A 16-day China itinerary with kids: Beijing, the Zhangjiajie mountains, Fenghuang, Guilin, Yangshuo, Guangzhou and Shenzhen — 8 cities and 8 transfers with children aged 9 and 11. The route suits kids from 9: there are mountain staircases and long transfers, but nothing extreme. Read the ready-made day-by-day plan below.
There were four of us: two parents and two children, 9 and 11 (the older one turned 11 during the trip — there were two of them in the hotels that day, both were congratulated, and there were two cakes, too).
Originally we planned to spend half of the holiday on Hainan and the other half actively. But as we dug into the beauty and scale of everything we wanted to see in China, we decided that Hainan could wait.)
Route at a glance
- Beijing (1 day) — the Great Wall of China, Mutianyu section
- Zhangjiajie (1 day) — 72 Wonder Tower
- Wulingyuan (3 days) — Tianmen Mountain, the national park and the Avatar mountains (Tianzi Mountain, Yangjiajie, the Bailong Elevator)
- Fenghuang (1 day) — the Yellow Dragon Cave on the way, the ancient town on the river
- Guilin (1 day) — Elephant Trunk Hill, the Sun and Moon Pagodas
- Yangshuo (2 days) — Ruyi Peak, West Street, Yangshuo Park
- Guangzhou (2 days) — Canton Tower, the waterfront
- Shenzhen (5 days) — a beach holiday, an outlet mall, the "tech buildings"
Tickets and hotels
We bought tickets on S7. It worked out cheaper to take round-trip tickets for an adult plus a child (for the two of them it came to 63,000; mum and a child bought one way only, because after China there was a flight to Koh Samui — 50,000). The domestic flight was significantly cheaper on Trip.
We booked hotels through Trip with free cancellation, so that in case of force majeure we would not lose money and could rearrange the schedule. (Some hotels can be booked no earlier than a month ahead — the hotels from our notes were unavailable for booking, and closer to the trip date a booking and availability calendar appeared.)
Each hotel gets a short review. The choice of hotels is huge, and we spent a lot of time choosing. Apart from the hotel in Guangzhou, there were no disappointments. We would be really glad if our experience makes the agony of choosing even a little easier.) We booked everywhere with breakfast included; for children, whether breakfast is provided and whether it is paid or free depends on height or age, so check the hotel's page.
How we organised 8 transfers across China with kids
- Beijing → Zhangjiajie: plane, tickets for 4 people — 56,000 ₽ (bought through T-Bank a month ahead; buying earlier works out more expensive)
- Zhangjiajie → Wulingyuan: taxi, 40 minutes, 53.75 yuan
- Wulingyuan → Fenghuang: train (Zhangjiajie West / Dayong Bridge station → Fenghuang Ancient Town); tickets in advance on Trip; on arrival the taxi from the station is not via DiDi but by haggling (ours cost 25 yuan)
- Fenghuang → Guilin: train, tickets in advance; Guilin has three stations (Guilin North, Guilin West, Guilin) — check the right one when buying
- Guilin → Yangshuo: taxi instead of a river cruise, 1.5 hours, 140.3 yuan for the family
- Yangshuo → Guangzhou: train
- Guangzhou → Shenzhen: taxi "door to door", 2 h 20 min, 375.2 yuan (the alternative is a train)
- Shenzhen → Beijing (return flight): tickets on Trip; after that the route split — part of the family went home, part went to Samui
Within cities we used DiDi taxis (except around stations, where DiDi sometimes doesn't work — there you haggle with drivers on the spot) and the metro (it is convenient to build the route in Amap).
Mobile connection
We got an eSIM on Trip.com. No complaints about how it worked. It was our first time using an eSIM, and it is very convenient to have mobile internet straight after landing in another country.
Route map
Click a day or a point of interestDay-by-day route
Arrival and hotel
We arrived in Beijing at 5 a.m.
We chose a hotel with a free transfer to and from the airport. We recommend the hotel. We were checked in at 9 a.m. with no extra charge.
On the 4th floor near exit 3 a bus picks you up to the hotel, with the hotel's name on the windscreen. A standard room with two beds fitted us perfectly! Excellent pillows, bedding, robes. At the first request the children were given children's toothbrushes and slippers and robes (adult ones — the hotel has no children's). In the lobby there are welcome cool drinks and mint sweets. The breakfast range was enough to fill the whole family. The staff are very responsive and friendly. In the basement there is a café where we had dinner of rice and noodles — it was tasty.
