Itinerary · 14 days · relaxed
Family-friendly two weeks
Beijing, Xi'an, Chengdu pandas, Shanghai Disneyland — designed around kids.
Two weeks designed for families with children aged roughly 5–14. The routing prioritises high-engagement activities (pandas, Disneyland, toboggan Great Wall) and manageable travel segments — no days with more than one transport change. The Beijing sections are compact: the Forbidden City in the morning (with ice cream stops built in, not optional), Mutianyu Wall with the toboggan descent as the day's centrepiece, and the hutongs by evening rickshaw rather than walking. Xi'an's Terracotta Army is genuinely riveting for older children; the city wall bicycle ride is good for all ages. Chengdu's Panda Base requires a 7am start to catch the animals at their most active (they sleep by mid-morning). Shanghai Disneyland is the most technologically advanced Disneyland resort in Asia — a full day is appropriate. The pacing allows a rest day in each city without falling behind the schedule; the exact rest day can be chosen based on how the children are doing. All cities are connected by domestic flight or HSR — no overnight trains required, though they are available as an option.
Day by day
Day 1 · beijing
Arrival
Arrive at PEK (Capital Airport) or PKX (Daxing). Transfer to hotel in the Qianmen or Wangfujing area — the closest districts to the imperial sites. Light evening walk to Wangfujing food street for a first encounter with Chinese street food; the scorpion-on-a-stick stall is a standard icebreaker for kids.
Stay in: Qianmen or Wangfujing district.
Day 2 · beijing
Forbidden City
Morning at the Forbidden City — book online tickets at least 3 days in advance. Enter through Tiananmen Gate (south) and exit at the north into Jingshan Park. The palace is vast; focus on the central axis (Meridian Gate → Hall of Supreme Harmony → Hall of Preserved Harmony → Imperial Garden) and skip the side wings unless older kids are specifically interested. Ice cream in the Imperial Garden. The north exit leads directly into Jingshan Park — the short climb to the Wanshu Pavilion gives an aerial view of the golden rooflines that makes the palace's geometry comprehensible. Afternoon rest at the hotel before an evening hutong exploration.
Attractions: forbidden-city
Day 3 · beijing
Mutianyu Wall and toboggan
Leave hotel by 7:30. Hired car to Mutianyu (90 minutes). The cable car ascends to the wall; the toboggan descent on an alpine-slide track is the highlight for children — they rarely forget it. Walk a 2 km section of the wall between the towers; the views are clear and unobstructed. Return to Beijing by 3pm. Beijing Zoo is 45 minutes away and has a panda section — optional afternoon addition if the children have energy.
Attractions: great-wall-mutianyu
Day 4 · beijing
Beijing Zoo and pandas, Houhai
Morning at Beijing Zoo, which has the most accessible panda enclosure in the capital. Afternoon in the Houhai lake area — a network of lakes in the hutong district where cycle-rickshaw rides are available for families. The evening bar scene on Houhai's north shore is not family-relevant, but the surrounding hutongs and the Drum Tower at dusk are.
Attractions: houhai-lakes
Day 5 · xian
HSR to Xi'an, Big Wild Goose fountain
Morning HSR from Beijing West to Xi'an North (approximately 4.5 hours, ¥515 second class). Arrive mid-afternoon. Check in to hotel inside or near the City Wall. Evening at the Big Wild Goose Pagoda (Dayan Ta) music fountain — one of Asia's largest musical fountain displays, running in the evening in the pedestrian plaza south of the pagoda. Children find the scale entertaining; the pagoda itself can be climbed (7 floors, 196 steps) for a view of the Xi'an basin.
Attractions: big-wild-goose-pagoda
HSR Beijing West → Xi'an North, 4.5h, ¥515.
Day 6 · xian
Terracotta Army
Morning taxi or tour bus to the Terracotta Army (Bingmayong), 40 km east of the city. Pit 1 — the main hall with 6,000+ soldiers — is the core of the visit. Older children typically find the scale and the still-ongoing excavation compelling; younger children may need the 'army buried for an emperor's afterlife' narrative to hook them. Allow 2.5–3 hours. Return to the city for the Muslim Quarter food street in the afternoon (roujiamo, paomo, persimmon cakes).
