Discover a 8 days kids-friendly Shanghai itinerary featuring Disneyland magic, cultural experiences, animal adventures, and must-eat dining spots for families.
Planning a family trip to Shanghai? Here’s an 8 days, kids-friendly itinerary based on a leisure trip in December 2024. Expect winter temperatures ranging from 2–11°C, so bundle up and get ready for an adventure-packed holiday that’s fun for the whole family.
Summary
- Day 1: Arrive in Shanghai - Head to Disneytown to explore and check in.
- Day 2 & 3: 2 days of fun at Shanghai Disneyland
- Day 4: Shopping and attractions, including M&Ms World, The Bund and more
- Day 5: A thematic dining experience at Gong Yan, and a visit to Yu Gardens
- Day 6: Travel to Nantong (2.5 hours drive) and visit the Nantong Sendi Forest Safari Park
- Day 7: A fun day with snow and ice at the Sendisnow Park before heading back to Shanghai
- Day 8: Chill and relax at Starbucks Reserves Roastery, and catch the ERA2: Intersection of Time Acrobatics at Shanghai Circus World
Day 1: Arrival and Disneytown Exploration
Upon arrival in Shanghai, arrange a ride via Didi (a local ride-hailing app available within Alipay) for a smooth 30-minute transfer to Disneytown, located within the vicinity of Shanghai Disneyland. Disneytown is perfect for easing into your holiday, with plenty of Disney-themed shops, eateries, and photo opportunities to kickstart the family fun.
We arranged a stay at Disneyland Hotel Shanghai (approx. SGD $500 per night. Check-in is at 3 pm, where you can enjoy amenities like a heated indoor pool and direct access to Disneyland via ferry or shuttle bus.
A bonus perk: hotel guests get to enter the park one hour earlier than the general public. Apart from this early entry perk, we felt that the overall hotel experience did not match our expectations, especially at the price point. You may wish to consider the Toy Story Hotel (approx. SGD $250 per night) that also comes with the early entry perk.
For dinner, we visited Lumière’s Kitchen, a character dining experience featuring Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, and Goofy. You will get a photo pass for photos with Mickey and Minnie too. While we appreciated the characters interactions, we found the food slightly underwhelming for the price (approx. SGD $310 for 2 adults and 2 kids).
Tip: End the night by watching the Disneyland fireworks from the hotel lobby. Although distant, the lobby provided synchronised music to the fireworks that makes it a magical way to cap off the day.
We will prepare a more detailed Disneyland Shanghai Hotel article to share the experience soon.
Day 2–3: Disneyland Shanghai
Dedicate the next two days entirely to Disneyland Shanghai—there’s so much to see and do!
If you are staying at Disneyland Hotel or Toy Story Hotel, you will enjoy 1 hour early access to the Disneyland. From Disneyland Hotel, you can start your day early by catching the first shuttle at 7 am (and we believe you can walk to Disneyland from the Toy Story Hotel).
Early entry access is by a side entrance from Disneytown. Remember to bring along your physical passport (photocopies are not allowed), hotel keycard, and printed tickets for entry. To get the most of your time in Disneyland, try to arrive early. Despite the official opening time of 7:30 am, we notice that lines may start moving as early as 7:15 am.
Here's a detailed write-up about our experience at Disneyland Shanghai with ride planning and ranking, and tips you do not want to miss! Or refer below is a summary of what you MUST know!
Our List of Must-Try Rides and Attractions:
- Tron Lightcycle Power Run: a must for thrill-seekers.
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train: great for kids looking for a moderate thrill.
- Pirates of the Caribbean: definitely one of the best experiences in the park.
- Zootopia - Hot Pursuit: the queue itself offers an immersive walk-through experience; don't use your FastPass here.
Don’t Miss These Shows:
- Pirates of the Caribbean Stunt Show: it is impressive you might want to watch it twice. Although it is performed in Mandarin, you can roughly guess the storyline even if you didn't understand the language.
- Evening Fireworks (ILLUMINATE! A Nighttime Celebration)—for the best views, head over to the viewing area (in front of the castle) at least 90mins before the show. Timing may differ on days, so check the Disneyland App for the latest timings.
Here's a secret tip! Approach any Cast Member and ask for free Disney-themed stickers—a small surprise that kids will love. Not all of them will have it. In case you need to know how to ask in Mandarin, it is qing wen you tie zhi ma? (excuse me, do you have any stickers?).
