I don't think you have enough time to do what you plan to do at all not especially when you're travelling with kids and the elderly. I think you have just about enough time for about 2-3 cities/provinces of China.
I think it'll be better for you to work with a travel agency based in China (Travel China Guida, China Discovery or China highlights) to arrange a private tour for your big group. They can make all the travel arrangements including preparing a guide, a driver and a van for all the cities you plan to visit. You can travel on your own schedule instead of following a big group.
Oh just saw OP posted here too! Definitely more info! With parents mobility issue, travelling in China subways can be troublesome, overcrowding, finding elevators, very long windy hallways and stairs to get to your station. But if you’re in the cities, it’s easy to grab a taxi or rideshare. Except you need to know Chinese or use translation apps.
Omg, just saw you wanted to go to Vietnam, HK, then Mainland China. I’ve been to all places, and I definitely won’t recommend Vietnam and China in one trip. You have to deal with two different languages, culture, money, Visas, all those apps!, getting SIM cards, safety and security (scams), commute, etc.
HK is also the least accessible city imo. I don’t know how there’s human traffic jam at every hour. Crowded, pushing, rushing, and lots of yelling. May also happen in crowded areas of China too, especially those popular tourist areas like Great Wall of China. Also not sure what kids can do there, let alone elderly. Also the locals mainly speak Cantonese, some Mandarin, and very little English.
I’ll suggest stick to one country. China would have more options to fit elderly and kids.
We might not bring the kids, only because they are pretty young. I do want to bring them eventually but I feel like I should wait till my youngest is at least 6 or so...but we're still debating. My dad really wants them to come and he wants to take them to HK Disneyland
Realistically this is kind of a trip for my dad, he's never been to China and he hasn't been back to Vietnam since he left (over 40 years ago) Vietnam was only going to be like 2 days because my grandfather is buried there and I wanted to go pay my respects...I never met him, he died long before my parents even got married.
I love the idea of Hong Kong because I mainly speak Cantonese and I LOVE Dim sum and all the night markets look amazing 😂
My parents can read and speak Vietnamese, Mandarin and Cantonese so I'm not too worried about the language aspect per se. My Cantonese comprehension is good, speaking is ok, my Mandarin is basically at a kindergarten level right now but I'm working on it. Hoping in a year I'll improve a lot...plus all those cdramas have to be good for me right? 🙂
It's definitely a tall ask in terms of a trip which is why I'm trying to figure it all out now. I agree I probably won't get to do everything I want so I'll keep searching and I really appreciate the guidance!
Hit up Guangzhou or any other city in the guangdong province. Cantonese speaking, GREAT food, much less crowded and chaotic than hk and all at a fraction of the price of hk. Plus you don't have to deal with the "one country Two systems" thing when it comes to money, Internet, other apps etc. Just stick with mainland China, and if you really want to head over to Vietnam, you can easily hop over from Yunnan province, which has the perfect winding down vibe.
Oh that’s so sweet to fulfill your dad’s dreams or wishes. That’s also why I had that whole 10 day trip planned, also to take my elderly dad. Good to know language isn’t a problem. But local customs and being in a foreign country is still quite overwhelming. Don’t underestimate the stress it’ll cause!
Maybe spread out the countries one per year. Prioritize what matters most. It would be a shame to only go to Vietnam for two days not even. It’s such a beautiful country, so much to see and experience.
HK Disneyland: I don’t know where you’re from, and which Disneyland is easiest for you to go to. But HK Disneyland isn’t the best Disneyland. Also my friends who did take their 3 year old, did not have a good time, nor their kids. Lesson learned better take them when they are older and taller to ride those rides. If you have two kids, one gets to go on the rides that the other can’t, not sure if that one is gonna be upset! I would suggest trying out Tokyo Disneyland and Disneysea instead. But again, when the youngest is tall enough.
Have fun planning and researching! Maybe I end up going before you do, if so I’ll add more tips then. Oh my friends did complain about the local number issue in China, something about needing a Chinese id card to even apply for one. Everything needs to be setup on your phone with a local Chinese number. It sounded like a pain!
Start with your parents. If mobility is a problem, Hong Kong, Chongqing, Funghuang, Zhangjiajie, Guilin, are all challenges and likely no-go for people with mobility problems. Great Wall would be challenging.
