Traveling in China with Kids: Tickets, Supplies and Health

China works well for a family trip with children under 12. Fast trains, safe city streets and food that is easy to make mild cover most of what parents worry about. The parts that trip families up are tickets and supplies. Train tickets for children go by age, not height: under 6 rides free without a seat, and 6 to 13 pays a child fare. In Beijing, Shanghai and most other big cities, metro rides are free for children up to 1.3 metres tall. Carry every child's passport on travel days: trains, flights and many sights check it. Diapers and baby formula are easy to buy, so you can pack light. Plan on two or three cities, and stay away from the national holiday weeks.

This guide covers the whole trip in order: when to go, entry rules for children, how child tickets work for trains, planes, metros and sights, strollers and nursing rooms, baby supplies and medicine, what to do if your child gets sick, hotels and food, and which places children enjoy most.

Is China a good trip with kids, and when should you go?

Yes, for most families. High-speed trains are smooth and roomy, and children can walk up and down the carriage. Big cities feel safe, and people are friendly to small children. Strangers may smile at your toddler, talk to them or ask for a photo. Pandas, the Great Wall and the theme parks hold children's interest as much as adults'.

The hard parts are practical. Big sights get very crowded, which is tiring with a stroller. Metro stations often have long stairways, and the lift can be at the far end of the platform. Public toilets at older sites are often the squat type. Few people outside hotels speak English. Taxis and ride-hailing cars almost never have child car seats, so bring a light travel seat or booster if you need one. None of this should stop you, but plan for it.

How many days, and how many cities

Families do best with 10 to 14 days and two or three cities, spending three or four nights in each. A classic first trip is Beijing for the Great Wall and the Forbidden City, then Xi'an or Chengdu, then Shanghai. With children under 5, two cities is plenty. Each move between cities costs about half a day once you count packing, getting to the station and checking in. Leave one quiet afternoon every two or three days for a park, a pool or a nap.

When to go

Spring (April to May) and autumn (September to October) are the most comfortable seasons for walking around with children. Summer is hot and humid in most cities, and winter in the north is hard on toddlers. The timing that matters most is the Chinese holiday calendar. The Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) break normally runs for 8 days from Lunar New Year's Eve, and the National Day break runs for 7 days from 1 October. In those weeks trains sell out and the big sights are packed. In 2027, Lunar New Year's Day falls on 6 February. The exact 2027 holiday dates come from a State Council notice, so check the official calendar before you book.

July and August are Chinese school holidays, and the airlines' summer peak runs from 1 July to 31 August. Family sights such as Shanghai Disneyland, the panda base and the science museums are at their busiest then. Many popular sights also limit daily visitor numbers and use advance booking, so book timed tickets early in summer and around holidays. For month-by-month weather see our guide to the best time to visit China, and if your dates overlap a holiday, read the Golden Week survival guide first.

This page covers what is different with children. For each city's sights, neighbourhoods and transport, use our Beijing guide, Shanghai guide and the city guides linked below.

Visas and entry for children

Children follow the same entry rules as their parents. If your country is on China's visa-free list, you can stay up to 30 days without a visa for tourism, family visits or business, and children qualify on the same terms as adults. The 30 days are counted from the day after you arrive. For most countries on the list, this policy runs until 31 December 2026, so check the current list before you travel if your trip is later. Our guide Do you need a visa for China? has the country list and the transit options.

Each child needs their own valid ordinary passport; visa-free entry does not work with emergency or temporary travel documents. If your family does need visas, the documents for a child's application (such as a birth certificate or a parent's consent) are set by the Chinese embassy or visa centre that handles your application, so check its current checklist. Our visa application guide walks through the process.

At the border, adults have their fingerprints taken. The National Immigration Administration's entry guide says foreigners aged 14 to 70 give fingerprints, and children under 14 do not. Fingerprinting is set under China's Exit and Entry Administration Law. You can read the official guide on the National Immigration Administration website. Families go through the same lane together.

