China is a great family-friendly destination characterized by rich history, exotic culture, beautiful landscapes, and fascinating culinary adventures. Read on for family trip planning tips covering recommended cities, popular itineraries, travel costs, hotel choices, and more.
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- How Long to Travel For
- Where to Go
- The Top 5 Family Itineraries
- Costs
- Best Times to Travel
- Accommodation Tips
How Long to Travel for on a Family Trip to China
It is recommended to spend 12-14 days on a family trip to China.
This would allow you to cover the most popular cultural and natural highlights in China while giving you a chance to enjoy various experiences and activities with your children. This would also ensure a comfortable travel pace, and you shouldn't get travel weary.
If your time permits and you want to take advantage of the opportunity to explore more of China's landscapes and cultures, for example discovering some off-the-beaten-path routes with your children, it is advisable to spend three weeks or longer.
However, if your vacation time is limited, 7 to 9 days are needed to cover China's top highlights in Beijing, Xi'an, and Shanghai.
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Excelente
Alejandria. Me encantó y me encanta compartir esta experiencia por Beijing. Tu trabaja ha sido excelente y todos estamos muy contentos de haber tenido y tenerte como guía. Ha sido un placer conocerte y te felicito por tu desempe?o del mismo. Un fuerte abrazo , muchos logros te deseo en lo que te propongas Beatriz (Uruguay) more
May 2025, Beatriz U
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Amazing visit of the capital city of China
My wife and I spent a wonderful time in Beijing with our local tour guide Tom. We saw many beautiful landscapes including the Great Wall, experienced the local cuisine at its best, and walked to vibrant Hutongs during rush hour. It was a beautiful experience that we will never forget. As for our guide, Tom, it was a pleasure to meet him: such an intelligent and inspiring person who not only did prepare excellent information on the landmarks we saw, but also introduced us into the fascinating Chinese culture. He always answered exhaustively to our questions, adapted our itinerary to the situation (Tomb Sweeping Holiday) and gave us good tips on how to spend our free time after the guided tours. We will always recommend Tom as a guide and China Highlights as a trustworthy company for taking a tour around Beijing. more
Apr 2025, Christian
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Beijing tour with Tom
Tom was an excellent guide for our days in Beijing, from helping us to navigate the busy city, and giving us information on The Forbidden City and Temples. Our day at The Great Wall was so enjoyable and finished off with a lovely meal. Tom also gave us great suggestions for our free day in Beijing, including great restaurant choices, thank you Tom more
Apr 2025, Victoria
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Where to Go for a Family Trip to China
Beijing, Xi'an, and Shanghai are the must-visit cities for first-timers. They provide a great introduction to China's history, culture, and modernity.
Besides these three cities, there are more recommendations for families:
- Guilin is the best choice if you are looking for a fun and relaxing holiday with various outdoor activities and beautiful countryside views.
- If you and your kids are adventure lovers and love nature, Zhangjiajie is recommended.
- Chengdu is best for families who want to have an encounter with lovely pandas.
- If you want to enjoy a more leisurely pace or if you are planning a multi-generational family trip, you could consider including a Yangtze River cruise in your journey.
- If you want to explore bucket-list routes, Tibet and Yunnan would be good choices.
Alternatively, if you have your own ideas, you could also contact us. We would tailor-make your itinerary based on your preference and needs.
Top 5 Itineraries for a Family Trip to China
Here, we've selected five itineraries based on different family ages and interests. All our itineraries can be personalized for your family's travel goals, available travel days and dates, and other requirements.
1. 11-Day China Family Itinerary — Top Recommendation
This 11-day itinerary is our top recommendation for families, especially for families with teenagers. It is also suitable for a summer-holiday trip.
This itinerary provides fun ways for children to learn about Chinese culture and history in the top three classic cities — Beijing, Shanghai, and Xi'an, like finding the mythical animals in the Forbidden City and an exciting toboggan ride on the Great Wall.
It also includes interesting outdoor activities for parents and children to enjoy quality family time in the beautiful scenery of Guilin, such as farming experiences and cycling around old villages.
- Days 1‒4: Beijing (the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, visit hutongs, and enjoy a tai chi class)
- Days 5‒6: Xi'an (the Terracotta Warriors with a hands-on experience, cycling experience, visit museums, etc)
- Days 7‒9: Guilin (countryside views, a river cruise, biking, and farming experience)
- Days 10‒11: Shanghai (the Bund, Yu Garden, and some free time)
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Thank you Lele for your highly extensive level of professionalism and grace.
