China Highlights Express
The essential first-time itinerary: imperial Beijing, the Terracotta Army in Xi'an and futuristic Shanghai, linked by high-speed rail.
★★★★★4.9 218 reviews
From US$1,290 US$1,490/per person
Family · 12 days
Family China Discovery
Twelve days built for children: panda mornings, dumpling classes, a Great Wall toboggan, karst rivers and no 5 a.m. wake-ups.
The short version
Family China Discovery is a 12-day tour of Beijing, Xi'an, Guilin and Shanghai designed around children aged 5 to 15. It includes a panda morning, dumpling and calligraphy workshops, a Li River cruise and a Great Wall toboggan, with unhurried pacing and family rooms throughout. From US$1,980 per person.
- Built for ages 5–15 with hands-on activity every day.
- Family rooms and connecting rooms reserved as standard.
- No pre-dawn starts — earliest departure is 08:00.
- Pandas, karst rivers and the toboggan down the Great Wall.
Day by day
Your day-by-day itinerary
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7
Day 8
Day 9
Day 10
Day 11
Day 12
What's included and what isn't
Includes
- 11 nights family rooms
- All internal flights and trains
- All workshops and activities listed
- Child seats and booster seats on request
- Daily breakfast
Not included
- International flights
- Chinese visa
- Most lunches and dinners
- Optional Disneyland day
Destinations on this route
Beijing
Beijing Municipality · 6 tours
Beijing is China's capital and the most efficient place to start a first trip: the Forbidden City, the Great Wall, the Temple of Heaven and the hutong
Xi'an
Shaanxi · 6 tours
Xi'an is the capital of Shaanxi Province and where the Silk Road began. Forty kilometres east of the city, 8,000 terracotta warriors have stood in for
Shanghai
Shanghai Municipality · 7 tours
Shanghai rewards two days: one for the colonial Bund and the museums, one for old-town gardens, food and the French Concession. Add a third for a cana
Guilin
Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region · 2 tours
Guilin is in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, and it gives you the landscape Chinese painting was invented to describe: limestone karst peaks ris
Travellers also compared
Golden Triangle & Giant Panda
The three great capitals plus a morning with the pandas of Chengdu — the trip we recommend to seven out of ten first-time visitors.
★★★★★4.9 164 reviews
From US$1,690/per person
View tourShanghai Stopover Discovery
Designed around the 240-hour visa-free transit window: three days that actually work with your flight times rather than against them.
★★★★★4.8 143 reviews
From US$460/per person
View tourFrequently asked questions
What ages does this suit?
Five to fifteen is the sweet spot. Younger children manage fine but the Li River cruise and longer trains tire them; teenagers get the calligraphy, caves and cooking classes.
Are car seats available?
Yes, and we ask for ages and weights at booking so the right seats are in the right vehicles. Chinese law does not require them but we provide them.
What about food children will eat?
Every city has a western option within the hotel, and the workshops — dumplings, noodles, spring rolls — are chosen because children reliably enjoy making and eating them.
Can we add Shanghai Disneyland?
Yes. It adds a full day and one extra night, and we pre-book the park tickets so you skip the morning queue.
Explore next
Day tours
Practical guides
- Do I Need a Visa for China? Requirements, Costs and How to Apply
- China's 240-Hour Visa-Free Transit: Who Qualifies and How It Works
- Paying in China: Alipay, WeChat Pay, Cards and Cash
- China's High-Speed Rail: How to Book, What It Costs, How Fast It Goes
- Is China Safe for Tourists? Honest Risks and How to Avoid Them
- Best Time to Visit China: Month by Month, Region by Region
Tell us your dates.
We'll do the rest.
Free itinerary design, a revised plan within one working day, and nothing charged until you approve the final version.