One customs detail: a visitor's duty-free allowance for goods left in China does not apply in full to children. For travellers under 18, customs only lets through items needed for the trip duty-free. In practice this matters only if you carry gifts or goods to sell in a child's luggage. For the arrival process step by step, see arriving in China: immigration and customs.

If you travel with only one parent, or with a child who is not yours, carry a signed consent letter from the other parent or guardian and a copy of the child's birth certificate. It is a small precaution that answers questions from airline staff, border officers or hotel staff quickly (see the hotel section below). Ask your airline and the Chinese embassy whether they need anything more for your case.

How child tickets work: trains, planes, metro and sights

Each type of transport in China uses its own rule. Trains go by age, metros by height, planes by age with fares based on the full adult price, and sights follow a national guideline that each site applies in its own way. Keep every child's passport with you on travel days. You need it to book train tickets, board flights and get child prices at many sights.

High-speed trains: by age, not height

China's railways sell child tickets by age. A child aged 6 to 13 travels on a child ticket, and from 14 the child pays full fare. Each adult with a ticket can take one child under 6 free, as long as the child does not take a seat. The old rule based on a 1.2-metre height line no longer applies, so ignore it if you read it in older guides.

On high-speed trains (G, D and C trains), a child ticket costs 50% of the full fare in second class, first class and multi-function seats, 80% in business class and premium first class, and 70% in a sleeper berth. A free child under 6 sits on your lap. If you want a seat for the child, you buy a child ticket for them. On rides over two hours with a toddler, we recommend buying the seat, which costs half the full second-class fare, because everyone travels more comfortably. If you have two children under 6 and only one adult, the second child needs a child ticket, because each adult can take only one free child.

The booking rules that catch families out:

• The child's own passport. Tickets are sold under real names. A child ticket must be bought with the child's own passport, and it must be for the same date, train and class as the adult's ticket, going no further than the adult's stop.
• Children travel with an adult. Children under 14 must travel with an adult and cannot ride alone.
• Booking online with passports. China Railway 12306, the official ticket website and app, accepts foreign passports. Each passport has to pass an identity check before you can book with it online; you can upload a photo of the passport in the app or show the original at a station ticket window. Add each child as a passenger and do the check before travel day.
• The manual gate. Passport holders use the staffed lane at the station entrance and exit, not the automatic gates. Show all the family's passports together.

Luggage: each adult can bring 20 kg free and each child 10 kg; on high-speed trains each piece can measure up to 130 cm when you add length, width and height. A folding stroller for a baby travels free and does not count toward these limits. Our high-speed train guide explains booking, stations and boarding, and seat classes explained helps you choose between second class, first class and sleepers for a family. The official rules are on the 12306 children's ticket page (in Chinese).

Domestic flights: at the big airlines, infant and child fares use the full fare

Chinese airlines use the same basic age bands. In China Southern Airlines' domestic conditions, an infant is at least 14 days and under 2 years old on the day the trip starts, and a child is 2 to 11. Chinese airlines generally treat babies from 14 days to under 2 years as infants, and children aged 5 to 12 flying alone can use the airline's unaccompanied-child service, which must be requested when booking. China Southern and Air China both price an infant ticket at 10% of the full adult fare, without a seat, and a child ticket at 50% of the full adult fare, with a seat. At Air China, a child aged 2 or over must have a seat. Other airlines publish similar rules in their conditions of carriage, so check yours before booking.

The catch is the base price. At both airlines, the 10% and 50% are worked out from the full fare, not from the discounted price on sale that day. Domestic flights are often sold well below full fare, so a child ticket can cost more than the cheapest adult ticket on the same flight. China Southern lets children and infants buy any other fare that applies to them instead. When you book, compare the child fare with the cheapest adult fare and choose the lower one. The airline's booking page shows both before you pay, so confirm there.