MUST DO TIP: Download the Disneyland Shanghai App and use it to check queue status, get directions and more. It will definitely help you save time in the park!
In the evening of Day 3, transfer to the city centre (approx. 30-minute drive) and check into River House located near People’s Square and The Bund. The hotel offers a washer/dryer and an excellent central location for exploring the city. We also had a twin room with 2 queen beds.
Day 4: M&M World and The Bund
Spend the morning at M&M World—a colourful and fun attraction where kids can meet M&M mascots, customise M&M bags (approx. SGD $35 for 250g), and shop for exclusive merchandise. While it isn't a must-do, it was quite fun for the kids, especially if you allow them to buy a bag of M&Ms!
Afterwards, explore the nearby malls before heading to The Bund in the evening. While younger kids may not find it particularly exciting, the iconic skyline views make it a great stop for family photos. You can also opt for a boat ride along the river to elevate the experience.
Day 5: Gong Yan Dining and Yu Gardens
Make Day 5 a mix of unique dining and cultural exploration. Start with a memorable Gong Yan Dining experience, a themed 90-minute meal featuring live performances and the option to dress up in ancient Chinese costumes. There are 2 options each day at approx. 12 pm and 7 pm.
For an immersive experience, take up the option to dress up. You will need to arrive 2 hours earlier for costume, makeup, and hair preparations.
- Cost: Approx. SGD $360 for 4 pax (including 2 front row VIP seats and 2 normal seats, and dress-up for 2 pax).
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Tip: Avoid seating near pillars, as they may obstruct your view of performances. We don't recall the seat numbers but these are on the 2nd row, 3rd and 4th seat from both ends.
To book the Gong Yan Dining Experience, you will need to contact them via WeChat, by searching 宫宴 (Gong Yan) and make arrangements with them from there. Bookings are open 1 month in advance, but you can try to ask (via WeChat) for the store leader/manager to contact you to make a booking too. Payment is done on your day of visit.
In the evening, visit Yu Gardens, where you can stroll through beautifully lit traditional architecture and enjoy various dining options. Take lots of photos here with your family too!
While kids may not necessary appreciate the architecture, you can still get a traditional candy (tang hu lu) for them to enjoy while walking around this beautiful setting!
Day 6: Nantong Adventure
Take a day trip to Nantong, a 2.5-hour drive from Shanghai (approx. SGD $100 for a small car via Didi). Check into Nantong City Agricultural Park Parent-Child Class Stack, a scenic farm stay option that offers a quiet relaxing stay.
Unfortunately, we visited during the winter season, and many of the outdoor activities were not available. Nonetheless, the kids enjoyed the indoor playground and their bunk bed in the room.
We chose the venue as it is near to the attractions that we were visiting. For your own family, you do need to consider that it is about 20mins from the city centre with no shops or restaurants nearby. While they have a restaurant internally, orders need to be made before 5 pm. Depending on your requirements, this option might not be suitable for everyone.
The highlight of Nantong is Sendi Forest Safari Park (entrance fee: RMB 650 for 2 adults and 2 kids). We had lots of anticipation before visiting and were not disappointed!
We highly recommend that you rent a buggy (approx. SGD $12/hour) to explore the safari area where animals like zebras, camels, llamas and horses roam freely. Kids can enjoy feeding animals—you can purchase them at the park (approx. SGD $4 for a bag of carrots) or we saw other bringing their own carrots for an extra fun experience!
Tip: Hide the carrots from the llamas, they will come to you once they see you holding food.
The safari park also includes areas with lions, tigers, wolves and bears. You can purchase live chickens to feed to the carnivores (approx. SGD $16 each). We were curious about it, but did not try nor did we see anyone else do it too.
We spent the entire day at the park but the park is HUGE and we did not get to visit most of it. There is definitely much more to be explored so if you visited and will like to share more, do reach out to us too!
There are a number of shows at the park. We were recommended to catch the park's circus show—a hit with kids, and we thought it was really good too! Though, it does involve performing animals.
We highly recommend visiting the park. While you may face difficulties with ticketing (we were told to provide a local number) but the ticketing office was very helpful and helped us to solve it.
If you search online, you may come across a picturesque stay option within the park, the Nantong Sendi Tribe Treehouse. You can even spot it when you drive your buggy through the park.
We tried to book it from Singapore but was not able to. At Nantong, we overheard that it is only available for local to book, so if you are keen, you may wish to get a friend or family with a local number to book for you.