This was my first trip abroad and I was not sure what to expect. Our tour guide Lele in Guilin was beyond amazing. Lele provided us with extensive knowledge about the culture and its history. Lele was very accommodating and managed our family with ease and grace. Lele took the time to engage with us each personally throughout the trip which made the tour even more meaningful. Lele was always punctual and highly organized during our trip. Simply put, Lele makes it feel as if you are touring abroad with your best friend. You almost forget that you are away from home. Thank you China Highlights for your amazing tour and thank you Lele for your highly extensive level of professionalism and grace. If you have the opportunity to take a trip with this company do not hesitate. It is worth it. more
Apr 2026, Machel O
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Amazing Family Holiday in Guilin!
Although our father had limited mobility, Chase and our driver were very kind and ensured that he still had opportunities to enjoy the beautiful scenery with us, organised transport to and from venues, and was also considerate in ensuring that he was comfortable whilst waiting for some of us to finish hiking. Chase also kindly gave recommendations for activities to complement our trip, including learning Chinese painting, and joining the local Guilin Toastmasters meeting, which was a great way to share ideas and learn from local people as well as an opportunity to practice my Mandarin. Special thanks again to the China Highlights team, including Leeky, our Guilin tour guide Chase, and our driver, for carefully tailoring our trip schedule according to our interests. As always, they were very considerate of all our needs and flexible depending on the situation to ensure that we all enjoyed a good time together. The small group nature of China Highlights tours led by an expert local guide meant that we could enjoy a more in-depth and personalised experience. We would highly recommend China Highlights to anyone considering a future trip to China! more
Apr 2025, Jacinta
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My Mesmerizing Visit to Guilin and Yangshuo
April 2025 is my third visit to mainland China and just like my first two visits in 2019 and 2024, it was China Highlights who help me organize everything. We arrived in Guilin at around 2AM on April 21 and Chase was already there at the airport waiting for my mother and I. Chase grew up in Guangxi so he pretty much knows a lot about Guilin and Yangshuo’s history. His English is okay, and he was warm and hospitable towards us. My mother is 82-years old so Chase pulled out all stops to assist her in walking and ensuring her comfort all throughout the tour. more
Apr 2025, Kristine
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2. 2-Week China Family Itinerary — Best for Adult Children and Parents
This two-week trip is recommended for a trip with parents and their adult children.
On this tour, besides the highlights of classic cities (Beijing, Xi'an, and Shanghai), you can enjoy more family moments amongst beautiful scenery and create lifelong memories together, like enjoying a nice and warm dinner by an idyllic river in Guilin and immersing yourselves in Zhangjiajie's splendid mountain views, some of which are considered to be the inspiration for the Hallelujah Mountains in Avatar.
- Days 1‒4: Beijing (sightseeing with iconic landmarks like the Great Wall)
- Days 5‒6: Xi'an (visit the Terracotta Warriors, a food tour, Xi'an City Wall)
- Days 7‒9: Zhangjiajie (enjoy splendid mountain views and visit the world's longest and highest glass-bottomed bridge)
- Days 10‒12: Guilin (a river cruise, countryside lifestyle experiences)
- Days 13‒14: Shanghai (the Bund, Yu Garden, and some free time)
3. 2-Week China Itinerary with a Cruise — Best for Multi-Generational Families
This itinerary includes activities that are popular with the children and considers the comfort needs of the elders.
A Yangtze River cruise is added to this itinerary, which would offer leisurely family time and stunning views of huge gorges. The cruise would also provide several typical China-culture-related onboard activities that are enjoyable for all ages.
- Days 1–4: Sightseeing in Beijing
- Days 5–6: Sightseeing in Xi'an
- Days 7–8: Visit Chengdu, including a panda volunteer program, during which your family could clean the glass of their enclosures, make panda-food cakes, and watch them being fed at a close distance.
- Days 9–11: Yangtze River cruise with excursions
- Days 12–13: Sightseeing in Shanghai
4. 2-Week China Educational Itinerary — Best for Culture Immersion
If you want to improve your children's use of Chinese and their cultural knowledge while exploring China's classic attractions, this itinerary is perfect.
In this tour plan, we have designed in some interesting activities for children to practice Chinese or better understand Chinese culture, such as exploring Beijing city using public transport, practicing Chinese calligraphy with a hutong family, and using Chinese to purchase some food specialtie from locals.
- Days 1–5: Beijing, including classic attractions, a visit to an ancient Chinese academy, a tai chi class, and a visit to a local family.
- Days 6–7: Sightseeing in Xi'an with a dumpling-making experience.
- Days 8–10: Visit Chengdu for a panda tour and food tour.
