Beijing is worth visiting

Number of days：6 days
Time: June
Average cost: 5,000 yuan
With whom：parents and children
Tour kinds：Free travel
Updated: 2023.06.13

Before deciding to go to Beijing, I was a little nervous, anticipating the crowds. But after arriving, I realized it wasn't that bad; the entire trip went smoothly. The skies were especially clear during the week we were in Beijing. This was my first time bringing children to Beijing, so we chose three iconic attractions: the Great Wall, Universal Studios, and the Forbidden City. Beijing's attractions are scattered, so you can't go far. If your children are too young, I wouldn't recommend this trip; you'll need to explore every Beijing attraction.

We departed from Shanghai on Sunday, taking a 4.5-hour high-speed train to Beijing. Upon arrival, we headed straight to our hotel at the foot of the Mutianyu Great Wall. We started with the farthest attraction. Mutianyu isn't as popular as Badaling, so it has fewer visitors. We stayed in Beigou Village, near the Great Wall. This made it convenient for climbing the Great Wall the next day. The village is beautiful. We arrived at the Great Wall around 9 a.m. on Monday. The hotel staff drove us to the foot of the wall and also picked us up on the way back. Around 9 a.m., there weren't many people on the wall, and it felt like the whole place was completely occupied. The wall itself is truly magnificent, and the mountain scenery is stunning. The cable car took us up to Beacon Tower 6. We walked from Tower 6 to Tower 14, which is the route for the cable car. The section from Tower 14 to Tower 20 is relatively crowded and steep. Due to limited energy, we didn't continue walking, so we returned to Tower 6 to take the cable car down. We took the cable car up. We had originally planned to take the slide down, but by noon, the line for the slide was already long, with waits estimated to be at least an hour. So, we opted for the cable car down instead, skipping the line. My child walked the entire way on her own, which was great. She was actually a little scared at first, seeing how steep it was, but with our encouragement, she started climbing on her own. There's a Burger King at the foot of the Great Wall, so we grabbed lunch. We returned to the hotel for a nap in the afternoon, then wandered around the village. On Tuesday, we departed Beigou Village for Universal Studios, a trip of about an hour and a half. We bought a 1.5-day ticket to Universal Studios and stayed at the Universal Studios Hotel for easy park entry. We arrived around 11:00 AM, when check-in wasn't busy. We stored our luggage, had lunch, and played in the hotel's children's park before entering the park at 2:00 PM. We spent half a day watching shows, taking photos, and wandering around. Download the Universal Studios app in advance; there's a discount if you buy tickets there a week in advance. It's also best to buy a Premium Pass in advance, as many attractions have lines of at least 70 minutes.

On Wednesday morning, we were allowed to enter the park early at 8:30. I woke up early and found a good ticket. The line had already started at 7:30. After breakfast, we were finally allowed in before 8:30. The hotel has a dedicated entrance, so thankfully the line wasn't too long. Upon entering the park, I headed straight to the Minions area. Since there was no line so early in the morning, I enjoyed the smaller attractions there first, which is perfect for young children. Having to queue for these attractions would be a waste, and buying an Express Pass would be a waste. The Express Pass requires a few major attractions, and the Harry Potter area is especially popular. It's important to go early in the morning when it's less crowded, otherwise you'll be stuck in the afternoon. Overall, the Harry Potter area was the most crowded, but everything else was fine. The Kung Fu Panda area is indoors and a great escape from the summer heat. After playing a few rides, we headed to the Kung Fu Training Camp inside the park, which is essentially a children's playground with slides and other fun activities. We had lunch at a noodle shop inside, which was decorated to evoke scenes from Kung Fu Panda. It was quite nice. The weather was so hot, I went back for a nap. The heat subsided in the afternoon, so we got up and continued playing. Overall, don't rush. Keep an eye on the app to see if lines are shorter. We went back in the afternoon and saw that the Minions area was less crowded, with lines lasting less than 20 minutes, so we went back to play again. On Thursday, we weren't in a rush. We had a good breakfast and went to the children's playground. The kids had to play until 11:00 PM before checking out. Then we headed downtown, another hour's drive. We stayed in a courtyard house in a hutong near the Forbidden City. The location was great, close to the city, but the room was quite small. After lunch, we took a nap at our guesthouse and set off for Tiananmen Square around 4:00 PM. Arriving around 4:00 PM, the entrance to Tiananmen Square was not crowded, and the weather was cooler. We took some photos, then headed to Siji Minfu near the Forbidden City for roast duck. You can get a number on AutoNavi Maps in advance. We arrived just as we were about to arrive. On Friday, my family dawdled until almost 10:00 AM when we finally arrived at the Forbidden City. On the way in, we spotted a nearby park (I forgot what it was called) where soldiers from the National Flag Squad were training. We went in and watched for a long time. It was already 10:00 PM when we arrived at the Forbidden City. We expected a long line, but we were inside in less than 10 minutes. Our entrance was smooth sailing. The Forbidden City is actually quite large, and most people congregate along the central axis, leaving plenty of space on either side. There's a porcelain museum on the left, and an ice cellar further ahead. After exiting and crossing the central axis, we found the Treasure House and the Clock and Watch Museum on our right. It was a bit crowded inside, but the lines were manageable. You need to make a reservation on the WeChat official account a week in advance for the Forbidden City, including the Treasure House and the Clock and Watch Museum. You also need to make a reservation on the mini-program in advance for Tiananmen Square.

Due to limited energy, I didn’t go to Jingshan Park to overlook the Forbidden City, which is a little regretful.

We went home on Saturday.

Actually, the children’s favorite was Universal Studios. She's not really interested in Harry Potter; she hasn't seen the movies or the books. Her favorites are the dinosaurs in Jurassic World and the Transformers. There's also a How to Train Your Dragon show. The Minions area is okay, suitable for young children.

Knowing we were coming to Beijing, my dad dug out a family photo of us in front of Tiananmen Square from over 30 years ago. My husband's parents also dug out the same one. It seems everyone has a family photo in front of Tiananmen Square from their childhood. Haha.