After a successful long haul trip to Europe, we decided to go somewhere closer for our next destination. We have been putting off visiting China due Alfred’s previously less than pleasant experience travelling there more than 10 years ago and also the language barrier. However we have been getting much more positive feedbacks from family visiting there, so after doing our research we decided to just go!
At 18 months Berlin was eating solids and started to have food preferences. His sleep routine was very well established, he was getting heavy to carry in a carrier, walking properly and began to even run around. He will happily sit in stroller but in an open space loves to walk around.
For our third family trip we chose China because:
- We have been wanting visit China for a number of years
- Flights were on special. We flew Cathay Pacific for about $600 per person
- Late August/September provide a good weather for visiting China
- The cities we were planning to visit are clean. Very clean!
- Value for money accommodations with most places having massive rooms and separate living areas
- Getting around is easy with great train network
- Variety of food to choose from
China is probably not the first destination that comes to mind when you’re holidaying with family. But guess what? We were surprised as to how child friendly the place was. We picked 3 cities that are relatively more family friendly; Shanghai, Xi’an and Chengdu
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While planning our trip we have heard so many negative things about China. Check out our previous post: 8 COMMON MYTHS OF FAMILY TRAVELLING TO CHINA – how the toilets are just beyond disgusting, how rude people are; the spitting, peeing in public. How terrible the foods will be, how Berlin may be kidnapped and the list goes on. Those myths and perception certainly made us cautious but didn’t deter us from entering the country. A bit of research went a long way in helping us prepare.
At 18 months, Berlin was still eligible to fly for free if he sat on our lap, however we decided to buy him a seat as he was much taller and heavier than average. Plus the thought of him kicking the seat in front of us didn’t appeal much so we bought him a seat. He was absolutely chuffed to sit by himself and watched his Ipad while eating his snacks. We definitely made the right decision getting him a seat as we were able to relax, watch movies, even had a glass of wine and enjoyed the flight.
We spent almost an entire week in Shanghai. The city is very much westernised with amazing skylines, museums, local markets and countless shopping options. Surprisingly it has many green spaces, with locals actively using them to socialise and exercise. Traffic though is not the best, however the underground metro system is great. It is pretty much modelled on the Singapore MRT system with very cheap tickets. We even used the MRT to visit one of the nearby water towns, Qibao. Being in late August we were blessed in pleasant sunny weather and even blue sky! A rarity in Shanghai. Overall it is a child friendly city with plenty of things to entertain the little ones.
We primarily wanted to visit Xi’an for the world famous Terracotta Warriors and many other historical sites. We also used it as a base visiting Luoyang’s famous Longmen Grottoes – a hill side with about 2,100 grottoes. Going there we hopped on a bullet train. We were again very impressed with how organised and orderly everything is. Bullet trains in China are mainly imported from Germany and Japan with on board crew cleaning the train regularly during the trip. The main intercity train station in Xi’an is bigger than Perth Airport!
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Our last stop was Chengdu, a very young and modern city. Without doubt the main reason why we wanted to visit Chengdu is because of Pandas! We definitely recommend this city for travelling families.
One thing we need to add was Berlin started teething days before we were supposed to fly out. He was drooling like mad and started munching on his toes (as you will see from our China photos, he wasn’t keen with keeping his shoes on for his munching pleasure). When we arrived in Xian, 4 molars and 2 incisors cut through. If that happened back home in Perth, we would have to deal with a really cranky whiny feverish child. However in reality, Berlin was in his best mood and pushed through this teething process like a champ. He got so distracted by the sights all his pain were forgotten.
Check out our packing checklist for this trip
