A 14-Day Shanghai and Beijing Itinerary for Families

Spend hours at this bustling pedestrian road that links People’s Square to The Bund. Pop into M&M’s world to customise a bag of chocolate and, if you’re lucky, you might even get to dance with the mascot!

The Bund

We took a leisurely 30-minute walk along East Nanjing Road to The Bund. Our daughter loved the Bund sightseeing tunnel; you can take it across to Pudong, where you can go up the Oriental Pearl Tower. We recommend going for the Huangpu river cruise to marvel at Shanghai’s skyline in all its splendour.

Marriage Market @ People’s Park

The other end of East Nanjing Road links to People’s Square, where you’ll find the marriage market at People’s Park (gate five) on weekends. This is an intriguing time-honoured tradition where elders publicly display the credentials of their children as part of a matchmaking attempt. 

Yuyuan Old Street

Yuyuan Old Street (also known as Yuyuan Bazaar) is located next to Yuyuan Garden, but the real magic happens when night falls. Plan your visit for after dusk, where the whole area transforms into a gorgeous illuminated wonderland. 

French Concession

Easily spend half a day at this darling tree-lined enclave of boutique shops and cafés. Start at Wukang Road, take a photograph with the famous Wukang Mansion, visit the charming Ferguson Lane, and wind your way towards Anfu and Hunan roads.

You can also walk to Huaihai Middle Road, which is famous for shops like Songmont (a viral bag brand) and Haus Nowhere (where you’ll find a croissant-inspired gym display and two realistic robot heads), 

Xintiandi

Stroll along rows of classic Shikumen houses, which have been converted to upscale shops, cafés, and restaurants. 

Tianzifang

Get lost in a labyrinth of alleys lined with boutique shops, coffee joints, art galleries, and more.

Tip: Tianzifang is a 20 to 30 minutes walk from Xintiandi. We generally like to walk so we walked a lot; but if you have very young kids, it’ll just be a short (and cheap!) five to 10 minutes Didi ride. 

Xuyan Banquet

This was one of the highlights of our trip. We went all out with the clothing, hair, and makeup package, and had so much fun! We even ended up topping up for a professional photography package. 

The two-hour dinner itself was an extravagant eight-course meal that included live performances. 

Tip: Arrive on time for your makeover session (first-come-first-serve) to ensure that you’ll have enough time to take lots of photos before dinner. 

Days 5-6: Shanghai Disneyland

We’re huge Disney fans, and Shanghai Disneyland was one of our trip’s focal points. See Zootopia in real life, go on the world-class Pirates of the Caribbean ride, and ramp up the adrenaline on the Tron rollercoaster. 

Here's a detailed write-up about our experience at Disneyland Shanghai with tips, ride planning and ranking, and the height restrictions for all Disneyland Shanghai rides!  

There are lots of rides suitable for young kids too, such as Slinky Dog Spin, Voyage to the Crystal Grotto, Peter Pan’s Flight, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, The Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh, and more. P.S. Don’t miss the zodiac wall!

Our daughter loved the Frozen sing-a-long show; the show and songs are in Mandarin, and she happily sang along to each one. So much so that she asked to watch it twice! However, she attends a Chinese immersion kindergarten, so she has a pretty good grasp of the language. For kids who aren’t so familiar, they might find the lack of English songs to be a bit of a letdown.

We also especially liked the line-up of short 15-minute outdoor shows, such as the Hundred Acre Celebration, Fantasy Festival, and Fantasy Storytelling. The Mickey’s Storybook Express parade was a real hit too; we watched it four times! We ended it off with the Royal Banquet Hall character dining experience — where we met Mickey, Minnie, Donald, and Daisy in their royal attire — which was bundled with reserved viewing for the Illuminate fireworks.

The park is located next to Disneytown, where you’ll find two playgrounds and lots of dining options. Have a themed meal at Donald’s Dine and Delights, and snag a cup of Ahma HandMade milk tea without a queue.

We stayed at Toy Story Hotel, which gave us one-hour early entry for each night’s stay. We enjoyed meeting Woody, Bo Peep, and Buzz Lightyear with little to no queue; as well as doing arts and crafts in the playroom. The hotel is a short shuttle bus ride, or 20-minute walk, from the park. Hotel guests get to use a special entrance in Disneytown, which was great! We found it to be a decent stay, albeit rather chaotic in the late morning and early afternoon. We’ll try the Disneyland Hotel next time!

Day 7: Travel to Beijing

There are two ways to travel from Shanghai to Beijing: either hop on a high-speed train (four to five hours), or take a flight (two hours). The train costs much less than the flight, and would have admittedly gotten us to Beijing faster after factoring travel and airport check-in time. 

However, we chose to take the flight, as we would have found it difficult to handle all our luggage on the train (especially as I was travelling with my three-year-old daughter and 60+-year-old mother).

Days 8-10: Beijing

Spend the next few days exploring Beijing, China’s capital city. It’s a haven for history buffs, and has tons of cultural significance. Here’s where we went over three days:

Forbidden City

No trip to Beijing is complete without a visit to the UNESCO World Heritage Forbidden City (also known as the Palace Museum), the world’s largest imperial palace complex. And trust us when we say that the entire compound is huge! Our stroller was a total lifesaver; however, do be prepared for some steps here and there. 