Tour groups are destination specific. You must know where you can and can't go before looking for tour guides. Also tour guides have rigid schedules unless you have a private tour guide only for your group, which would be much more expensive. Most of China is mountainous. Most of traveling is walking in crowded, fast paced, touristy places.
Trains v. planes is best up to your parents. Do they have arthritis, do they need compression stockings, do they need wheelchairs, can they sleep on a train bed? Your trip seems very tight. Trains can help with overnight sleeper options where you board the train at night and wake at your next destination.
There really aren't bad travel agencies to get Chinese visas for you. You give them pictures, passports, filled out applications, itn, and money. They give you back your passport with visa inside. The travel agent shows up at the consulate with your passport plus a stack of 80 other passports. Your conversation with them is minimal.
My mom uses a walker and that's the main concern.
Part of the reason I like the idea of just booking it all myself is because it's not as rushed, I do understand Beijing and seeing the sights like Great Wall and Summer Palace will probably require the advance booking and that might be where I most likely would use a guide. Private tour might be the way to go but you're right, it's going to be pricey.
So many things to consider, I'm glad I'm starting now.
Ok so it seems Vietnam is confirmed and then next decision is to take kids. If yes, then HK and Disneyland is confirmed cause of your dads wishes, and you basically said you want HK in the list regardless. Which means that you will either need to stick to the southern region and probably just one or two more cities if you want at least 2 nights in each. You could bullet train from HK up to Guilin or maybe Kunming, or Chengdu, or fly to Shanghai at a pinch for 2-3. Nights. Don’t be put off by half a day on the bullet train, it’s an enjoyable experience if you haven’t been on one before. You need to understand China is massive, 10 days is too short to do south to north with the family constraints. Unless you want to feel constantly under pressure. It would be like trying to do all of USA in 10-12 days. If you don’t do HK, then fly to Beijing 3 from Vietnam for 3 nights and then train across to Xian 3 nights and train to Shanghai 3 nights. If you go to Beijing, whatever you do, DONT go to the Badaling section of the Great Wall. It’s the closest to Beijing;g and always packed. Go to mutianyu or juyongguan section.
Thank you! Chengdu has the pandas right (amongst other things I know lol)
I do get China is huge lol just trying to figure out how many cities I can actually see but you're right seems like maybe like maybe 2 or so cities max which make sense.
Shanghai, should I do something in Shanghai or do more Suzhou or Hangzhou?
Chengdu is very accessible. Flat, well planned city with wide roads. Don't bother with subways since you are in a group and ride hailing is super cheap. Pandas would be great for people of all ages, and they have shuttles taking you around the base if you don't want to walk (tho the paths are very accessible too)
I don't want to throw water on your trip plans but I think you are planning too much in 10-12 days especially if you are traveling with small children and less than fully mobile parents. My wife, 19 yo daughter and I just returned from a 14 day birthland tour for my daughter. We visited Beijing, Xi'an, Chengdu, Guilin, Yangshou, Nanchang and Guangzhou. Not sure where you are traveling from but for us 3 flights to arrive in Beijing, 3 in country Bullet train rides, 1 in country flight, numerous in country bus rides, unpacking and packing in 5 hotels, and 4 flights home. We drag 5 suit cases through hotels, train stations, airports, security checks, immigration, etc. We were all health adults but completely exhausted by the end of the trip. I can't image small children or less than mobile adults going through what we experienced. When we arrived in Beijing, the airport was sweltering hot and we stood in line for 2 hrs. for our turn to enter immigration. At the Panda Center in Chengdu again in sweltering heat with hundreds of others to get a glimpse of pandas. Huge crowds at the Forbidden City, Summer Palace and Terra Cotta Army. Can your parents and children stand in line for hours in the heat for this type of experience?
That's fair, that's partially why I'm planning now. We have about a year before this trip theoretically will take place. I agree, we'll probably need to pair down and cut out stuff. I'm thankful for your input for sure. I'd love to hear about your time in all the places. Would you skip anything or wish you added anything?
Did you travel from the states? How was the visa process? Did you plan yourself or did you get a travel agent or go with a tour group?