The Great Wall of China — Mutianyu section
We decided to leave Beijing's sights and the amusement park for our next visit to China, but we could not skip the Great Wall.
We chose the Mutianyu section.
Mutianyu is one of the most picturesque and best-preserved sections of the Great Wall, located 70 km north-east of Beijing. Its history begins in the 6th century (the Northern Qi era), and the wall took its present look under the Ming dynasty, in 1569. The section is 5,400 metres long, the wall is built of granite, and its height reaches 7–8 metres. Its distinguishing features are double-sided battlements, frequent watchtowers (there are 22 here) and an unusual design of the passages. You can climb the wall on foot up the steps, by cable car or on an open lift, and come down on a toboggan (a mountain sled) along a winding 1.5 km track. Since 2011 the section has had the status of a top-category 5A national tourist attraction.
Mutianyu section on Trip.com →
Note: opening hours vary by season, so pay attention to this when booking a ticket.
We bought a ticket at the ticket office, saying we wished to go up on the enclosed cable car; we were told to buy the toboggan ticket on the spot. The ticket included: entrance ticket + the bus within the grounds + the enclosed cable car to tower 14.
An adult ticket came to 160 yuan, a child's to 140.
Because of the heat we decided to take an easy walk from tower 14 to tower 6 and go down from there on the toboggan. But the spirit of conquest took hold of the children, and they walked to the very end of the route.
You should keep in mind that the steps are of different sizes and at different slopes; the brain doesn't understand how this can be, and sometimes you stumble, because you want to place your feet on the same kind of step each time. Sometimes a step barely rises above the previous one, and sometimes you need to be able to do the splits to take it)) And the steps go now down, now up. As a result, walking back from the end of the route to tower 6 took sooo long, and we had to buy tickets for the cable car, which was another 100 yuan per head. If you buy a round-trip ticket right away, it works out cheaper! Don't repeat our mistake.
Visit? Visit. It is very impressive. To hear about the Great Wall all your life and to be on it is an event.)
We went on a hot day, with water (we bought more at the end of the route on the wall, where a bottle cost 30 yuan), and comfortable shoes and a hat are a must. We cooled off and rested in the watchtowers. The Chinese even have picnics on the floor there, and settle down to doze.
Taxi to the hotel and back
Below are screenshots from the DiDi taxi to give an idea of the approximate cost of the trip. Keep in mind that there may be an additional bill for the trip because of toll sections of road. On the way back the driver asked whether we agreed, and said the maximum extra cost would be 25–30 yuan. In fact we received a bill for 100 yuan. I wrote to support, describing the situation, and gave permission in the chat to listen to the conversation in the taxi during the trip, and the bill was cancelled.
1 / 6 The flight
Flight to Zhangjiajie.
We bought the tickets on 30 March through T-Bank; taking cashback into account, it was the best deal. We noticed that if you look at tickets very far in advance, they are more expensive than a month ahead.
For 4 people the tickets cost 56,000.
The domestic flights area of the airport (unlike the international one, especially at night) is very spacious and rich in shops, toy vending machines, Pop Mart, zones with free hot/cold drinking water and even a mini open-air park. The time waiting for departure passed very quickly.
On the plane they fed and watered us )
Hotel
Opinions about it are mixed. We were there in the rainy season, and three out of the three rooms offered to us smelled of dampness. Cleanliness in the rooms also left something to be desired. The rooms themselves are spacious and comfortable. In the lobby there are drinks and biscuits. As for the staff: very warm and friendly. The room category was upgraded free of charge because of our dissatisfaction with the first room, and a fruit plate was brought. In general the hotel is good, and the location is top. Downstairs there is a small excursion room where they help to buy tickets and work out a route according to your wishes; we bought our tickets there. The breakfasts are decent. Nobody measured the children, and we were not asked to pay extra for breakfasts.
As for getting around by taxi: we were shocked by how low the prices are in Zhangjiajie.
72 Wonder Tower
In the evening we visited the 72 Wonder Tower.
We bought the tickets on Trip.com, and they were a little cheaper than at the ticket offices on site. Entry is by passport.
Children's tickets apply from age 12, and ours got in free. Evening tickets are more expensive, but it is clearly worth it. Until 16:25 a ticket is almost twice as cheap.