Other flight rules worth knowing:

• One infant per adult on your lap. At Air China, one adult can travel with at most two infants, and only one of them can be on an infant fare; the second needs a child ticket and a seat. China Southern also charges a child fare for any extra infant. Air China asks you to request the infant booking when you buy the adult's ticket, because each flight carries a limited number of infants.
• Proof of age. For child and infant tickets you need a document that shows the date of birth; for a foreign child, that is the passport.
• Fuel surcharge. On China Southern domestic flights, an infant without a seat pays no fuel surcharge, and a child pays half the adult surcharge.
• Bassinets. China Southern offers a bassinet for babies under 1 year (up to 70 cm and 12 kg) on some wide-body aircraft on flights planned at more than three hours, and you must apply at least 24 hours before departure. Air China offers bassinets only on some international routes. Most domestic flights are too short for one.
• Strollers and baby food. At China Southern, a folding stroller can go into the cabin if there is room, and otherwise it is checked free; baby food and supplies can be carried on, and you show them at security. Strollers cannot be used on board. On domestic flights, Air China and China Southern both check one folding stroller free for a baby on an infant ticket, on top of any bag allowance; check the allowance shown on your ticket.

Rules differ between airlines, especially for low-cost carriers and international flights into China, so check your airline's child and infant page before you book. Our domestic flights guide covers booking and airports, and luggage rules in China compares baggage limits on trains and planes.

Metro: by height, and the line differs by city

City metros give free rides by height, and each city writes its own rule. In Beijing, children 1.3 metres tall or shorter ride free with an adult, and the child goes through the gate first with the adult right behind. Children under 1.3 metres may not enter Beijing's metro without an adult. Shanghai lets passengers take children 1.3 metres or shorter for free. Guangzhou lets children ride free if they are 1.3 metres or shorter, or below school age with an ID document. Chengdu is free for children under 1.3 metres. In Xi'an, each adult can take up to two children who are 1.3 metres or shorter, or 6 or younger, for free.

Not every city uses 1.3 metres: in Shenzhen, children ride free if they are under 1.2 metres or under 6. Few cities say how many free children one adult can bring, so look up your city in the table before you go. If you have several small children, keep them in front of you at the gate and let staff see that they are with you.

Paying for the adults is simple in some cities. In Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu and Shenzhen, you can tap a foreign bank card on the metro gate instead of buying a ticket. Our metro tools show routes and stations for Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu, and the last-train times help you get back before a tired child melts down. the WaysChina app works offline for metro routes and day plans, which helps underground with no signal.

Sights and museums: the national rule, and the "Chinese citizens only" catch

China has a national guideline for children's tickets. Sights with government-set prices should let children aged 6 or under, or 1.2 metres or shorter, in free, and charge half price for young people from 6 to 18. Privately priced sights, such as theme parks, are only encouraged to follow it. The same national notice says sights may not set different prices or discounts for domestic and foreign visitors, and must post their prices and discounts clearly.

In practice, sites apply this differently. Some limit child or senior concessions to Chinese citizens. The Emperor Qinshihuang's Mausoleum Site Museum (the Terracotta Army), for example, lets children under 16 in free only if they are Chinese citizens, while Chengdu's Wuhou Shrine gives its half price to foreign children too. The rule says sites should treat everyone the same; what you get on the day depends on the site. Carry each child's passport, check the site's own ticket page, and ask at the ticket window. Staff can only apply a discount when they see the child's age on a document.

Prices at a few places families often visit:

• Forbidden City (Palace Museum), Beijing: ¥60 for adults from April to October and ¥40 from November to March; Chinese citizens under 18 go free with a booking, and the English site lists children 6 and under as free. Expect to book a full-price ticket for foreign children aged 7 to 17, and check the booking page when you book. See our Forbidden City guide for booking.
• Mutianyu Great Wall, Beijing: entry is ¥45 for adults, and children aged 6 to 18, foreign children included, pay the ¥25 concession ticket. The shuttle bus and cable car are free for children 1.2 metres or shorter and full price above that, with no child discount on those two. Our Great Wall guide compares sections for families.
• Shanghai Disneyland: children under 3 enter free, and ages 3 to 11 pay a child ticket.
• Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding: adults pay ¥55, and children 6 or younger, or under 1.3 metres, enter free without booking. The park's sightseeing cart costs ¥30, and the same children ride free if they do not take a seat.
• Chimelong Tourist Resort, Guangzhou: child tickets cover ages 3 to 11 with ID, or a height from 1.0 to 1.5 metres. Children under 3, or under 1.0 metre, go free, but one paying adult can bring only one free child. Entry is by ID, and a passport works; a child without their own ID can be booked on an accompanying adult's document.

