China can be a great country for family holidays. There are fun and safe destinations, full of interesting and child-friendly activities to keep your children entertained. Take a photo with a panda cub in Chengdu, enjoy cycling in Yangshuo, experience high-speed trains around Shanghai…
Here are the 7 best places to visit for a family tour:
1. Beijing — the Great Wall, Rickshaws, Food Tours…
Beijing should be the top choice for your family's first trip to China. With its abundance of famous attractions and exciting experiences, Beijing will entertain children and broaden their cultural understanding.
Visit the Great Wall and try an exciting toboggan ride. Take a rickshaw ride through hutongs and find out some hidden snack shops.
If you want your kids to know more about Chinese culture, we could arrange a visit to a local family home to learn calligraphy or other traditional Chinese crafts. We could also arrange a tai chi class for your family.
If you come in winter, skiing and experiencing the Chinese New Year are recommended activities for families. Ski in an Olympic Winter Games venue, go to temple fairs, watch folk art performances, and walk in the streets to feel the atmosphere of the Chinese New Year.
All our tours can be customized based on your interests and requirements. Just contact us.
- How to Plan Your First-Time Family Trip to China
- 9-Day China Family Classic Tour
- 2-Week Beijing - Xi'an - Chengdu - Guilin - Hong Kong
Discover real reviews of Highlights Travel Family's best-rated service across trusted platforms.
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Beautiful Beijing with Ethan & Mr. Chen
Ethan, our wonderful guide, whose praises we can not sing loudly enough, was compassionate, caring, and overall endearing! His sense of ease and familiarity with each sight, which were unfamiliar wonders to us, provided a sense of peacefulness that facilitated full enjoyment - helped too by his punctuality and attention to detail. more
Feb 2024, apisn2023
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The Highlights and High Life of Beijing with Ethan & Mr. Chen
Ethan, our wonderful tour guide, made our entire trip an absolute joy for us as he was extraordinarily caring, considerate, and generous. Having had the pleasure of taking in the sights of Beijing previously with another lovely guide, Angela, it was spectacular not only to show the family how fantastic the city is but also how high the quality of services provided by China Highlights are. Each day unveiled a new treasure, helpfully detailed by Ethan, and punctuated by delicious and varied local food. Our driver, Mr. Chen, was also a delight, and was equally as key to the overall experience as he was both attentive and almost mystically punctual! more
Feb 2024, Apis
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Great Time in Beijing
Our 4-day experience in Beijing was unforgettable. Our guide, Selinda, opened the doors to the city's millennia-old history and culture with her knowledge, kindness, and courtesy. We discovered magnificent places, tasted delicious food, and stayed in clean hotels, all accompanied by safe and reliable transportation service. We recommend traveling with China Highlights. more
Feb 2024, Nicola B
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3rd time the charm, is being charmed for the 3rd time.
This is my 3rd tour of Beijing in the last 18 months and I think that speaks a little to the quality of service you get with China Highlights. Each time the sites are the same but each tour guide managed to present them in new and wonderful ways. Also some attractions that were undergoing renovations have been completed, so there were new things to see as well.A big thanks to Mr. Michael, our tour this time around. He was very gregarious and knowledgeable about all the sites. more
Feb 2024, Jonathan Mueller
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3rd time the charm, is charmed for the 3rd time
The sites stay the same but each time we have done this tour, the tour guides manage to make it feel like it is the first time you are experiencing it. And, with the constant renovations, this time we were able to see previous areas that were unavailable the last time we came. more
Feb 2024, Jonathan M
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Great trip and experience!
