5-Day Beijing Family Tour
What does Beijing mean for a family trip? It means you can discover the secrets of the Forbidden City in an interesting way, conquer the most magnificent part of the Great Wall at Mutianyu, and do morning exercises as a family in the Temple of Heaven. You can also enjoy a hot pot in an amazing 'smart' restaurant, and learn how to write Chinese characters when visiting a family in Beijing's traditional hutongs.
This 5 day family tour to Beijing will present a vivid Beijing to you and give you a memorable family occasion. Your tour will be private and flexible.
Highlights
- Discover the Forbidden City in a way that's specially designed for families with kids.
- Experience having a hot pot in the first 'smart' restaurant in China.
- Visit the less crowded Great Wall at Mutianyu and try an exciting toboggan ride.
- Learn Chinese calligraphy when you visit a local family living in a hutong.
- Travel with your private guide and driver in a private car. You can enjoy the flexibility of changing your route or arrangements according to your family's needs.
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Your private guide will meet you in the arrivals hall at the airport or at the train station's exit. You will be taken in a private, professionally chauffeured car directly to you hotel. Your guide will help you to check in.
We take the stress out of travel so you can enjoy Beijing more with your family.
Lunch
After your Western breakfast at your hotel, you will start your journey in Beijing. Tian'anmen Square (the 'Gate of Heavenly Peace' square) is the first destination. As the world's largest public square, it is an essential attraction for school kids' field trips in Beijing.
Your guide will introduce each building on the square and help you to find the best place for a family picture.
Walk northward from the square to enter the renowned Forbidden City. Besides the main palaces on the axis, you will also explore some places that are not on the touristy route and interest kids more.
These include the library of the princes, the Archery Pavilion (the tools of the army gallery), and the Hall of Clocks and Watches. Travel back in time in the imperial garden by playing a game where you find the places where famous figures have previously been.
Your guide will give you detailed information about the history, culture, and architecture of the Forbidden City. He/she will also make the information interesting so that your kids won't feel bored.
Find the secrets of the Forbidden City with your guide
After delving into Beijing's past, you will go into the modern part of Beijing for your hot pot lunch in China's first 'smart' restaurant.
Have fun playing a video game in the restaurant's waiting area. Be impressed by the smart kitchen and robot waiters. Enjoy a hand-pulled noodles show when having a hot pot for lunch.
Play a game in the waiting area
The smart kitchen of the restaurant
After lunch, you will drive past Beijing's CBD. Have some picture stops to capture the new skyline of Beijing. The tall and fancy architectural structures present another side of this city.
Enjoy a hot pot lunch in a 'smart' restaurant.
the CCTV Headquarters
Lunch and dinner
Your private guide and driver will be waiting in the hotel lobby.
In the morning, you will visit the Temple of Heaven, the royal altar where emperors worshiped heaven during the Ming and Qing dynasties.
Before you enter the Temple of Heaven, you will come across lots of local people doing their morning exercises, including tai chi, taking their singing caged birds for some fresh air, writing in calligraphy on the paving slabs (with long brush and water), and playing keep-it-up with kick shuttlecocks.
A tai chi master will be ready to teach your group. Join the locals and enjoy some interesting morning exercises as a family.
Learn playing Tai Chi at the Temple of Heaven
The Temple of Heaven
After that, you will move on to the Great Wall at Mutianyu, which is about a 1½-hour drive from the Temple of Heaven.
The Great Wall at Mutianyu is ranked top on TripAdvisor among all the Great Wall sections due to its picturesque scenery and beautifully restored architecture. This is the most child-friendly section, with various ways of visiting it.
Take a cable car up and your personal guide will walk with you on the wall to give you some information and to help you if you want to take some photos. You will have some free time to walk around after that.
Enjoy your time and take in the spectacular scenery for about 2 hours (2–3 kilometers). Walk at your own pace. It is possible to stay longer on the wall or to finish earlier as you wish. Then take a toboggan ride down the Great Wall.
Drive back to downtown Beijing and enjoy the famous Peking roast duck dish for dinner in a time-honored brand restaurant.
Learn tai chi in the Temple of Heaven. Take a toboggan ride down the Great Wall.
Enjoy your time on the Great Wall
Lunch
Your Beijing discovery tour will continue with a visit to the Summer Palace and the hutongs.
The Summer Palace was used as a summer retreat for the imperial court, providing a nice place to escape from the summer heat.
You can climb the hill or take a stroll in the charming decorated walkways before your cruise in a dragon-shaped boat on Kunming Lake. Don't miss the glorious paintings in the long corridor.
In the afternoon, you will hop on a rickshaw to ride through the hutongs — the narrow alleys between rows of quadrangle dwellings. There, you might come across children playing football or seniors playing Chinese chess at the sides.
It is a nice way to get a snapshot of the traditional lifestyles of Beijingers.
After that, you will pay a visit to a local family who live in a traditional and original quadrangle dwelling. There, you can try your hand at Chinese calligraphy. Learn to write the Chinese characters that mean 'family' or 'good luck'.
Learn Chinese calligraphy with a local family in the hutongs.
Calligraphy learning in hutong
Say goodbye to Beijing and you will be transferred to the airport or train station according to your schedule. Your private guide will help you to check in.
Trip Notes
1. Flexible Timings
You can decide to start the tour later or earlier during your stay in Beijing according to your arrival or departure flight.
You can decide to spend more time at the attractions you like and less time at other attractions, and to do the trip without rushing.
2. Flexible Itinerary
You are free to make any changes to the itinerary above according to your needs and interests. For example, you can skip the morning exercises in the Temple of Heaven if you want a late start.
The calligraphy learning experience can be replaced with painting a mask for the Peking opera or playing with a Chinese yo-yo.
3. About the Accommodation
The hotel is not included in the tour quote. We understand you might prefer the hotels that have connecting rooms and a swimming pool, or apartment hotels. Here are some recommendations for your reference:
Hotels with good locations, a swimming pool, and connecting rooms:
- Novotel Beijing Peace (4-star)
- Crowne Plaza Beijing Chaoyang U-Town (5-star)
Apartment hotels with good locations:
- Lee Garden Service Apartments Beijing
- The Imperial Mansion, Beijing - Marriott Executive Apartments
4. About the Meals
You can order the dishes you prefer in our selected local restaurants as all the included meals are à la carte. If your kids have special preferences, please let your guide know. He or she will arrange the meals accordingly.
Send us an inquiry. Your personal travel advisor will give you the best options according to your needs.