This 110-metre building in the style of the traditional stilt houses of the Tujia people is listed in the Guinness Book of Records as the tallest structure of its kind in the world. When darkness falls, the tower lights up with thousands of lights, 7D projections and light shows — it looks like a set for a fantasy film. Inside the complex there are old streets, dozens of street-food points, bars, souvenir shops and free performances around the perimeter. The best photos are taken from the opposite side of the street.
Atmospheric, beautiful, we had a great time. There we also ate insanely tasty waffles with ice cream, simply delightful (a stand on the central square next to the shop with birth-date ice creams, it is in the photo).
1 / 6 Tianmen Mountain, route C
In the morning after breakfast we checked out and left our things at reception in the storage room.
Tianmenshan is the "Heavenly Gate Mountain", a place where, according to legends, earth meets sky.
We chose route C — the fastest and simplest way to see Tianmen Mountain. It starts and ends at the mountain gate (山门) and excludes the drive along the mountain serpentine road. The children get carsick from time to time, and we decided not to tempt fate).
During our trip the upper section of the main Tianmenshan cable car (from the middle station to the summit) was closed for reconstruction, and the East Line Glass Walkway at the top of the mountain was closed for a comprehensive repair. Check the current information when buying tickets!
Our route began with a bus, and from the hotel you had to cross the road and walk literally a few minutes to the stop.
A downpour began, a wall of water, and on getting off the bus we bought raincoats for 10 yuan and rain covers for the feet, also 10 yuan. It was a mistake not to bring a change of clothes and warm sweaters. At the top the children were very cold, and we were chilly too. To keep up our strength we bought food at Burger King, but finding seats in the rain was quite problematic.
Route C in brief
A bus took us to the express cable car (about 20 minutes' ride), then the cable car to the platform where the staircase begins; a couple of minutes' walk — and those very 999 steps. If you wish, you walk; if not, there is an escalator to the cave (five escalator sections). (We, of course, walked up the steps on foot. We wanted to climb on our own legs and remember every step, despite the raging downpour.)
On the mountain itself there is an enchanting circular route.
Going down — escalators again or steps if you like, then the express cable car again and a bus to the city.
And one more thing! While travelling around the mountain, if you didn't know about it beforehand, you will meet advertising everywhere for the evening show "Heavenly Fox" at the foot of Tianmen in the FOX FAIRY theatre. By reviews, it is an incredibly beautiful, large-scale and spectacular show! Because of the transfer we did not include this show in our plans.
Transfer to Wulingyuan
In the evening we took a taxi to the hotel in Wulingyuan. The journey took 40 minutes and cost 53.75 yuan.
We moved to Wulingyuan in order to see the Avatar mountains while staying close to the gates, and not spend much time on the road there and back.
We definitely recommend the hotel; we were delighted with the service, the level of care, the views and the amenities! Be sure to choose one with a mountain view.
Conditions may change, but at the time of our stay the transfer to the gates and back to the hotel was free and was done either by an Audi or by a very comfortable minivan. The hotel has good breakfasts, a rooftop pool, and a free laundry (washing machines, dryers, detergents and even branded eco bags for clean laundry are freely available in the laundry room).
1 / 9 Tickets and organisation
As for routes in the national park, panic about the huge territories — we had all of it!
After reading that the hotel helps with booking the ticket and choosing the right entry time slot, we calmed down. At the hotel they gave us a map and drew a route, marking especially beautiful places, viewpoints and the necessary bus stops. We weren't shy and, when boarding the bus, asked the staff who distributed visitors whether we would get there, using sign language and pointing at the right place on the map, and asked the bus driver, if necessary, to kick us out at the right stop))
Tickets are normally issued for 4 days. Our tickets included all the cable cars and the lift, with an unlimited number of rides (only the ride on the small electric cars to the "Garden in the sky" was not included).
The tickets for the family came to 1,604 yuan.
Don't forget to take tissues / toilet paper with you)) — we didn't find toilets with paper in the mountains in a single place)) In the women's toilet, look for the door with the familiar toilet drawn on it))
It was a weekday! There is a lot of information on the internet that on weekends you have to be ready for increased crowding everywhere.
We chose the route with a descent by the Bailong Elevator.
