Family China classic — 10 days Beijing, Xi'an, Chengdu, Shanghai

Day by day

1. Day 1 · beijing

   Arrival Beijing, Tiananmen

   Arrive Beijing. Wide, open Tiananmen Square for the first afternoon — low effort, high impact. Dinner near Wangfujing.

   Stay in: Wangfujing or Dongcheng — central, family room availability good.

2. Day 2 · beijing

   Forbidden City and Jingshan

   Pre-booked tickets, half-day at the Forbidden City (south courts and main halls). Jingshan Park after lunch. Rest in the afternoon.

   Attractions: forbidden-city, jingshan-park

3. Day 3 · beijing

   Great Wall, toboggan

   Hired minivan to Mutianyu. Cable car up, wall walk, toboggan descent — the highlights for most children. Back by 4pm. Beihai Park paddle boats if energy allows.

   Attractions: great-wall-mutianyu, beihai-park

4. Day 4 · xian

   HSR to Xi'an, City Wall

   Morning G-train (4h 30m). Arrive lunchtime. Afternoon bicycle circuit on the City Wall. Dinner: Muslim Quarter street food.

   Attractions: xian-city-wall

   Stay in: Inside the City Wall.

   G-class HSR ¥515 second class.

5. Day 5 · xian

   Terracotta Army

   Full morning at the Terracotta Army. Back by 2pm. Afternoon: Shaanxi History Museum (book free tickets online). Early dinner and rest.

   Attractions: terracotta-army, shaanxi-history-museum

6. Day 6 · chengdu

   Fly to Chengdu, Jinli Street

   Morning flight XIY → CTU (1.5h). Afternoon settle in. Jinli Old Street for snacks and craftwork — good browsing for children. Hot-pot dinner (mild broth options available for children).

   Attractions: wenshu-monastery

   Stay in: Jinli area — good central location.

   Domestic flight XIY → CTU, 1.5h, ¥300–600.

7. Day 7 · chengdu

   Panda Base, Sanxingdui Museum

   Early 8am Panda Base visit — feeding at 9am is the draw. Back in town by noon. Afternoon: Sanxingdui Museum (40km north, worth the trip — the Bronze Age masks are extraordinary for children who like ancient mysteries).

   Attractions: panda-base-chengdu, sanxingdui-museum

8. Day 8 · chengdu

   Leshan Giant Buddha day trip

   Day trip to Leshan (2h by coach or river boat). The giant stone Buddha carved from a cliff face is 71m tall — the scale is genuinely arresting for children. Return to Chengdu by early evening. Flight to Shanghai overnight or early morning.

   Attractions: leshan-giant-buddha

9. Day 9 · shanghai

   Fly to Shanghai — Bund and Old Town

   Morning flight CTU → PVG (2.5h). Check in. Afternoon at Yu Garden Old Town — manageable for children, good street snacks. The Bund walk in the early evening for Pudong lights. Optional: replace with Shanghai Disneyland (book tickets and shuttle from the hotel in advance).

   Attractions: yu-garden, the-bund

   Stay in: Pudong or French Concession — both have family-friendly hotel options.

   Domestic flight CTU → PVG, 2.5h, ¥600–900.

10. Day 10 · shanghai

    Shanghai Natural History Museum, departure

    Morning at the Shanghai Natural History Museum — genuinely excellent for children, with well-labelled English displays and a dinosaur skeleton hall. Afternoon: Tianzifang browsing. Transfer to PVG for departure.

    Attractions: shanghai-natural-history-museum, tianzifang

Budget guide (CNY per day)

Per adult total 10 days including domestic flights (approx ¥1,500) and HSR. Children under 1.2m travel free on HSR and enter most state museums free.