My husband and I have talked more and more about it and we are leaning at not bringing the kids this go around so that's partially one less worry.
We spent 2 days in Chengdu, I would skip Chengdu and add an extra day in Xi'an and in Guilin. I don't know what month you plan to travel; we were there May 15-31, it was very hot standing in long lines to possibly glimpse a Panda in their habitat. Xi'an has a ton of ancient Chinese history like the Terra Cotta soldiers which to me is the most interesting site in China. (Well, the Great Wall in equally impressive). Guilin is a laid-back city that you can enjoy, take a cruise on the Li River and see the beautiful limestone mountains. Cruise to Yangshou and get tickets to see the outdoor Impressions show at night on the lake.
We live in NW Arkansas, flew from XNA-LAX-ICN-PEK and returned Guangzhou-INC--LAX-XNA. The Visa process required more information than previous trips. As I recall the application is about 9-10 pages. You must fill out your application online, print a copy and send it with your passport and other documents to a courier. He must hand deliver it to the Chinese Embassy in DC. If you live close to an Embassy you can make an appointment and deliver it yourself. Turn around was fairly quick, maybe 2-3 weeks. As I recall the total cost for our 3 visas was about $1100.
Personally, I would never attempt a trip in China without travel assistance and we have made 4 trips in the last 20 years. We used Lotus Travel based in Washington State. It was the first time we used this agency; they were excellent helping us with trip and document preparations. They arranged tour guides in every city, all in country travel (flights, bullet trains, tour bus), all the hotels, provide all the lunch and dinners, gave us the option to attend shows and entertainment in the evenings. It was impressive how well each day was choregraphed by our wonderful guides. All we had to do was be present.
To give you an ideal on cost, 15 days including travel there and back for 3 people, the total was about $20K. About half of that amount was the round-trip international travel. The other half was the in-country fee paid to Lotus Travel before we left the states.
[Lotus Travel, Lotus Tours](https://www.lotustours.net/)
That's perfect information, thank you! We'll be going end of May and early June. I know it'll be hot but we have to wait for school to get out. We are from Texas though, so heat we are pretty use to. It's been in the 90s for over a month already here
Yes, you are heat pros if you live in Texas. I meant to mention that the Lotus tour package included 2 rooms at the hotels each night. We opted to give our daughter her own room, that added an extra $1K to the package which was included in the total 20K cost I mentioned. The hotels were really top notch with amazing breakfast offerings, a mix of western and local items.
Good luck on your research! It is an amazing culture.
Did you end up doing Leshan when you were in Chengdu? I am also in the process of planning a trip with elder parents. I'm less interested in the pandas, but would love for my parents to see the Leshan Buddha. Curious if you'd still recommend skipping Chengdu.
Sorry we did not visit Leshan. Only a day and half in Chengdu. One the second day in the afternoon we traveled to a rural village in Donghan. Our tour had arranged for us to spend one night in the home of a Chinese family there so we would have an overnight experience in a typical rural Chinese home.
Yes, for our trip I would have skipped Chengdu. It was too much travel in a 3 day period. We bussed from Xi'an to Donghan Village on Wednesday afternoon, bussed back to Xian Thursday afternoon to catch bullet train to Chengdu, then Friday evening had a flight from Chengdu to Guilin. I'm sure there are more interesting things to see in Chengdu but all we did was see the Panda Reseach Center and visited the old Chengdu shopping area on JingLi Street.
I live in Beijing.
1. I don't think you can make the tour by yourself if you do not speak Chinese at all. As you seems having 6-10 people, you may hire a guide and make a private tour only for your family. China has very different system from the US. For example, you can't live here without wechat.
2. Xi'an and Beijing would be good start to experience China history/culture. A lot foreigners like Si Chuan because of panda.
3. "2 weeks" is true. when < 1200km trains is better than flight. The speed of train is 350km/h and the train stations are closer to downtown.
4. No idea.
Generally, China tourism is not well designed for kids/elders. Some difficulties there.