From beginning to end, China Highlights was very courteous, responsive and attentive in planning and executing a great trip!Aspects and execution of the trip was as discussed and was an overall great experience. Our guide, Michael, was very kind and knowledgeable throughout the tour and would address all questions and help us take lots of photos. Would definitely travel with China Highlights again! more
Feb 2024, Karol
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3rd the charm is charmed for the 3rd time
This is my 3rd tour of Beijing in the last 18 months and I think that speaks a little to the quality of service you get with China Highlights. Each time the sites are the same but each tour guide managed to present them in new and wonderful ways. Also some attractions that were undergoing renovations have been completed, so there were new things to see as well.A big thanks to Mr. Michael, our tour this time around. He was very gregarious and knowledgeable about all the sites. more
Feb 2024, jkjmueller
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1 Day in Beijing
Nice views, Not too much people, Jessi (guide ) so friendly and she have a great service & she knows the answer of all your questions more
Feb 2024, Fernando J
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Fabulous day!
Jesse He ,she is a nice tourist guide patience and take good care for us. We had a wonderful time in Beijing,we did the forbidden city and greatwall We love everything ! more
Feb 2024, Charon R
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Private trip in Beijing and Luoyang
We spent 3 days in Beijing with Helen as our guide. We went to TianAnMen, Forbidden City and MuTianYu Great Wall to name a few. Helen took great care of us and is very attentive as I travel with my 60+ years old parents, from asking whether we need restroom breaks to making sure that our lunch were all according to our dietary needs more
Jan 2024, Iriana Iriana
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An excellent day with Linda
Linda (Ling ling)is a great tour guide,provide a lot of knowledge and history of the great wall,and took us to taste very delicious food too,we had a very good time with her!highly recommend her! more
Jan 2024, Angeline Lim
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Great time in Beijing with Bruce
We stayed in Beijing for three days altogether. We went to the summer palace. the Tian'an'men square, the Forbidden City,the Temple of heaven and the Great Wall. Our tour guide Bruce is very friendly and speaks English fluently. He explained every scenic spot to us patiently and humorously. my family are very satisfied with his service. more
Jan 2024, Mayra C
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Bucket List Trip to China
My first stop in China was Beijing. Ethan was my guide there. Daily, they would pick me up and take me to the spots on the itinerary. He helped me plan outside activities like a Chinese acrobat show. He even walked me to my seat in my theater so I could easily find my correct chair. What was most helpful was Ethan waiting with me at the train station and even helping me on to my seat and giving the train attendant my meal order. Very little English was spoken by the train attendant. more
Jan 2024, Megan Sandbothe
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Great Wall at Jinshanling
We went to the Great Wall at Jinshanling which is a very beautiful place which is not that busy. In fact most of the time it felt like we were alone on the wall.The tourguide (Jack) was very knowledgeable and very friendly.A big thumbs up more
Jan 2024, Onno
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Private trip in Beijing and Luoyang
We spent 3 days in Beijing with Helen as our guide. We went to TianAnMen, Forbidden City and MuTianYu Great Wall to name a few. Helen took great care of us and is very attentive as I travel with my 60+ years old parents, from asking whether we need restroom breaks to making sure that our lunch were all according to our dietary needs. We had great 3 days in Beijing.We also visited Luoyang. Our travel advisor arranged a Business class seat for our high speed train to Luoyang. We were picked up at the station by our guide in Luoyang, Lisa. We then visited Dengfeng to see Songyang academy, shaolin temple, Luoyang grottoes. She also took care of us very well and very knowledgeable about the history. more
Jan 2024, lriana lriana
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Beijing 2024
We traveled to Beijing with China Highlights in January 2024. Our tour guide Ethan was organized and knowledgeable which made our trip seamless and very interesting!! He helpfully suggested additional activities if we had time in the evenings and assisted us in booking tickets for them. Visiting the Mutianyu Great wall of China was a big highlight of our time in Beijing! more
Jan 2024, Lydia
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Beijing 2024
We traveled to Beijing with China Highlights in January 2024. Our tour guide Ethan was organized and knowledgeable which made our trip seamless and very interesting!! He helpfully suggested additional activities if we had time in the evenings and assisted us in booking tickets for them. Visiting the Mutianyu Great wall of China was a big highlight of our time in Beijing more
Jan 2024, Explore49612084715
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Beijing
Fantastic couple days in Beijing. Thank you to my guide Mark who eloquently relayed stories about China history and culture. more
Jan 2024, Steve P
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Jack is an excellent guide
Jack is an excellent guide, very patient, punctual, wonderful command of english. I recommend him any day. more
Jan 2024, Brahma
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Great intro to 🇨🇳
Candy was fabulous right from the start. She was knowledgeable, passionate and a lot of fun. Our introduction to China and Beijing was an interesting and memorable one!! more
Jan 2024, Jo66
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2. Guilin — Countryside Cycling, Rice Terraces, Bamboo Rafts…
Traveling in Guilin is mostly about natural beauty and leisure. Guilin has the most famous karst (toothy peaks) in the world, with limpid rivers and lakes, verdant hills, grotesque rocks, and mysterious caves.
