China is a wonderful country to travel with children, though the practicalities differ enough from Western travel that some preparation helps. The biggest surprise for most families is how warmly Chinese people respond to foreign children — strangers will try to give your kids sweets, insist on photos, and go significantly out of their way to help a family with young children. It’s genuinely disarming and lovely.
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Open Table of contents
Best Destinations for Families
Chengdu: The Panda Factor
No destination in China produces more universal child enthusiasm than Chengdu’s Giant Panda Breeding Research Base. This is the real deal — a large, well-maintained facility with dozens of giant pandas and hundreds of red pandas. The giant pandas are most active in the morning (feeding time is 08:00-10:00), so arrive when the base opens at 07:30 to see them at their best.
Admission: ¥90 for adults, ¥45 for children ages 6-17, free under 6. The base is about 30 minutes from central Chengdu by metro (Line 3 to Panda Avenue station, then shuttle).
Beyond pandas, Chengdu has Chengdu Haichang Ocean Park (for younger kids), the People’s Park with its tea houses and children’s rides, and easy day trips to Leshan (the world’s largest stone Buddha — children find this genuinely impressive).
Shanghai: Theme Parks & Urban Adventure
Shanghai Disneyland is genuinely one of the better Disney parks globally — not just a copy of the US parks, but with significant China-specific elements including a Zootopia land, an enormous Treasure Cove pirate area, and the spectacular Tomorrowland Lightcycle Power Run coaster.
Tickets: ¥475-535 per person (adults and children over 1m height), ¥355 for children under 1m. Book online in advance at Disney’s official Chinese site or via Ctrip — the park sells out completely on Chinese holidays.
Shanghai also has: Haichang Ocean Park, Shanghai Zoo (decent, with pandas), the LEGO Discovery Centre, and the Natural History Museum (a genuinely excellent facility with impressive dinosaur exhibits that children love).
Beijing: History at Kid Scale
Children often engage with Beijing’s history more than adults expect. The Summer Palace is more kid-accessible than the Forbidden City — there’s a lake with rowboats, long covered walkways to run through, and a marble boat that fascinates children. Boat rental on Kunming Lake is ¥80-140 for a paddleboat, popular on weekends.
Olympic Park is excellent for children — the Bird’s Nest (National Stadium) and Water Cube (now an ice sports centre) are fun to explore, there’s a large open plaza for running around, and the area has good park space. The Water Cube ice skating rink (¥120-180/person including skate hire) is popular with families year-round.
The Great Wall (Mutianyu section) is manageable with children over about 5. The toboggan run down from the wall is a massive hit — kids will want to do it multiple times. It costs ¥35 one way.
Practical: Squat Toilets
This is the thing parents worry about most. Yes, squat toilets (蹲厕) are common in China, though much less so in tourist areas, airports, major cities, and international hotels. Most Starbucks, McDonald’s, KFC, major shopping malls, and tourist sites have Western-style toilets.
For younger children, squat toilets require practice. Most 4-5 year olds manage fine once shown how. Bring:
- Portable toilet seat covers or a small folding travel potty for very young children
- Wet wipes (not toilet paper — Chinese squat toilet cubicles rarely have paper, though this is improving in major cities)
- A small bag for used tissues where no bin is available
Public toilets (免费厕所, miǎnfèi cèsuǒ) are free and increasingly well-maintained in Chinese cities. Look for blue signage.
Child Car Seats in DiDi
This is genuinely uncertain territory. DiDi (the main taxi app) does not require drivers to have car seats and most standard DiDi cars do not have them. For families with infants and toddlers under about 15kg, this is a significant consideration.
Options:
- DiDi Premier or DiDi Luxe — some drivers in these higher tiers have seats; contact the driver after booking (use Baidu Translate or WeChat translation to message in Chinese)
- Bring a travel car seat — lightweight CARES harness travel systems (designed for planes and cars) weigh about 0.5kg and work in standard car seat belts. Highly recommended for families with children under 4.
- Private tour drivers — if you book a full-day car hire, specifically request a child seat when booking
City metros (subway) in Beijing, Shanghai, Chengdu, and other major cities have large elevators at most stations and are stroller-friendly.
Baby Supplies: What’s Available
China has excellent availability of baby and toddler supplies, particularly in cities:
- Nappies/diapers: Pampers, Huggies, and good Chinese brands (Babycare is highly rated by Chinese parents) are widely available at supermarkets (Walmart, Carrefour), convenience stores, and pharmacies. Price: ¥60-120 for a pack of 40 pull-ups.
- Baby formula: International brands (Aptamil, Friso, Similac) are available at supermarkets and dedicated mother-baby stores. Chinese premium brands (Feihe, Junlebao) are highly reliable. There is no shortage.
- Baby food pouches: Widely available at supermarkets. Heinz and Gerber sell in China; local brands are also good.
- Travel strollers: Can be bought cheaply at BabyTree stores or online pickup from JD.com if needed.
If your child has specific dietary requirements or medical needs, bring sufficient supplies from home as specialist items (specific allergen-free formulas, etc.) may not be available.
How Chinese People Treat Foreign Children
This is worth mentioning because it’s so consistently reported by families traveling in China. Chinese people — strangers on trains, shopkeepers, restaurant staff — are overwhelmingly warm toward foreign children. Your blond or red-haired child will be a genuine celebrity. Elderly people in parks will stop to admire them, families will want group photos, and staff at hotels and restaurants often go out of their way to be helpful to traveling families.
This extends to practical help too — if you look confused in a train station with a stroller, someone will usually appear to help. The societal warmth toward children (especially foreign children who are relatively unusual in non-tourist areas) makes family travel in China genuinely feel supported.
Eating with Kids
Chinese food is generally kid-friendly once you navigate away from the spicier regional cuisines. Dumplings (饺子, jiǎozi), fried rice (炒饭, chǎofàn), noodles with mild sauces, steamed buns (包子, bāozi), and roast duck (北京烤鸭) are reliable crowd-pleasers. Most Chinese restaurants are accustomed to children and will bring a high chair (高脚椅, gāojiǎo yǐ) if you ask.
In Sichuan province (Chengdu, Chongqing), the cuisine is very spicy — specify “不要辣” (bù yào là, “no spice”) when ordering for children.
International food is widely available in major cities — McDonald’s, KFC, and Pizza Hut are everywhere. Starbucks has a food menu. Western-style supermarkets (Ole, City Super) stock familiar breakfast cereals, pasta, and other staples.
Family Budget Planning
- Budget: ¥600-900/day for a family of 4 (hostel family room or budget hotel, street food/local restaurants, public transport)
- Mid-range: ¥1200-2000/day (decent hotel, mix of restaurant dining, some taxis)
- Comfortable: ¥2500-4000/day (4-star hotel, restaurant dining, private transfers for theme parks)
Children under 1.2m are generally free or half-price for tourist attractions, trains, and often city buses.