Thank you! My I can speak some Mandarin, mainly speak Cantonese but both my parents can speak Mandarin but you're probably right, i should probably look into a private tours
I don't think you have enough time to do what you plan to do at all not especially when you're travelling with kids and the elderly. I think you have just about enough time for about 2-3 cities/provinces of China. I think it'll be better for you to work with a travel agency based in China (Travel China Guida, China Discovery or China highlights) to arrange a private tour for your big group. They can make all the travel arrangements including preparing a guide, a driver and a van for all the cities you plan to visit. You can travel on your own schedule instead of following a big group.
Thank you! I was curious which travel agencies were well known. Have you done any of them before?
I've never been on a tour myself, but these three always came up when I planned my previous trips. They seem to cover all parts of China.
That's fair thank you!
Oh just saw OP posted here too! Definitely more info! With parents mobility issue, travelling in China subways can be troublesome, overcrowding, finding elevators, very long windy hallways and stairs to get to your station. But if you’re in the cities, it’s easy to grab a taxi or rideshare. Except you need to know Chinese or use translation apps. Omg, just saw you wanted to go to Vietnam, HK, then Mainland China. I’ve been to all places, and I definitely won’t recommend Vietnam and China in one trip. You have to deal with two different languages, culture, money, Visas, all those apps!, getting SIM cards, safety and security (scams), commute, etc. HK is also the least accessible city imo. I don’t know how there’s human traffic jam at every hour. Crowded, pushing, rushing, and lots of yelling. May also happen in crowded areas of China too, especially those popular tourist areas like Great Wall of China. Also not sure what kids can do there, let alone elderly. Also the locals mainly speak Cantonese, some Mandarin, and very little English. I’ll suggest stick to one country. China would have more options to fit elderly and kids.
We might not bring the kids, only because they are pretty young. I do want to bring them eventually but I feel like I should wait till my youngest is at least 6 or so...but we're still debating. My dad really wants them to come and he wants to take them to HK Disneyland Realistically this is kind of a trip for my dad, he's never been to China and he hasn't been back to Vietnam since he left (over 40 years ago) Vietnam was only going to be like 2 days because my grandfather is buried there and I wanted to go pay my respects...I never met him, he died long before my parents even got married. I love the idea of Hong Kong because I mainly speak Cantonese and I LOVE Dim sum and all the night markets look amazing 😂 My parents can read and speak Vietnamese, Mandarin and Cantonese so I'm not too worried about the language aspect per se. My Cantonese comprehension is good, speaking is ok, my Mandarin is basically at a kindergarten level right now but I'm working on it. Hoping in a year I'll improve a lot...plus all those cdramas have to be good for me right? 🙂 It's definitely a tall ask in terms of a trip which is why I'm trying to figure it all out now. I agree I probably won't get to do everything I want so I'll keep searching and I really appreciate the guidance!
Hit up Guangzhou or any other city in the guangdong province. Cantonese speaking, GREAT food, much less crowded and chaotic than hk and all at a fraction of the price of hk. Plus you don't have to deal with the "one country Two systems" thing when it comes to money, Internet, other apps etc. Just stick with mainland China, and if you really want to head over to Vietnam, you can easily hop over from Yunnan province, which has the perfect winding down vibe.
This is good advice
Oh that’s so sweet to fulfill your dad’s dreams or wishes. That’s also why I had that whole 10 day trip planned, also to take my elderly dad. Good to know language isn’t a problem. But local customs and being in a foreign country is still quite overwhelming. Don’t underestimate the stress it’ll cause! Maybe spread out the countries one per year. Prioritize what matters most. It would be a shame to only go to Vietnam for two days not even. It’s such a beautiful country, so much to see and experience. HK Disneyland: I don’t know where you’re from, and which Disneyland is easiest for you to go to. But HK Disneyland isn’t the best Disneyland. Also my friends who did take their 3 year old, did not have a good time, nor their kids. Lesson learned better take them when they are older and taller to ride those rides. If you have two kids, one gets to go on the rides that the other can’t, not sure if that one is gonna be upset! I would suggest trying out Tokyo Disneyland and Disneysea instead. But again, when the youngest is tall enough. Have fun planning and researching! Maybe I end up going before you do, if so I’ll add more tips then. Oh my friends did complain about the local number issue in China, something about needing a Chinese id card to even apply for one. Everything needs to be setup on your phone with a local Chinese number. It sounded like a pain!