Route: Tianzi Mountain → Helong → Yangjiajie → the bridge → Bailong Elevator
Start: we enter through the East Gate to channel A — direction — the Tianzishan cable car (Tianzi Mountain).
Tianzi Mountain and Helong Park. At the top you get out of the cable car and start enjoying the views. Then on a free bus (5–8 minutes) you go to Helong Park. There are many viewing platforms there with the famous "Avatar pillars". Be ready for climbing and descending stairs and for large crowds wanting to be photographed at beautiful spots, but the views are worth it)
From the Shentang Bay point we took a bus (we had to wait until a bus with free seats arrived) to the scenic Yangjiajie area (Yangjiajie Scenic Area).
Then we take a bus to the stop "the first bridge in the world" and stroll (we met monkeys on the way).
Then — a bus again, and we walk to the lift. There was a queue for the lift. We stood for half an hour. Not a queue at all by Chinese standards. But we had read that some people get lucky and even go up calmly. We managed to squeeze to the windows. We didn't get a real wow effect.
From the lower station of the Bailong Elevator we take a bus to the exit at the East Gate.
1 / 9 We will find and attach the coordinates, contacts and passwords of this day!
We decided to arrange an easy and interesting day for the children, who had grumbled about yesterday's trudging around the mountains, and chose an easy walking route of 7 km there and, accordingly, 7 back along the trail with monkeys.
It was all as planned until at one point we turned the wrong way))))
As a result we climbed the steps upwards for an hour and a half, and in all that time we met only a couple of people. But it was worth it. Insanely beautiful views, and you are alone with them. Zero tourists. Zero noise. It took our breath away. No photographs, of course, convey the sharpness and depth of feeling and everything a person sees with their own eyes.
1 / 9 The Yellow Dragon Cave
We made do with the cave, but you can (and some people very much need to) combine it with the glass bridge and the lake. We didn't fit it into our time.
We won't set out all the data about the cave in a review; there is plenty of it on the internet. I will only say that the cave is worth visiting. We kept shaking our heads in amazement at the scale and at the Chinese ability to fit modern technology into nature.
We took tickets the day before the visit, and there were few people in the cave. We arrived at opening time. You don't need to go to the ticket offices; with a passport you can go straight to the entrance.
In high season be sure to buy tickets in advance and be ready for crowds.
Some practical tips and notes: you can take water with you and go to the toilet before the entrance to the cave :)
Tickets to the cave: Trip.com.
The ticket price includes a visit to the cave and a boat ride inside.
Transfer to Fenghuang
We took tickets in advance on Trip.
Departure: Zhangjiajie West (张家界西), Dayong Bridge (大庸橋).
Arrival: Fenghuang Ancient Town (凤凰古城), Fenghuang County, Xiangxi, Hunan Province (湖南省湘西土家族苗族自治州鳳凰縣).
On arrival at the railway station note that DiDi doesn't work.
You can and should haggle with the taxi drivers on the spot :) We got to the hotel for 25 yuan.
Hotel and town
The hotel's location suited us more than fully. A gorgeous view from the window. The noise did not bother us. The hotel is a little way from the places where people gather most actively. The hotel also offers a free rental of a traditional costume for half an hour (a modest choice; it is a 7-minute walk from the hotel. If you want a keepsake photo, it is better to rent a full costume with a headdress and make-up).
In Fenghuang we hardly saw any foreigners. There are very many people, but all of them local. And most are in costumes and make-up. The dress-rental business and make-up studios flourish here, and a special atmosphere reigns.
We walked along the river on old streets, made our way through narrow passages between houses to neighbouring streets and simply enjoyed the beauty and the views of Ancient China. An enchanting town.
1 / 9 The train and Guilin's stations
The train journey is long, and tickets must be bought in advance.
Note that Guilin has several stations, so take this into account when buying a ticket!
These are the three main stations that serve most passengers:
Guilin North (Guìlínběi, 桂林北站) — the northern railway station of the city of Guilin.
Guilin West (Guìlínxī, 桂林西站) — the western railway station of the city of Guilin in the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region of China.
Guilin (Guìlín Zhàn, 桂林站) — the main and oldest railway station of Guilin. Unlike the previously mentioned Guilin West and Guilin North, this station is central and the most convenient for tourists, since it is right in the city.
Departure: Fenghuang Ancient Town (凤凰古城), Fenghuang County, Xiangxi, Hunan Province (湖南省湘西土家族苗族自治州鳳凰縣).
