This is a guest post by Agness from eTramping.com. She offered to write a post about traveling in Beijing with kids, and I thought you would all enjoy reading her tips and photos.
Backpacking with kids is even more adventurous and exciting than travelling solo or with a companion. Kids make you laugh and keep you active.
Travelling in Beijing with kids could be a scary proposition. Why? Some parents are afraid of kids getting bored quickly in China’s most famous historical sites. However, if you plan your day properly with a lot of activities in between, you can turn a boring day in Chinese temples into a fascinating adventure.
Things to keep in mind during your stay in China:
- Do a lot of walking and trekking to keep your kids active
- Do not visit too many historical places in one day
- Keep every visit in temples short
Climbing the Great Wall of China
Take your kids to Mutianyu (the most renovated part of the Great Wall of China to explore with kids) early in the morning to avoid the crowd. Don’t take a taxi, walk there or take a bus to save some money. Take your kids for an exciting cable car ride up to the Wall, then have a walk, take some photos, enjoy the scenery and you can boggan down at the end, which is going to be a great fun! For sure, that is going to be more fun than booking a tour with a travel agency. If your children are older you can even spend a night on the Wall playing guitar, having a picnic and watching the sky.
Exploring the Forbidden City
Instead of hiring a travel guide, you can follow your China Lonely Planet book to plan a few hours in the Forbidden City. Read them some stories about the history of this place to bring the history alive for them, then stroll down the gardens looking at animal and other creature sculptures and head to Belhai Park to rent pedal boats so you can go for a boat ride across the lake.
Fly a kite in Tiananmen Square
Your kids will be excited and happy to fly their kites in world’s largest square and you can have a break. The best time to do it is afternoon as the square is not so crowded. Just be extra careful not to lose them off your sight.
Buy some toys at Beijing toy market
Beijing toy market is full of toys your kids will love such as dolls, stuffed pandas, and flying toy helicopters. If you feel like your kids are getting bored, take them there and let them play!
Go to the Beijing Zoo
You can take your kids to see giant pandas, monkeys, and much more here. It is home to many animals from around the world so your kids can observe them and take some photos with them. If you have an afternoon off, stop by and see some pandas!
Get your kid’s kick out of the echo wall in the Temple of Heaven
You can stroll down the park or have a picnic before you start exploring the Temple Of Heaven. The Temple is very colourful, so your kids will like playing around it. There is a huge wall surrounding the Imperial Vault, where your kids can stand at opposite sides and whisper to each other being heard clearly.
See the exotic fish in Beijing Aquarium
The Beijing Aquarium is one of the biggest and most spectacular aquariums in the world. You can take your kids there to observe various different exotic fish, see a dolphin and sea lion show, have some snacks and buy some souvenirs.
Watch the Kung Fu show
Take a peek at the Shaolin Kung Fu performance, which is extremely exciting for kids to see. They can see Chinese fight and learn something more about Kung Fu.
Have a dinner at Wangfujing Street at night
Wangfujing Street looks stunning at night with thousands of red lanterns hanging above your head. Your kids can see and taste scorpions, frogs, some bugs and worms and get delicious fresh fruit sticks with huge sweet strawberries! There are a lot of traditional Chinese dishes to try such as baozi (Chinese dumplings) or spicy Hot Pot. Don’t go too late though, you want your kids to have enough energy for the next day!
Do some exercise at Fundazzle Indoor Playground
This is a great place to stretch your legs, dance and go for a see-saw or slide.
There are plenty of activities to do when exploring Beijing city with your kids. If you feel like historical spots are too boring for them, you now see it doesn’t have to be this way! Your kids will be amazed by the range of things they can do here, and you will be happy with them, too.
For more information and photos from Beijing you can go to http://etramping.com and follow Agness and Cez on their journey around the world for less than $25 a day.
Author Bio
Agness is a Polish vagabond who, after graduating in 2011, left her comfort zone setting off for a journey of a lifetime to China. She has been constantly travelling the world since then (slowly, but surely as she says), living like a local for less than $25 a day. She has become passionate about photography and adventure blogging, sharing her enthusiasm for life as well as her travel experiences.
Follow Agness on Twitter, Facebook, and.or through Agness’s blog.
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