Museums are often the easiest family stop. Public museums run by culture and heritage departments have been free since a national policy introduced in 2008, while heritage-building museums and special exhibitions can still charge. Free museums usually still need a timed booking, so check each museum's booking channel a few days ahead. The national guideline is in the National Development and Reform Commission notice (in Chinese) if a ticket office needs reminding.

The table below puts the train, flight and sight rules side by side.

Strollers, nursing rooms and getting around step-free

Strollers are allowed on trains and metros. On trains, a folding baby stroller rides free and does not count toward your luggage allowance. Shanghai's metro rules ban scooters and similar wheeled devices but make an exception for children's strollers and wheelchairs. Every metro station has a security check at the entrance, so you may need to lift the stroller onto the scanner belt or let staff look at it.

Whether a stroller is easy to use is another question. Metro stations, train stations and airports in the big cities have lifts, but they can be far from the exit you want, and crowds at transfer stations make pushing slow. Old streets, temple steps and the Great Wall are stairs all the way. Most families with toddlers do best with a light folding stroller plus a baby carrier. Use the carrier at the busy sights and the stroller for long flat walks and airport corridors.

Theme parks have their own rules. Shanghai Disneyland allows strollers up to 110 cm long and 85 cm wide, for children 11 or under or 1.4 metres or shorter. You can rent one inside the main gate for ¥90 a day, for children aged 3 to 7. Chimelong in Guangzhou allows push strollers but not wagons, children's tricycles or ride-on suitcases.

Nursing rooms and baby changing

Look for the sign 母婴室 (mǔyīng shì, nursing room or baby care room). The big airports have the best ones:

• Shanghai: Pudong and Hongqiao airports have five nursing rooms rated by the city health commission, including four at the top five-star level.
• Beijing Capital International Airport: most toilets in Terminals 2 and 3 have a private nursing room next to them, with a changing table, sink, feeding chair and power socket.
• Beijing Daxing International Airport: nursing rooms plus a family waiting area with space for feeding, sleeping and warming baby food, and free stroller loans for families with babies.

Large railway stations often have a nursing room, but there is no official list of which ones, so ask station staff for the 母婴室 when you arrive. Newer shopping malls are your most reliable option in a city: they usually have clean Western-style toilets, changing tables and a nursing room. Public toilets at older sights and in parks are often squat toilets and may have no paper or soap, so carry tissues, wipes and hand gel.

Formula, diapers and children's medicine

You can buy almost everything for a baby in China's cities. Supermarkets, convenience stores, pharmacies and baby shops (母婴店, mǔyīng diàn) sell diapers, wipes, formula and baby food, and imported brands are common in big cities. Choice is smaller in small towns. Pack a supply for the first two or three days, plus anything your child cannot do without, and buy the rest when you arrive.

Baby formula

Infant formula sold in China, whether made locally or imported, must have its recipe registered with the State Administration for Market Regulation. Registered tins carry a number that starts with 国食注字YP (guóshí zhùzì YP, "national food registration YP"). Labels must show the age range, and they may also use stages marked 1段, 2段 and 3段 (stage 1, 2, 3). Stage 1 is for the youngest babies. Read the months printed on the tin rather than going by the stage number alone, because brands split the ages differently.

