillars to Guilin’s rounder, greener karst peaks.

Your local guide will meet you at the station and take you to your hotel. The evening is free. A walk along the Li River or a quiet dinner is a good way to ease into Guilin before tomorrow’s cruise.

Morning
Board a cruise boat for the journey down the Li River, passing the well-known “Nine Horse Mural Hill” and scenery that looks like it’s been lifted from a traditional ink painting.

(Lunch options: buffet on board, or a family-friendly picnic lunch, just let us know your preference.)

Afternoon
On arrival in Yangshuo, take a gentle bike ride through the countryside, away from the busier roads, rice paddies, old banyan trees, and karst peaks rising up around you.

Stop along the Yulong River for afternoon tea, relax with a drink while the kids play nearby and bamboo rafts drift past.

Evening
As the sun sets, head to West Street, pedestrian-only, full of shops, snacks, and street performers. A good spot for dinner and a relaxed evening out.

Morning
Visit a local studio for a fan-painting workshop that is a quiet, hands-on introduction to Chinese brushwork, and a nice personalized souvenir to bring home.

Afternoon
Choose your afternoon:

Classic option: Bamboo Rafting, drift down the Yulong River on a traditional raft, calm water and close-up karst views, a relaxed choice for families.

Adventure option (summer months): swap the raft for something more active:

• Rock Climbing: guided climbs on the local limestone cliffs.
• Via Ferrata: a safer, cable-and-ladder route up the cliffs.
• SUP or Kayaking: explore the river at your own pace.
• Stream Trekking: wade through the valley’s hidden pools.

(Let us know your preferred activity in advance so we can arrange gear and guides.)

Afterward, drive back to Guilin. The evening is free. You can rest at your hotel, or explore the night markets around the Two Rivers and Four Lakes area.

Morning
Before heading to the airport, visit two of Guilin’s best-known landmarks.

Elephant Trunk Hill: a limestone formation that looks just like an elephant dipping its trunk into the Li River. It’s featured in Chinese primary school textbooks, so it’s worth asking your guide what local kids learn about this spot.

Reed Flute Cave: a limestone cave filled with lit-up stalactites and stalagmites, the kind of place that tends to spark kids’ imaginations with its glowing, otherworldly feel.

Afternoon
Transfer to the airport for your flight to Shanghai (around 2.5 hours). Your guide will meet you on arrival and take you to your hotel, a pretty noticeable shift from Guilin’s quiet scenery to Shanghai’s energy.

Morning
Start at the Shanghai Museum, in the Lujiazui area. In the Ancient Bronze Gallery, look for the Da Ke Ding that is a 3,000-year-old bronze vessel with intricate dragon patterns and ancient inscriptions.

From there, head up Shanghai Tower, the world’s second-tallest building. The elevator reaches the 118th-floor observation deck in seconds, with a wide view over the Huangpu River below.

Afternoon
Cross the river to Yu Garden, a Ming-dynasty garden where kids enjoy the Nine-Turn Bridge, according to legend, designed to confuse ghosts, who can only walk in straight lines.

Head into the Yuyuan Bazaar for a xiaolongbao lunch, the trick is sipping the soup first, which usually gets a laugh out of kids trying it for the first time.

Take a break from the skyscrapers on Wukang Road, in the old French Concession. Stop for a photo at Wukang Mansion, shaped like a ship anchored at the corner, then browse the boutiques or grab some gelato.

Evening
End with a walk along The Bund as the lights come on, colonial-era buildings on one side, Pudong’s glowing skyline on the other. A good, relaxed close to the trip.

Enjoy a final, relaxed breakfast at your hotel. Depending on your flight schedule, your driver will meet you in the lobby and take care of a smooth transfer to the airport.

Thank you for choosing Asia Pioneer Travel for your 14-day China family tour. It’s been a pleasure hosting your family, and we hope to welcome you back for another adventure soon. Safe travels!