Kids-friendly Activities in Beijing | Children Things to Do

Since its opening on September 20, 2021, Universal Beijing Resort (北京环球度假区), has become a new hit for both Chinese and foreigners visiting Beijing. As the fifth Universal Studios theme park in the world featuring themes from Hollywood blockbusters, it must be a parasite for kids. After this, if you want to experience thrilling but joyful rides, then go to the Beijing Happy Valley (北京欢乐谷) where you can view dozens of performances like the Monkey King Show, Maya Instrument Show...as well. Another featured theme park is the Happy Magic Water Cube Waterpark in the Olympic Park which offers huge water roller coasters and rockets firing people into the tube, artificial beach inside.

A trip to Beijing Zoo (北京动物园) which feeds over 5,000 animals is popular among families with children. Here you can see adorable giant pandas like internet celebrity Menglan. Then you can visit Beijing Wildlife Zoo (北京野生动物园) to interact with capybaras, the biggest rodent on earth and a new network hit. Visiting Beijing Aquarium (北京海洋馆) to witness diverse fishes, sea elephants, dolphins, turtles, etc., and watch special shows.

⨠ 5 Days Beijing Family-friendly Tour

Enjoying Wonderful Beijing Shows

Nightlife shows have always been a must-see in Beijing. It is estimated that Beijing has over 40 theatres, the most famous of which are Red Theatre (红剧场), Chaoyang Theatre (朝阳剧场), National Center for the Performing Arts (国家大剧院), Liyuan Theatre (梨园剧场). You can watch kids' best-love Legend of Kung Fu Show which is a mix of traditional martial arts and modern theatre, The Flying Acrobatic Show with actions from contortionist acts to high wire stunts, and Peking Opera which has been performed at the birthplace of Beijing Opera - Liyuan Theatre since 1990. Through these shows, you can better understand Chinese culture. Both children and adults can easily immerse themselves in these wonderful performances.

No trip to Beijing is complete without a visit to the Great Wall which is one of the “Seven Wonders of the World” and a UNESCO World Heritage site. Besides appreciating classic natural scenery and historical sites, for kids, there are also other interesting things to do and to see. In Mutianyu Great Wall , a toboggan ride , which integrates both exhilaration and safety allows you to glide down the mountain, and two types of cable car rides (enclosed and chairlift ones), do appeal a lot to children. In Badaling Great Wall and Simatai Great Wall , you can see a gorgeous night view with a dazzling light show presenting different shapes such as cartoons. You can view beautiful Jiangnan (South China) styled Gubei Water Town in the distance on the latter as well.

⨠ 4 Days Beijing Essence Tour with Simatai Great Wall Night Sightseeing

Summer Palace was once the imperial garden built around Kunming Lake. Water makes up three foruths of it, and hence makes Summer Palace an excellent place for boating. Ferries and self driving boats are both provided. Kids will love it by both appreciating gorgeous lake scenery while having a either leisure or exhilarating lake tour. You're highly suggested to drive a small boat by yourself, for you can slow down to admire the intricate details of lakeside bridges, halls, towers, and pavilions, or speed up for a more thrilling tour, as well as capture stunning photographs along your way. Or take a Beijing Royal River Cruise from Beijing Zoo or Zizhuyuan Park (紫竹院公园) to Summer Palace with a length of 9km for about 1 hour via Beijing Aquarium (北京海洋馆), Wanshou Temple (万寿寺), Changhe Bridge (长河桥), and other notable attractions.

Beijing boasts diverse foodies with good appearance, aroma, and flavor and it incorporates the best features of different regional styles. It has delicious food such as Peking Roast Duck (北京烤鸭), instant-boiled mutton (涮羊肉), Chinese imperial cuisine (宫廷菜), Jiaozi (饺子), Tanghulu (糖葫芦), noodles with soybean paste (炸酱面), fried wheaten pancakes with fillings (褡裢火烧), Rolling Donkey (驴打滚), etc. Children will love them so much!

Highly recommended food Streets in Beijing are Wangfujing Snack Street (王府井小吃街), Gujie (簋街), and Niujie Muslim Snack Street (牛街). ⨠ Know more delicious Beijing Food .

Beijing Hutongs now are not just a place to admire the ancient Beijing architecture, while some of them are a busy shopping area that attracts numerous visitors to come.Nanluoguxiang, Yandaixie Street and Shichahai area are the three most popular ones. You'll find it interesting to take a rickshaw at the Shichaihai Hutong area to shuttle among hutongs and you can go to visit a hutong family to experience the real normal life of Beijingers. Moreover, there you can do papercutting, make dumplings, write traditional Chinese calligraphy, make painting masks and so on.