If your baby is on a special formula (hypoallergenic, lactose-free or a medical formula), bring enough for the whole trip, because finding the same product can take days. Carry a reasonable amount for your own child's use, in sealed tins. If you travel through Hong Kong, note that each person aged 16 or over may take at most 1.8 kg of infant formula out of Hong Kong. Mix formula with boiled or bottled water; kettles are standard in Chinese hotel rooms.

Children's medicine

China divides medicines into prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) groups. Prescription medicines can only be sold with a doctor's prescription, while OTC medicines can be bought without one. OTC packs carry an oval "OTC" mark, red for class A (sold only in licensed pharmacies) and green for class B (also allowed in some other approved shops). Antibiotics need a prescription at a pharmacy. Some cough medicines are tightly controlled too: dextromethorphan is a controlled drug in China that pharmacies cannot sell without a prescription, and controlled drugs of this class cannot be sold to minors at all. If a cough syrup works well for your child at home, check its ingredients and bring it with you.

For fever, Chinese parents mostly use paracetamol (acetaminophen) or ibuprofen as a liquid suspension or drops. Common names are 泰诺林 (Tàinuòlín, paracetamol) and 美林 (Měilín, ibuprofen). Beijing's health authority advises against paracetamol for babies under 3 months and ibuprofen for babies under 6 months unless a doctor has checked the child, and against alternating or combining the two. Pharmacies sell both suspensions. Show the pharmacist your child's age and weight on your phone, ask them to confirm the dose, and check the strength on the box, because it can differ from your brand at home. In Shanghai, some large pharmacies are open 24 hours.

Bringing your own medicine is the easier path for anything your child takes regularly. Medicines for personal use are allowed in reasonable amounts and are subject to customs checks. Stronger controlled medicines need a doctor's note. For a child on ADHD medication, Shanghai Customs allows up to 15 days of methylphenidate per prescription, and it advises carrying the prescription or medical record and declaring the medicine at the border. Keep medicines in their original packaging.

What to do if your child gets sick

For an emergency, call 120. It is China's national medical emergency number, open 24 hours, and the call is free, though the ambulance and hospital care are not. Shanghai's 120 service offers English. In a serious emergency, ask to go to the nearest large hospital. The hospitals listed below are for less urgent visits, or for when you have time to choose. For a lost child or any crime, call 110, the police number, which is also free and open 24 hours.

For a fever, an ear infection or a stomach bug, go to a children's hospital with an international department, or to a private international hospital. These are the places where English-speaking staff are most likely:

• Shanghai: the International Medical Department of Shanghai Children's Medical Center in Pudong has treated children from many countries, aged 0 to 18, since 2001. Shanghai United Family Hospital in Changning runs a 24-hour emergency room.
• Beijing: Beijing's English-language government site lists international emergency services at Peking Union Medical College Hospital's international department and at Beijing United Family Hospital. Beijing United Family Hospital offers 24-hour emergency care in English.
• Guangzhou: Guangzhou Women and Children's Medical Center is a national children's medical centre, and its Zengcheng campus has a help window for foreign patients. Guangzhou United Family Hospital has 24-hour emergency care.
• Chengdu: West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University (the city's main women's and children's hospital) has an international medical centre, and its phone lines are staffed during office hours (8:00–12:00 and 13:00–17:00).

The card below has the addresses and phone numbers. Save them in your phone before you leave home.

Costs and payment: in Beijing, international patients pay the same prices as Chinese residents. If your insurer has a direct-billing agreement with the hospital, you show the insurance card and passport and the hospital bills the insurer; otherwise you pay first, and hospitals usually ask for a deposit before admission. Private international hospitals cost much more than public ones. This is why travel insurance that names your children and includes medical evacuation is worth having for a family trip. Read our travel insurance guide for China for what to look for. World Nomads has family options; read the policy wording for age limits and what is covered before you buy.

Vaccines: China asks for a vaccination certificate only from travellers arriving from countries with yellow fever. Keep your child's routine vaccinations up to date and bring a copy of their vaccination record. For how hospitals work, see health and medical care in China and finding English-speaking hospitals.