Day 7: Sendisnow Park
Just next to the Safari Park, is Sendisnow Park, a snow-themed wonderland filled with various fun activities for families. In the centre of the attraction is a huge ice skating rink, there will even be snowfall on the rink at intervals too.
Families will also find amusement rides across all 3 levels of the attraction. These include a carousel, a bumper car arena, pirate ship, VR experiences and more - all part of your admission! Only the arcade games require additional fees.
The highlight within the park is the Snow Park where you can play with actual snow - imagine snow city but much much bigger! Within the Snow Park, you will also find a number of rides and massive ice slides for an exhilarating ride!
For families looking to ski, you can also take up the 2-hour ski session available at an additional fee. You can choose skis or snowboards, and also to hire an instructor too.
Our visit to Sendisnow Park cost approx. SGD $140 for 3 skiing pax and 1 non-skiing pax.
Tip: Give a full day each for Sendisnow Park and Sendi Forest Safari Park. Given the proximity of both attractions, you might be tempted to arrange to visit both parks on the same day. However, there is so much to do at each park, you may find that a day at each park may not be enough.
In the evening, return to Shanghai City Centre via car (booked on Didi) for your final night.
Day 8: Starbucks Roastery and Shanghai Circus World
On your final day, visit the Shanghai Starbucks Roastery—a fascinating spot where coffee lovers can experience unique brewing techniques and sample exclusive roasts. Kids may not appreciate the experience, but you may want to take this chance to wind down and have a cup of coffee and snacks, you will find a number of unique and exclusive options here.
In the afternoon, catch the ERA2: Intersection of Time Acrobatics at Shanghai Circus World. While the visual artistry is impressive, it feels slower-paced compared to other circus performances. We actually do not recommend it for kids as they may find it boring.
Must-Eats That We Had
Here are some ideas of what to eat when visiting Shanghai! We have tried these and assure you that these are the best we had!
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Jia Jia Le Tang Bao – Famous for its xiao long bao. You can expect a queue that moves quickly in the morning.
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Xie Shang Huang – A local favourite that serves crab roe sauce with noodles or rice. Enjoy free-flow noodles and rice, as well as fruits and side too!
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Xiao Yang Dumplings – A popular chain that serves delicious pan-fried dumplings filled with tasty soup. Be careful as these dumplings bursts when bitten into.
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Hai Di Lao – This popular hotpot chain needs no introductions, and we recommend having it as it is so much more affordable in China.
Other Attractions We Didn’t Manage to Visit
If you have extra time or flexibility, here are a few attractions that we came across online but we couldn’t fit into our schedule:
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Shanghai Science and Technology Museum – A kid-friendly, interactive museum with hands-on exhibits and an IMAX theatre.
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Tianzifang – A vibrant arts district full of boutique shops, quirky cafes, and narrow alleyways perfect for exploring.
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Shanghai Ocean Aquarium – Home to a large underwater tunnel and fascinating marine life, ideal for families with younger children.
Tips for Visiting China
When travelling to Shanghai or to any other parts of China, here are some tips that we learned, and hopefully it will help to make your trip smoother:
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Payments: Download Alipay before your trip and link your credit card for seamless transactions. It’s also helpful to set up WeChat Pay as a backup, as some vendors only accept WeChat.
- Use Alipay to access helpful mini-apps like Didi for ride-hailing. You should be able to use Alipay to scan most QR code to download other mini-apps during your visit.
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Be aware that payments via Alipay (we are not sure about other payment options) exceeding 200 yuan incur a 3% fee. Break up payments when possible.
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While cash is rarely used, it’s still accepted at some places. However, vendors may not carry change (and will refuse to keep the change), so having small notes is ideal and helpful.
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Connectivity: Purchase an overseas eSIM in advance (e.g., via Shopee). We purchased ours here, and it allowed us to connect to our usual websites and apps. It worked well most of the time, but on some days, we experience extreme lag between 10 pm to 12 am, which wasn't a huge issue. Alternatively, check with your provider for roaming options. We also found that SIMBA roaming worked most of the time, albeit with patchy signals.
This 8-day itinerary blends magical experiences at Disneyland, exciting day trips, cultural exploration, and unique dining for an unforgettable family holiday. Whether you’re feeding animals at a safari park, playing in the snow, or indulging in local cuisine, Shanghai has something to offer for everyone—even during winter!