Attractions: terracotta-army
Day 7 · chengdu
Fly to Chengdu, Wuhou Shrine
Morning domestic flight Xi'an → Chengdu (1 hour, ¥600–¥1,000). Check in near the Jinli Street area. Afternoon at the Wuhou Shrine (武侯祠) — a memorial to Zhuge Liang, the strategist of the Three Kingdoms period who is one of the most romanticised figures in Chinese history and culture. The adjacent Jinli Street is a pedestrianised old-town street with food, souvenir shops, and Sichuan opera face-changing performances.
Attractions: wuhou-shrine
Day 8 · chengdu
Panda Base
Depart hotel at 7am; arrive at the Giant Panda Breeding Research Base (大熊猫繁育研究基地) by 8am. Giant pandas are most active from 7–10am before their mid-morning sleep. The base houses the largest captive giant panda population in the world (~80 individuals [VERIFY: current count — May 2026]). The red panda enclosure is an additional draw for younger children — the red panda is smaller, more active, and more photogenic at close range. Return by noon. Afternoon free — the Anren Jianchuan Museum Cluster (80 km from Chengdu) is an option for families interested in 20th-century Chinese history.
Attractions: panda-base-chengdu
Day 9 · chengdu
Sichuan kitchen + free time
Morning Sichuan cooking class — many hotels and specialist cooking schools offer family-friendly classes covering dumplings, mapo tofu, and twice-cooked pork. The class format involves each participant making the dish rather than just watching. Alternatively, a Chengdu city walking tour with food stops (hot pot, dan dan mian, longchaoshou dumplings) works for food-curious older children. Afternoon free at the hotel or the Tianfu Square area.
Day 10 · shanghai
Fly to Shanghai
Morning domestic flight Chengdu → Shanghai (2.5 hours). Arrive at Pudong (PVG) or Hongqiao (SHA). Transfer to hotel in the People's Square or French Concession area. Evening at the Bund — the waterfront walk with the Pudong skyline across the river is the most photographed scene in China. The skyline is particularly dramatic at dusk and after dark.
Attractions: the-bund
Day 11 · shanghai
Shanghai Disneyland
Shanghai Disneyland (上海迪士尼乐园) in the Pudong New Area is the newest and most technologically advanced Disneyland park in the world. The park's unique attractions include the TRON Lightcycle Run (reportedly the fastest coaster in any Disney park [VERIFY: current record — May 2026]), Pirates of the Caribbean: Battle for the Sunken Treasure, and the Enchanted Storybook Castle. Book tickets online before travelling; peak-season (summer, national holidays) queues for major rides are 60–90 minutes. The Toy Story Hotel adjacent to the park is convenient for families.
Attractions: shanghai-disneyland
Day 12 · shanghai
Yu Garden and museums
Morning at Yu Garden (豫园) — a 5-hectare Ming-dynasty garden in the heart of the Old City, now surrounded by a tourist bazaar. Arrive before 9am to have the corridors and rock gardens relatively quiet. Afternoon at the Shanghai Museum (上海博物馆) on People's Square — one of China's best general history museums, free entry with passport registration, and an excellent collection of bronzes, ceramics, jade, and traditional painting. The museum café is reliable for afternoon refreshments.
Attractions: yu-garden, shanghai-museum
Day 13 · shanghai
Day trip — Zhujiajiao water town
Zhujiajiao (朱家角) is a 1,700-year-old water town 45 km west of Shanghai, accessible by metro (Line 17 direct, 1 hour) or by guided bus tour. The town has stone bridges over connected canals, traditional architecture, and boat rides. It is smaller and more manageable than Tongli or Wuzhen as a family day trip. The bridge at Fangsheng Bridge (放生桥, the largest 5-arch bridge in the water town region) is the classic photograph. Return by metro to Shanghai for a last evening dinner.
Attractions: zhujiajiao-water-town
Day 14 · shanghai
Departure
Transfer to Pudong International Airport (PVG) for international departure. The Pudong Airport Maglev from Longyang Road station reaches the airport in 7 minutes at 431 km/h — an appropriate final transport experience for children. Allow 3 hours before scheduled departure; Pudong's immigration and security queues can be slow during peak periods.
Budget guide (CNY per day)
| Backpacker | ¥1100 |
| Mid-range | ¥2200 |
| Comfortable | ¥4500 |
Per family of four per day. Shanghai Disneyland ¥599–¥899 per person per day. Panda Base ¥55 adult, ¥27 child. Terracotta Army ¥120.
Cities covered
Attractions covered
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