Hotels and food with children

Hotels

Hotels register every guest, and foreigners show their passport at the front desk. Bring every child's passport to check-in, not just the adults'. China's Law on the Protection of Minors also requires hotels hosting a child to ask for a parent or guardian's contact details and how the adults and children are related. Police guidance tells hotels to record this and report anything suspicious, including adults who cannot explain how they are related to a child they are with. For most families this means one or two extra questions. If your surname differs from your child's, or you are travelling with a grandchild or a friend's child, carry a birth certificate copy and a consent letter so you can answer easily.

Family rooms, connecting rooms, cots and extra beds depend on the hotel and the room type, and prices are set by each hotel. International chains and serviced apartments in big cities are usually the easiest for families: cots are common if you request them, and a kitchenette helps with milk and simple meals. Message the hotel before booking to confirm the cot or extra bed and any charge. On Booking.com you can filter for family rooms and read each property's cot and extra-bed policy before you book. Not every hotel takes foreign guests, so read booking hotels and registration rules before you choose.

Food

Chinese restaurants are relaxed and noisy, and nobody minds a loud child. Dishes are shared at the table, which suits children who want to try a little of everything. Mild choices are easy to find: steamed rice, plain noodles, dumplings (饺子, jiǎozi), steamed buns (包子, bāozi), egg fried rice, tomato and scrambled egg, and rice porridge (粥, zhōu) for breakfast. In Sichuan, Chongqing and Hunan, ask for 不要辣 (bù yào là, "no chilli"), and expect some dishes to arrive spicy anyway. High chairs and kids' menus are more common in malls and international chains than in local restaurants. Our guide to ordering food with zero Chinese helps with menus.

Do not give children tap water. China's Center for Disease Control advises boiling tap water before drinking it, because water can pick up contamination in the pipes even after treatment. Use bottled or boiled water for drinks, formula and, for small children, brushing teeth. Restaurants display a food-safety rating sign near the door, with a big smile, a small smile or a flat face, so pick places with a smile. Convenience stores sell milk, yogurt, fruit, bread and snacks around the clock in the cities, and food delivery to your hotel is easy once mobile payment is set up. See food safety and dietary restrictions for allergies and special diets.

Where to go with children

These are the places children talk about afterwards. Each one has its own guide, so this list sticks to who each place suits.

• Shanghai Disneyland. Best for ages 3 to 12 and an easy first stop in China. Plan a full day and go on a weekday outside school holidays. See our Shanghai Disney guide.
• Giant pandas in Chengdu. The favourite for most families. Go when the park opens, because the pandas are most active in the morning, and children under 1.3 metres get in free. See the Chengdu guide.
• The Great Wall at Mutianyu. The cable car up saves small legs, and the section is less steep than some others. Older children usually love the toboggan ride down. See the Great Wall guide.
• Chimelong in Guangzhou. A safari park, theme park and circus in one resort, good for animal lovers aged 4 and up. See our Guangzhou and Shenzhen guide.
• The Forbidden City. Better for children over 6 who like stories about emperors. Keep the visit to two or three hours. See the Forbidden City guide.
• Science and natural history museums. A good plan for rainy or very hot afternoons in any big city. Our museums guide lists the best ones.

Theme parks and the panda base sell timed tickets that can run out in school holidays. Booking ahead through Klook saves queuing at the gate with tired children. Children's ticket rules still follow each park's own policy (see the ticket section above), so enter each child's correct age when you book.

Frequently asked questions

Summary

China is an easy country to travel with children once the tickets and the bag are sorted. Trains charge by age (free under 6 without a seat, child fare from 6 to 13), metros by height, and planes base child and infant fares on the full adult fare, so compare prices before booking. Carry every child's passport for trains, flights, hotels and child prices at sights. Buy diapers and formula locally, but bring fever medicine, regular prescriptions and special formula from home. Save the children's hospital numbers before you fly and get insurance that covers the children. Then pick two or three cities, avoid Spring Festival and Golden Week, and book timed tickets early.

Last updated: November 2026