Guilin offers colorful outdoor activities for adults and kids. Touring the karst countryside of Yangshuo by bike, hiking Longsheng's rice terraces, cruising along the Li River, and visiting minority villages offer so much breathtaking scenery and new experiences that no kid could be bored! Visiting the local market and learning to cook a Chinese dish is also fun.
In a hot summer, you could have fun with a SUP to enjoy the cool water, explore a wild cave without colored lights, and jump into the natural and crystal pools.
3. Xi'an — a Lifesize Model Army, Ancient Wall Cycling…
Xi'an's most famous attraction is the famous Terracotta Warriors. Although it is a historical spot, it can still be a very interesting experience. You could make a mini terracotta warrior with your kids. It allows children to learn about the history behind the attraction in a more interesting way.
Besides the awesome Terracotta Army, there are lots of fun things for kids in Xi'an, such as enjoying cycling on the Ancient Wall and going on a food-hunting tour in the famous food street in Muslim Quarter.
4. Shanghai — Skyscrapers, Theme Parks, Fast Trains…
Shanghai is also a good city to visit to let children have fun while learning about today's China, not just through the media.
In Shanghai, there are lots of places for the kids to explore, from the top of the Shanghai Tower (the world's 2nd tallest building) to the numerous theme parks like Disneyland and Haichang Ocean Park.
You could also experience the super-fast, magnetically-levitated trains, and the best circus in the world.
- 2-Week Beijing – Xi'an – Chengdu – Yangtze Cruise – Shanghai Tour
- Contact us to create an itinerary based on your requirements
5. Chengdu — Cute Pandas, the Giant Buddha…
Chengdu's biggest star is the giant panda. It's a good city to visit with your kids. You could see the lovely pandas and their cubs and even take part in a panda volunteer program to make panda cakes, clean their enclosures, and watch them being fed at a close distance.
If your family loves nature, a journey out of the city to the fairyland scenery of Jiuzhaigou is recommended. Leshan Giant Buddha is also a popular destination to see the largest Buddha in the world carved into a mountain.
6. Hong Kong — Disneyland, Beaches, Hiking Trails…
Hong Kong is a perfect destination for family tours, with parks, peaks, and nature reserves galore. It's China with Western quality and safety standards!
Children will have fun meeting cartoon characters in Disneyland, taking a boat ride at a fishing village, and riding the tram up Victoria Peak. Hong Kong's beaches and hiking trails are perfect for escaping the bustle of the city.
7. Dengfeng — Kungfu, Yellow River…
You may have seen many movies about Chinese kung fu. Shaolin Kungfu is the most famous type. Shaolin Temple is the cradle of Chinese martial arts. It's the best place for your family to see kungfu displays and even take a kungfu class.
On the way, you could visit Zhengzhou to see the Yellow River, China's "mother river". There's a riverside park where you could appreciate the world's muddiest major river, and you could learn about the area where Chinese civilization began.
The Most Popular Family Tours
China is fun and exciting for families. If you are planning a family tour to China, please see our recommended family tours below for inspiration:
- 11 Days Beijing, Xi'an, Guilin/Yangshuo, Shanghai Family Tour — the most classic family itinerary
- More family tour ideas
Or contact us to tailor-make your dream family tour according to your requirements.