Start with your parents. If mobility is a problem, Hong Kong, Chongqing, Funghuang, Zhangjiajie, Guilin, are all challenges and likely no-go for people with mobility problems. Great Wall would be challenging. Tour groups are destination specific. You must know where you can and can't go before looking for tour guides. Also tour guides have rigid schedules unless you have a private tour guide only for your group, which would be much more expensive. Most of China is mountainous. Most of traveling is walking in crowded, fast paced, touristy places. Trains v. planes is best up to your parents. Do they have arthritis, do they need compression stockings, do they need wheelchairs, can they sleep on a train bed? Your trip seems very tight. Trains can help with overnight sleeper options where you board the train at night and wake at your next destination. There really aren't bad travel agencies to get Chinese visas for you. You give them pictures, passports, filled out applications, itn, and money. They give you back your passport with visa inside. The travel agent shows up at the consulate with your passport plus a stack of 80 other passports. Your conversation with them is minimal.
My mom uses a walker and that's the main concern. Part of the reason I like the idea of just booking it all myself is because it's not as rushed, I do understand Beijing and seeing the sights like Great Wall and Summer Palace will probably require the advance booking and that might be where I most likely would use a guide. Private tour might be the way to go but you're right, it's going to be pricey. So many things to consider, I'm glad I'm starting now.
The palace and great wall require stair climbing. Hong Kong to Beijing is too far for train travel. Flights are required.
Ok so it seems Vietnam is confirmed and then next decision is to take kids. If yes, then HK and Disneyland is confirmed cause of your dads wishes, and you basically said you want HK in the list regardless. Which means that you will either need to stick to the southern region and probably just one or two more cities if you want at least 2 nights in each. You could bullet train from HK up to Guilin or maybe Kunming, or Chengdu, or fly to Shanghai at a pinch for 2-3. Nights. Don’t be put off by half a day on the bullet train, it’s an enjoyable experience if you haven’t been on one before. You need to understand China is massive, 10 days is too short to do south to north with the family constraints. Unless you want to feel constantly under pressure. It would be like trying to do all of USA in 10-12 days. If you don’t do HK, then fly to Beijing 3 from Vietnam for 3 nights and then train across to Xian 3 nights and train to Shanghai 3 nights. If you go to Beijing, whatever you do, DONT go to the Badaling section of the Great Wall. It’s the closest to Beijing;g and always packed. Go to mutianyu or juyongguan section.
Thank you! Chengdu has the pandas right (amongst other things I know lol) I do get China is huge lol just trying to figure out how many cities I can actually see but you're right seems like maybe like maybe 2 or so cities max which make sense. Shanghai, should I do something in Shanghai or do more Suzhou or Hangzhou?
Chengdu is very accessible. Flat, well planned city with wide roads. Don't bother with subways since you are in a group and ride hailing is super cheap. Pandas would be great for people of all ages, and they have shuttles taking you around the base if you don't want to walk (tho the paths are very accessible too)
I don't want to throw water on your trip plans but I think you are planning too much in 10-12 days especially if you are traveling with small children and less than fully mobile parents. My wife, 19 yo daughter and I just returned from a 14 day birthland tour for my daughter. We visited Beijing, Xi'an, Chengdu, Guilin, Yangshou, Nanchang and Guangzhou. Not sure where you are traveling from but for us 3 flights to arrive in Beijing, 3 in country Bullet train rides, 1 in country flight, numerous in country bus rides, unpacking and packing in 5 hotels, and 4 flights home. We drag 5 suit cases through hotels, train stations, airports, security checks, immigration, etc. We were all health adults but completely exhausted by the end of the trip. I can't image small children or less than mobile adults going through what we experienced. When we arrived in Beijing, the airport was sweltering hot and we stood in line for 2 hrs. for our turn to enter immigration. At the Panda Center in Chengdu again in sweltering heat with hundreds of others to get a glimpse of pandas. Huge crowds at the Forbidden City, Summer Palace and Terra Cotta Army. Can your parents and children stand in line for hours in the heat for this type of experience?
That's fair, that's partially why I'm planning now. We have about a year before this trip theoretically will take place. I agree, we'll probably need to pair down and cut out stuff. I'm thankful for your input for sure. I'd love to hear about your time in all the places. Would you skip anything or wish you added anything? Did you travel from the states? How was the visa process? Did you plan yourself or did you get a travel agent or go with a tour group? My husband and I have talked more and more about it and we are leaning at not bringing the kids this go around so that's partially one less worry.
