How to Plan a Family Trip to Shanghai

Whether you want to immerse in history, discover cultures, taste new dishes, or see beautiful sights, Shanghai will offer you exactly what you want. This bustling Chinese city is one of the most visited destinations in the country and a favourite with families. If you are here with your kids and want to find fun things to do, this guide will tell you the places you can visit for the best family experience.

Disneyland Park

Mention Disneyland to your kids, and they will make a racket running around the house with excitement. Every kid has the dream of visiting Disneyland, and you can make that dream come true by taking them to Shanghai Disneyland Park. Located on the mainland, about half an hour from Ascott Huai Hai Road Shanghai, Shanghai Disneyland combines Disneyland magic with Chinese cultural elements.

There are six sections in this magical place:

• Gardens of Imagination
• Mickey Avenue
• Treasure Cove
• Adventure Isle
• Tomorrowland
• Fantasyland

The park is open every day, and you need at least a day to discover all the delights of this theme park.

Shanghai Circus World

If you stay at one of the luxury serviced apartments in Shanghai on Huaihai Road, you can get to Shanghai Circus World within about fifteen minutes.

Also known as the country’s number one circus house, Shanghai Circus World hosts incredibly difficult performances involving various stunts, jiggling, and dancing. In addition to acrobatics, you can also enjoy clown performances where tigers, parrots, monkeys, and lions take centre stage.

The duration of each performance is about one and a half hours, and the place is open on Saturday and Sunday from 2 PM.

Important: you cannot take pictures or videos of the performances.

Shanghai Chocolate Happy Land

A world of chocolate that will send any kid into a frenzy of happiness and excitement, Shanghai Chocolate Happy Land is essentially a chocolate castle. This is a place that contains only one thing: chocolate!

Your kids will enjoy seeing their favourite movie characters made of chocolate. What’s more, Shanghai Chocolate Happy Land features a kitchen where your kids can dabble in making chocolate desserts.

You can visit from 9 AM to 5 PM every day, and you need at least six hours to explore the place.

Take a sidecar tour

Discover the delightful sights of Shanghai in a sidecar; tours can be customised. This is a great way to explore the city and avoid the crowds that fill buses.

You need at least four hours to discover all the sights, and your kids should be ten years or older.

Shanghai Natural Wild Insect Kingdom

To see all kinds of creepy crawlies, visit Shanghai Natural Wild Insect Kingdom. You will see insects and butterflies that you’ve never seen before. And this is also home to other wild species like lizards, snakes, and turtles.

Open hours:

Monday to Thursday: 9 AM to 5 PM

Friday to Sunday, and holiday: 9 AM to 5:30 PM

Give yourself at least half a day at Shanghai Natural Wild Insect Kingdom, and the Oriental Pearl TV Tower is just a short walk away.

New World Ice Rink

Located inside the New World Department Store, New World Ice Rink offers copious amounts of fun for families with kids. This ice rink doesn’t compare to an outdoor ice rink in size, but it’s a safe spot for kids to learn ice skating. What’s even better is that you can do some shopping while your kids play, but at least one adult should be there to watch the kids.

The ice rink is open from 9.30 AM to 10 PM, but it’s closed from 1.30 PM to 2 PM and from 5 PM to 5.30 PM to clean the ice. And your kids will need at least six hours at the ice rink.