Tip: We recommend hiring a guide or renting an audio guide to immerse yourself in the site’s historical background. 

Nan Chi Zi

Located near and around the Forbidden City, Nan Chi Zi is a historic area with traditional hutongs. If you’d like to dress up in traditional costumes, you’ll find many clothing and makeup stores here.

Tiananmen Square

Nan Chi Zi lies between Tiananmen Square and the Forbidden City. It’s home to UNESCO World Heritage Sites like the Monument to the People’s Heroes, Chairman Mao Memorial Hall, the National Museum of China, and the Great Hall of the People. 

Tip: It’s essential to book a timeslot via the Wechat mini program; you won’t be able to enter without a booking.

Temple Of Heaven

Constructed during the Ming Dynasty, the Temple of Heaven was used during the Qing dynasty to offer prayers and sacrifices to the heavens. 

Tip: Be sure to buy a combo ticket that includes general park admission on top of the Temple of Heaven.

Qianmen street

Qianmen street is like Beijing’s version of Shanghai’s East Nanjing Road. The pedestrian street is buzzing with all kinds of shops and restaurants, buskers, and even machines that can generate an AI image of you in a traditional Chinese costume. Don’t forget to hitch a ride on the Dangdang sightseeing tram!

Nanluoguxiang

Explore a collection of hutongs, and take lots of photos of the traditional Siheyuan architecture. It’s also a street food paradise.

Shichahai

A 15-minute walk will bring you to Shichahai, where restaurants and food stalls hug a lake. Go on a boat ride here, or gain insight into local life as they hang out and conduct exercise sessions.

Wangfujing

Arguably Beijing’s most famous pedestrian street, Wangfujing offers a mix of department stores, malls, little shops, and a snack street. 

Bonus: Battle of the Peking Duck

Peking duck originates from Beijing, so you simply have to try it here! There are three famous chains — Da Dong, Sijiminfu, and Quanjude — and Sijiminfu came out tops for us.

Day 11: Day Trip to Great Wall of China and Summer Palace

We hired a private driver to bring us to the Great Wall of China, and chose to visit the Mutianyu section. We left bright and early at 6.20am to beat the crowds; and true enough, there was a snaking queue by the time we left at 11am! 

At Mutianyu, we took the chairlift up to watchtower six, and climbed to watchtower one. Warning: the climb is steep with many steps! For something easier, take the cable car to watchtower 14 for wider and gentler slopes. 

Back at watchtower six, we took a toboggan all the way down. This was a really fun experience! Note that children under three, and seniors above 60, are not allowed to ride.

In the afternoon, we headed to the Summer Palace, which is China’s largest and best-preserved imperial garden. We really enjoyed hiring a self-driving boat for one hour; otherwise, you can also enjoy the scenery from larger tourist boats. 

Days 12-13: Universal Studios Beijing

Boy oh boy did Universal Studios Beijing surprise us. It’s truly one of the world’s most underrated parks! Go on amazing rides like the Decepticoaster, Jurassic World Adventure, and Jurassic Flyers.

Need to know if your kid can take these rides? Here's a details guide to our experience at Universal Studios Beijing and a summary of the height restrictions for all the Universal Studios Beijing rides! 

Little ones will love the world’s first Kung Fu Panda Land, which is also the first fully indoor land in any of the Universal Studios theme parks; as well as Super Silly Fun Land, a land dedicated to the Despicable Me movies. The park is also a stone’s throw away from Universal Citywalk, where we walked right into Quanjude at dinnertime.

One of the best decisions of our trip was to stay at the Universal Grand Hotel, which is located right at the park entrance. Security screening and park gantries are located in the hotel basement itself, meaning you’ll be inside the park itself once you exit the hotel! The location of the hotel will also be great for kids who need a mid-day nap. 

Each night’s stay comes with one-hour early entry — we started queuing up at 7.54am, and were in the park by 8.02am. We are still very, very impressed. Note that only the Harry Potter and Minion lands are open during early entry. 

We stayed in a Minion-themed room this time, and have our sights set on a Kung Fu Panda-themed room the next time round.

Day 14: Flight home from Beijing

What an adventure, with such wonderful memories made with the family! On the last day, have a slow morning before taking a flight home.

General tips for travelling in China:

• Use Changi Pay to bypass the 3% international card fee imposed by Wechat and Alipay for payments above CNY200

• Wechat’s mini programs can be used to reserve attraction timeslots, or join virtual queues for restaurants

• Hail a Didi (taxi) via the Wechat and Alipay apps

• Download Amaps instead of Baidu Maps as it’s more English-friendly

• The Universal Studios Beijing app is in the Apple store but not in the Android Play Store; Android users can download it via the QR code found on its official website

• Don’t go out without your passport, as many attraction tickets are tagged directly to it

This article is contributed by E-lyn, a mummy to both a three-year-old toddler and a five-year-old dog. She also loves all things Disney!