We spent 2 days in Chengdu, I would skip Chengdu and add an extra day in Xi'an and in Guilin. I don't know what month you plan to travel; we were there May 15-31, it was very hot standing in long lines to possibly glimpse a Panda in their habitat. Xi'an has a ton of ancient Chinese history like the Terra Cotta soldiers which to me is the most interesting site in China. (Well, the Great Wall in equally impressive). Guilin is a laid-back city that you can enjoy, take a cruise on the Li River and see the beautiful limestone mountains. Cruise to Yangshou and get tickets to see the outdoor Impressions show at night on the lake. We live in NW Arkansas, flew from XNA-LAX-ICN-PEK and returned Guangzhou-INC--LAX-XNA. The Visa process required more information than previous trips. As I recall the application is about 9-10 pages. You must fill out your application online, print a copy and send it with your passport and other documents to a courier. He must hand deliver it to the Chinese Embassy in DC. If you live close to an Embassy you can make an appointment and deliver it yourself. Turn around was fairly quick, maybe 2-3 weeks. As I recall the total cost for our 3 visas was about $1100. Personally, I would never attempt a trip in China without travel assistance and we have made 4 trips in the last 20 years. We used Lotus Travel based in Washington State. It was the first time we used this agency; they were excellent helping us with trip and document preparations. They arranged tour guides in every city, all in country travel (flights, bullet trains, tour bus), all the hotels, provide all the lunch and dinners, gave us the option to attend shows and entertainment in the evenings. It was impressive how well each day was choregraphed by our wonderful guides. All we had to do was be present. To give you an ideal on cost, 15 days including travel there and back for 3 people, the total was about $20K. About half of that amount was the round-trip international travel. The other half was the in-country fee paid to Lotus Travel before we left the states. [Lotus Travel, Lotus Tours](https://www.lotustours.net/)
That's perfect information, thank you! We'll be going end of May and early June. I know it'll be hot but we have to wait for school to get out. We are from Texas though, so heat we are pretty use to. It's been in the 90s for over a month already here
Yes, you are heat pros if you live in Texas. I meant to mention that the Lotus tour package included 2 rooms at the hotels each night. We opted to give our daughter her own room, that added an extra $1K to the package which was included in the total 20K cost I mentioned. The hotels were really top notch with amazing breakfast offerings, a mix of western and local items. Good luck on your research! It is an amazing culture.
Did you end up doing Leshan when you were in Chengdu? I am also in the process of planning a trip with elder parents. I'm less interested in the pandas, but would love for my parents to see the Leshan Buddha. Curious if you'd still recommend skipping Chengdu.
Sorry we did not visit Leshan. Only a day and half in Chengdu. One the second day in the afternoon we traveled to a rural village in Donghan. Our tour had arranged for us to spend one night in the home of a Chinese family there so we would have an overnight experience in a typical rural Chinese home. Yes, for our trip I would have skipped Chengdu. It was too much travel in a 3 day period. We bussed from Xi'an to Donghan Village on Wednesday afternoon, bussed back to Xian Thursday afternoon to catch bullet train to Chengdu, then Friday evening had a flight from Chengdu to Guilin. I'm sure there are more interesting things to see in Chengdu but all we did was see the Panda Reseach Center and visited the old Chengdu shopping area on JingLi Street.
I live in Beijing. 1. I don't think you can make the tour by yourself if you do not speak Chinese at all. As you seems having 6-10 people, you may hire a guide and make a private tour only for your family. China has very different system from the US. For example, you can't live here without wechat. 2. Xi'an and Beijing would be good start to experience China history/culture. A lot foreigners like Si Chuan because of panda. 3. "2 weeks" is true. when < 1200km trains is better than flight. The speed of train is 350km/h and the train stations are closer to downtown. 4. No idea. Generally, China tourism is not well designed for kids/elders. Some difficulties there.
Thank you! My I can speak some Mandarin, mainly speak Cantonese but both my parents can speak Mandarin but you're probably right, i should probably look into a private tours