Travelling anywhere with your children can be very challenging, but also rewarding if done right. Taking your children to China means opening them up to new sights, sounds, and smells, all whilst learning about this ancient civilisation that is rapidly connecting to the 21st century, but still maintaining the charms of a traditional way of life.
We’ve put together this brief guide on where to go with kids, and when to do it, so that both you as parents and your children can get the most fulfilment from your next trip to China.
Where to go
If you are going to travel around China with your kids, it is well worth planning your itinerary well ahead, keeping a tight schedule on travel arrangements, and ensuring that you fill most of the time with activities that your children will enjoy.
One of the main things to bear in mind, though, is that China is a large country, and not all places of interest are grouped close together. So, you should try your best to plan your itinerary so that travel distances are close. Otherwise, you could end up spending half of your time on public transport during your trip. Certainly, it is best to try and keep your kids occupied by cutting out these lengthy journeys.
Another thing worth doing in the planning phase is to learn as much as possible offered by different places in China, check out any cultural experiences or festivals coming up, and then plan your itinerary based on this, making it as kid friendly as possible. If you’re not entirely sure of what to do or where to go, then you could opt to enjoy tailor made China tours. We’ll give you a list of suggestions and places to go based on your preferences, and then you can easily create your ideal itinerary and tailor-made tour.
Here are some of the ideas we offer that your kids may enjoy:
· A rickshaw ride through the Hutongs of Beijing
· Making dumplings with a family cooking school, trying to keep the mess to a minimum!
· Sliding down the toboggan at the Great Wall of China
· Hiking and Biking around the Guilin or Yangshuo area
· Head to the Panda centre at Chengdu in Sichuan province
When to Go
You should try to avoid travelling around China during any public holiday. This is when the rest of China travels, and there are over a billion Chinese. The public transport networks will be clogged up, sometimes there are huge delays and even standstills, and this is not the kind of stress that you’d want when travelling with children.
However, going to China at these times could provide you with one of the best ways to soak in the best of Chinese culture, and is definitely advisable if you plan your itinerary well, as your kids are bound to love it.
Here are some of the major Chinese holidays in 2018:
· New Year’s Day January 1, 2018
· Chinese New Year February 16-18 2018
· Lantern Festival March 2, 2018
· QinMing Festival April 5, 2018
· May Day May 1, 2018
· Childrens Day June 1, 2018
· Dragon Boat Festival June 18, 2018
· Mid-Autumn (Moon) Festival September 24, 2018
· National Day and Golden Week October 1-7, 2018
If you’d like any further suggestions on when to go or the kinds of activities you can do with your children on a trip to China, then please get in touch with a reliable China travel specialist, and they’d be glad to advise you.