Arrival: Guilin (桂林), 39 Zhongshan South Road, Xiangshan District, Guilin, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region (廣西壯族自治區桂林市象山區中山南路39號).
Hotel and a walk
We chose a hotel with a pool and good breakfasts — and didn't go wrong.
We booked the simplest budget room with two beds, but we were complimentarily upgraded to a huge family room with toys and a tent, and the children were given breakfast coupons.
The hotel's location is excellent. Elephant Trunk Hill and the Sun and Moon Pagodas are within walking distance. In the evening we happily strolled along the embankment and the sights.
Using maps we picked a noodle place with an excellent rating and tried tasty Guilin noodles for 5 yuan, sitting outside at a low table on tiny stools (before that there was an unsuccessful trip to KFC and two non-spicy sets for the children, which turned out to be very hot and very spicy)).
1 / 6 From Guilin to Yangshuo
Originally a cruise from Guilin to Yangshuo was planned.
Guilin → Yangshuo cruise with meals on Trip.com →
But the children badly wanted to sleep in and have a leisurely breakfast, so we didn't take the cruise and went by "boring taxi").
For the hour-and-a-half journey we paid 140.3 yuan. The road is comfortable, and enchanting views opened up outside the windows.
Hotel
We recommend the hotel we chose. Fresh rooms, good cleaning. The breakfast choice isn't super rich, but it was there that we were always full)) Tasty coffee, pastries, very tasty Guilin noodles. Yoghurt, fruit, juice.
The hotel is far from the centre of Yangshuo, but taxis are cheap. Calling one was no trouble at all, and the cost of a trip was laughable for 4 people.
For exploring on your own and for rides along the Ten-Mile Gallery the best transport in Yangshuo is an electric scooter.
They are offered for rent at every step, but it is most convenient to take and return one at your own hotel. We planned to rent one but never did. I got scared of carrying one of the children, having no experience, and local drivers were not always logical in their behaviour behind the wheel.
No licence is required to rent.
West Street and Yangshuo Park
In the evening we strolled along West Street and looked into the supermarket on the lower floor of the shopping centre (the location's address).
We walked around the park: the address is No. 36, Diecui Street, Yangshuo County, Guilin, Guangxi. It is in the centre of the county, next to Xijie Street, a 5-minute walk; for car navigation use "阳朔公园" (Yangshuo Park).
Entry / opening hours: entry is free, open around the clock; early in the morning and in the evening there are the most locals here and the atmosphere is the most pleasant. We watched Chinese pensioners exercising, actively using the outdoor exercise machines.
In the park you can climb to a viewpoint — the small Bilian mountain. The climb took about 15 minutes, up old steps. From the top the contrast of Yangshuo is felt especially sharply: a quiet green park below, lively city streets next door and karst peaks on the horizon that drive you mad with their beauty. It is one of those rare places where you can quickly find yourself "above the bustle" and see the city in the palm of your hand without tiring trekking.
1 / 7 Ruyi Peak
A visit to Ruyi Peak (如意峰) is a real emotional journey that begins long before the summit and combines delight, awe and serenity.
A must-visit!
The sensations are of course different from the Avatar mountains, but the emotions we felt here were, I think, comparable. It is, so to speak, an accessible way to enjoy Her Majesty Nature and countless mountain peaks. And if the starting point of your route is Guangzhou, for example, then be sure to find a day or two and visit Yangshuo.
A note:
1. The cabins! If you wait for the right cabin, you will enjoy a ride with a glass floor!! As far as we understood, there is just one such. Wait: after the red cabin come two white ones in a row; you skip the first and take the second. There were few visitors when we were there, and the staff were calm about our waiting manoeuvres on the way there and back; people were simply let go ahead of us.
2. At the viewpoint a man sits with a drone. For 100 yuan he will record a video with you and send it straight away by AirDrop. The views from above are simply incredible.
We are absolutely delighted with this place. There is no rush, no difficult sections, not many people. You are completely absorbed in the surrounding beauty, which really does take your breath away.
It is also impossible to get lost. The route is laid out in a circle; the only difference is whether you choose to start moving to the right or to the left.
Rafts and blind massage
After the peak we went, full of desire to ride the rafts — here.
But heavy rains had fallen the day before, and all the rides were cancelled.