Aside from the traditional Hutongs that showcase Beijing's historic way of life, there are thriving and popular shoping areas centered Qianmen Street (前门大街) and Wangfujing Walkway (王府井步行街). Kids can find delights on Qianmen Street near Tiananmen Square and the Temple of Heaven which is full of markets and time-honored Beijing brands selling beautiful souvenirs, delicacies, etc., together with ancient architecture to dazzle you, or besides these to roam Wangfujing Walkway to see vivid and consistently changing images such as cute kangaroo, pandas, etc., from the 3-D digital billboard shows which catch kids' eyes so much. ⨠ See more Beijing Night Markets Here.

Wearing Traditional Chinese Costumes

The imperial palace, mansions, pavilions, towers, temples, etc., of the Ming and Qing Dynasties are well maintained in Beijing, making it a perfect photography site. Kids can wear traditional Chinese costumes such as Gege Costumes for previous princesses, Hanfu, Warring States Robe, and ornamental hairpin adorned with flowers, etc., and take wonderful pictures in Forbidden City, Shichahai, Summer Palace, and other historical spots. In this way, you and your family may have a deeper sense of the bygone years.

Beijing is one of the cities that owns the most museums across the world. Want to know more about lonng-standing Chinese history? Beijing has no parallel since there are 226 museums of which 18 are first-class ones. Types of museums vary from history, ruins, arts, nature, technology to celebrities, etc. The first museum that kids are highly suggested to visit is the Palace Museum (also known as the Forbidden City) that used to be the imperial palace of the Ming and Qing Dynasties for over 600 years. Lots of traditional Chinese costumes are provided for visitors to take beautiful pictures with there. Another museum is the third largest museum in the world the National Museum of China holding precious 1,430,000 collections including dazzling jewelry, jade, and porcelain, which can be quite charming to children. Furthermore, you can go to discover more about great Confucius at Confucius Temple - where emperors of the past worshipped him, as well as the Imperial College at Guozijian.

Skiing in Winter

Most children love skiing. If your children are fond of it, you can come to Beijing. In the north of China, Beijing is cold in winter and an excellent place for skiing. It has lots of ski resorts, including Nanshan Ski Resort, Haibei Ski Resort, Snow World Ski Resort, Badaling Ski Resort, Yuyang Ski Resort, Jundushan Ski Resrot, Yunfoshan Ski Resort, etc. Nanshan Ski Village is the most popular and largest Beijing ski resort with excellent ski facilities.

To explore Beijing's highlights, such as the Forbidden City, the Great Wall (with Mutianyu as the top recommendation), the Temple of Heaven, the Summer Palace, and the Beijing Hutongs - plan for about 4 days, including arrival and departure.

☛ 4 Days Classic Beijing Tour Package

☛ 3 Days Beijing Essential Highlights Tour

If you have extra days, consider hiking the scenic Jinshanling Great Wall, enjoying the stunning night views of Simatai Great Wall, or visiting other sections like Huanghuacheng, Gubeikou, and Juyongguan.

☛ 4 Days Beijing Essence Tour with Simatai Great Wall Night Sightseeing

☛ 4 Days Classic Beijing Tour with Jinshanling Great Wall Hiking

Families with children should not miss Universal Beijing Resort, while museum enthusiasts should visit the National Museum of China, home to the nation's most valuable treasures.

☛ 5 Days Beijing Family-friendly Tour with Universal Studios Fun

☛ 5 Days In-depth Beijing Tour with History and Culture Discovery

As a major transportation hub, Beijing offers easy access to other top destinations in China by flight or train, such as Xi'an, Shanghai, Guilin, Chengdu, and Tibet. China Discovery provides a variety of tour packages from Beijing, or we can customize an itinerary to suit your preferences.

Recommended Beijing Tours with Other Top Cities in China:

☛ 6 Days Classic Beijing Xian High-speed Train Tour

☛ 8 Days Best of China Tour (Beijing - Xian - Shanghai)

☛ 10 Days Classic China Tour from Beijing (Beijing - Xian - Guilin - Shanghai)

We have helped many global travelers enjoy their memorable wonderful trips to Beijing for the past few years. Among them, a special team of over 50 VIPKID teachers from North America traveled with us to see their dear studends in China with amazing experience in Beijing and shared us their special travel story! Travel with China Discovery to create your great China trip memories!