This was a super fun 10-day spring break trip with friends! This time, we had three kids with us and to my surprise, Beijing turned out to be the perfect destination to visit with kids. From delicious potstickers and oh-so-popular with youngsters boba places to funky fashion, Pokemon-themed cafes, street food, and more – happy kids are guaranteed! As for the adults, let me just mention DA BEST Pekin Duck of my life! :) But let me start from the beginning.
EXPLORING BEIJING
Hotel
After flying direct from San Francisco to Beijing for 11 hours, we arrived in Beijing. When traveling to China, to be able to get around it is critical to download DiDi app, the Chinese version of Uber. We stayed in The Imperial Mansion, Beijing Marriott Executive Apartments in The Forbidden City. The location was unbeatable and in addition to a roomy two-bedroom residence with a large jacuzzi, we had a gym and an amazing swimming pool with a view. When traveling with kids, it is always a huge plus if you find accommodations with a gym, pool, or both! What was also awesome was to have our friends staying in the same hotel.
When we got up in the morning, I vividly remember my favorite feeling in the world that all you need to do is just walk outside and there is a whole new exciting exotic place waiting. We started with the Forbidden City, which was right next to us.
I want to mention a couple of things first. People in Beijing were extremely friendly and welcoming, especially to our kids. Food was pretty amazing everywhere we ate, but we did some research online beforehand. Sometimes it was challenging to find the restaurants. Sometimes we would come to a restaurant and it is completely packed with a line of people waiting outside. But when we decided to go in and ask “just in case”, we always got seated. I felt like our kids received royal treatment everywhere!
Forbidden City
Forbidden City is located in the heart of Beijing and is the largest ancient palace in the world. It is enormous and you can definitely spend more than a day there. It consists of 980 buildings and covers an area of 720,000 square meters. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1987. The Forbidden City can be fascinating for children. There are lots and lots of dragons everywhere, I remeber reading somewhere that it’s like The Game of Thrones minus the gratuitous nudity. But let’s face it, making a three-hour walk through an old palace appealing to younger visitors is not easy. So make sure you bring water and snacks and take a lot of breaks. I really wished I had a stroller for my five-year-old at the time daughter.
Food recommendations:
Xiaowang’s Home Restaurant (Wangfujing)
A Day in the Summer Palace
With each day the spring got closer in Beijing. We spent a lovely relaxing day in the Summer
Palace. It’s a beautiful place to see, especially on a blooming spring day. The Summer Palace (Yiheyuan) is a “biggie.” Once an imperial pleasure garden, it has temples, residences, pavilions, marble bridges, and an enormous lake for boating. In the 19th century, the Summer Palace was a favorite spot of the extravagant Dowager Empress Cixi, who restored many buildings and added new ones. For centuries, the emperors with their entourages relocated to escape the heat in summer, and today the Summer Palace is a great place to go with kids. A whole day excursion in itself (bring a picnic), the Summer Palace can be crowded on weekends, so try to go on a weekday.
By the North Palace Gate is the Suzhou Market Street, a re-creation of the watery streets of Suzhou, the “Venice” of China. Originally the street was entertainment for the court, to pretend they were shopping like ordinary people. Today, there are all kinds of shops with handicrafts and souvenirs, tea shops, and people dressed in period clothing.
We had our picnic on the boat cruising around Kunming Lake, just like a lot of Chinese families do on the weekend. Kids were super thrilled about driving the boat and we were wowed by the views of gorgeous palace buildings from a different angle.
We had a great lunch in DIN TAI FUNG (APM) and a tea break in
Lai Jin Yu Xuan Tea House. This day is engraved in my memory as an entirely happy day.
ART DISTRICT
798 Art District is a new landmark and a gathering place in Beijing for young people who love art and culture. This is an absolute must to take your kids to. You definitely want to spend the whole day here. It’s so cool, bright, colorful, and interesting, with Instagram moments around every corner. :) There are permanent exhibitions as well as some impromptu events right on the street. I remember a man demonstrating really cool calligraphy art on one street that kept kids mesmerized for a while.
There is also a street full of restaurants, ice cream, boba, and coffee shops. It was perfect stopping by there for lunch and then return to enjoy a few more art streets.
THE GREAT WALL
Ahhh The Great Wall of China! This is the one place in the world that keeps you wondering… HOW was this possible in the middle ages!? It is one of the biggest structures ever made by humans. The ancient Chinese built the wall to protect against invading armies.
Mutianyu is the most child-friendly section of the Great Wall, and most recommended for family tours with kids. It’s fully restored, so safer than the original sections. There is a cable way to save energy on hiking up and down. You can have fun with your kids by taking the toboggan down the mountain from the Wall. It takes about 3 minutes. A parent is allowed to ride down in the toboggan with their child (required if the child is small). You can control your toboggan’s speed, so there is something to do, making the trip down fun for most ages. Boys were allowed to drive their own toboggans, which totally made their day. :) Sliding down the toboggan at Mutianyu Great Wall was an experience they will never forget.
The toboggan ride covers a distance of about 1580 meters and takes kids on a winding journey down a metal slide, with spectacular views of the surrounding landscape.
Another fun activity for families with kids at Mutianyu Great Wall is taking a chairlift or cable car ride. This is a perfect opportunity to take in the breathtaking scenery of the wall and its surroundings from a different perspective. The ride takes you up to the wall’s highest point, providing spectacular views of the surrounding landscape.
You can grab some lunch in one of these:
Brickyard Retreat at Mutianyu Great Wall
OR if you are like us and religiously avoid tourist places, you can venture out to Mutianyu Fishing Village nearby and find some authentic places to eat. We stumbled into some amazing place that unfortunately I can’t find on the map.
LAST DAYS IN BEIJING
A Few More Sights
We covered a few more sights in Beijing in our last couple of days there, I want to list them because they are all interesting and worth visiting:
- We went to the Drum Tower for a drum performance. It was awesome!
- Stopped by Beer at Great Leap Brewing Brewpub
- Plastered 8 Wuta Si Temple
- Panda’s House at the Zoo
- Lunch at Bianyifang Roast Duck
- White Cloud Temple
- Dinner at TRB HUTONG
Dongwamin Night Market
Donghuamen Night Market is one of the most famous places to visit in Beijing. It is a shopping street that hosts a large group of stalls belonging to local vendors, where you can try various traditional Chinese dishes like spring rolls, dumplings, and candy fruit but also some exotic options like sheep’s particular parts, offal soup, deep-fried crickets, centipedes, silkworms, scorpions, and lizards. Our brave boys crunched on some fried scorpions and to our utter shock asked for a second helping!
It was a lot of fun walking around the bustling streets of the market in the evening, degustating things, enjoying the energy, the smells, and the sounds of this ancient and modern at the same time city.
To summarize, this trip was a perfect Spring Break adventure – fun, educational, entertaining, and unforgettable. I highly recommend this trip for everyone, especially for families with 10-15 year old kids.
About Author
Julia is a travel enthusiast and a passionate writer who loves to explore new destinations with her family. With a knack for discovering hidden gems and sharing her travel experiences, Julia adventures take her to exciting places around the world. Her recent trip to Chile was a testament to her love for nature and culture, as she delved into the stunning landscapes and vibrant communities of this South American country. Through her writing, Julia aims to inspire others to embark on their own journeys of discovery and create unforgettable memories with their loved ones. visit her website https://travelwithkids.info/