- Days 11–13: Sightseeing in Shanghai with a trip to Disneyland.
5. 2-Week China Itinerary with Tibet
If you want to explore more unique cultures and scenery with your children in China, then include Tibet in your itinerary.
With this 2-week itinerary, you could immerse yourself in the Tibetan Buddhist culture and vibe with the unspoiled plateau scenery as the backdrop. Create unforgettable memories with your children at 3,650 meters above sea level!
- Days 1–4: Arrival and exploration of Beijing, visiting must-sees such as the Great Wall and the Forbidden City.
- Days 5–6: Sightseeing in Xi'an, including a visit to the Terracotta Army, a clay-warrior-making experience, and a food tour.
- Days 7–11: Lhasa, including visits to key cultural sites and monasteries, and a picnic visit to Yamdrok Lake. (If you are interested in visiting Everest Base Camp, you would need to add at least 2–3 days to the trip).
- Days 12–14: Exploration of Shanghai, including a visit to the Bund, and free time to explore on your own.
Family Trip to China Costs
For a high-quality travel experience, we recommend booking a private tour.
For a 2-week China tour for 2 adults and 2 kids, you can expect to pay about US$11,000–15,000 (US$220–350 per person per day; kids under 10 get 30–50% off).
This cost includes flights or trains within China, accommodation at 4-or-5-star hotels, lunch, admission fees, English-speaking guides, and private transportation. International airfares are not included.
The cost of flights from the U.S. or Europe to China varies depending on the season and airline you use, ranging from US$1,200 to US$3,000 for an economy round trip.
Costs for Peak Season Travel
The peak tourism times in China are in the first weeks of May and October (China's two golden weeks), the summer holidays, and Christmas and New Year holidays.
The biggest price difference between the off and peak seasons is in the price of hotels and airfares. Prices can go up by 50 to 100% in the peak seasons.
Our refund policy minimizes the monetary risk to you when booking: you'll receive a 100% refund of any payments made to China Highlights if you cancel up to three weeks before departure. (See more details)
Best Times for a Family Trip to China
Weather-wise, the best times to visit China are spring (April–May) and autumn (September–October) when most of the popular places have their most tourism-friendly weather.
For the vast majority of families, we realize your available travel time is relatively fixed, mostly during the winter break or summer vacation — to fit around your children's school timetables.
No matter what season you visit, we will carefully customize your itinerary to ensure your family enjoys the many charms of China without any hassles.
Summer in China
June to August is the best time to visit China's mountain destinations, like Zhangjiajie, due to the greenery being at its lushest and the weather at its warmest. It is also the time with most things to do: from city sightseeing to festivals to outdoor activities.
Although it will be hot, it is not a problem as long as reasonable planning arrangements are made (indoor/outdoor activities arranged according to weather conditions, air-conditioned car pick-up, etc.).
June could be a good travel month for a summer holiday trip (if you can get the time off school) for not-too-hot weather, fewer tourists, and more reasonable prices.
Recommended summer destinations
- 4 Days Essence of Zhangjiajie
- 9-Day Yunnan Family Tour
- 5-Day Guilin Family Tour
- 8-Day Hohhot–Ordos Tour with Hiking, Camping, and Culture
Winter in China
A winter trip to China can be relatively cost-effective, except during the Christmas and New Year holidays.
Winter is great for enjoying snow scenery and activities, as well as experiencing the wonderful festival atmospheres, such as the Chinese New Year's and Harbin Ice Festival's.
Accommodation Tips: Choosing Hotels for Families
In China, most hotels, particularly 4-or-5-star hotels, have spacious family rooms with either bunk beds or extra beds, as well as adjoining rooms that can accommodate at least two adults and two kids.
When looking for a hotel, internationally-renowned hotel-chain brands or well-known domestic hotel brands are typically your best bet and offer a universal standard in comfort and service.
Alternatively, boutique hotels with unique local characters are available in many Chinese cities, offering a special accommodation experience.
For example, in Beijing, you could choose a hotel with the old-Beijing architectural style, known as Siheyuan (courtyard residences). In Huangshan, you could stay in a boutique inn that was transformed from an old oil press mill, as another example.
If you're traveling during the peak seasons, you really should book your accommodations two to three months in advance for price and availability advantages.
If you need help finding the perfect hotel for your family vacation, we can suggest and arrange all the hotels on your itinerary based on your preferences and our experience serving other family clients.
Popular China Family Tours
All our tours can be adjusted based on your family's interests, hotel preferences, dietary considerations, and other requirements. Just contact us.