Using reviews we found a blind massage salon. We went there. An amazing experience.
In China there is a state programme of support for blind people, which includes training them in professional massage. Their sense of touch is incredibly developed, and they "see" problems in the body with their hands.
Communication was hard. On the first floor we saw a blind girl and didn't know how to start talking. In the end, using a translator, we asked whether we could have a massage. The girl nodded, said something in Chinese and led us to the second floor, took us into a room, laid out fresh sheets and showed by gestures that we should lie down. Later a second masseur came up. Everything by touch. The masseurs had some kind of talking device with them which, we thought, announces the length of the massage session and beeps when the hour is over.
Inside the surroundings are very simple, without any SPA trappings.
We liked the massage. Downstairs, fortunately for us, there were locals waiting their turn. With the help of the translator they helped us find out how much we had to pay, and told the masseuse that we had transferred the right amount (1 massage — 68 yuan). Otherwise, I think, everything would have been left on trust.
1 / 9 (Don't look for high cultural meaning and richness in these days.)
The children's enthusiasm had deflated, and they wanted to wander around children's shops or simply lie in bed, so we lightened the load for a couple of days, understanding that we would definitely come back here and catch up.
The transfer
Transfer by train.
Yangshuo (阳朔), Yangshuo County, Guilin prefecture, Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, Road 060 (廣西壯族自治區桂林市陽朔縣060鄉道).
Guangzhou South (广州南), Nanzhan North Road, Zhongcun Town, Panyu District, Guangzhou (廣州市番禺區鐘村鎮南站北路).
Hotel
We do NOT recommend the hotel. A long and absolutely unwelcoming check-in. The room was dirty, with mould in the bathroom. A smell of dampness. A very long wait for the lift and a complicated system (one lift goes to even floors, the other to odd). Meagre breakfasts and dirt in the restaurant area; it was downright disgusting to go near the coffee machine. The afternoon tea in the hotel's photos and in reality were different things.
IKEA, a shopping centre, dinner at Saizeriya
The first thing we went to see was not the world-famous tower but IKEA) We got nostalgic and walked for a long time through the designer room displays. There are many Chinese people, someone is asleep settled in a comfortable rocking chair, a young couple lay on a bed holding hands, probably dreaming of their own flat. Three Lilleplut cats, one husky dog, three chargers and two plastic cat boxes for small things left IKEA with us.
We had dinner with great pleasure in a Swedish café!! We had missed European food and the absence of specific spices.
Full and happy, we went on walking around the shopping centre. We were surprised by the huge number of cars, in all of which you can sit and hold the steering wheel. This ceremony kept the children busy for a long time. Then came a visit to Huawei. There were big TVs showing the Peppa Pig cartoon, and the Chinese sat there by whole families and watched, in no hurry at all)) One boy played on a console without letting go. Nobody throws them out or scolds. This is the norm here.
About food
As for food. I think every other reader will notice that the topic "where to eat tasty food in China" isn't touched at all. But in Guangzhou (and not only) we can recommend the Italian café chain Saizeriya. There is a menu with pictures, and ordering is through WeChat. Affordable prices, good portions and no specific spices. We enjoyed eating there). By the way, we like to try local food and eat in different places and at markets. But in China our stomachs rebelled, and we did not allow ourselves any exotica)) Even the stinky tofu and the live-krill flatbreads in Fenghuang passed us by. And it seemed to us (and not only to us, according to reviews) that there is a lot of oil in the food. Even in plain rice with egg/chicken a layer of oil consistently remained at the bottom.
1 / 3 Uniqlo, Miniso, Lego
We visited a huge 4-storey Uniqlo, a huge Miniso and a Lego store. To some this will seem boring and a waste of time, but we find it interesting to wander around shopping centres in a foreign country, see new shops and goods and watch the locals here.
Canton Tower
Then we wandered toward the Canton Tower. I won't copy-paste its descriptions from all the available sources. Because anyone going to Guangzhou is definitely familiar at least briefly with this sight.
Trip offers various ticket combinations. There is an obstacle course at a huge height, open and enclosed observation decks, a ride on the Ferris wheel and other options. I'll just say that we limited ourselves to looking at the tower without going up. We didn't buy tickets in advance, and nobody wanted to stand in the queues for the entrance and for the bubble tram.
The waterfront and SUPER MING
We strolled along the waterfront with its insanely beautiful illumination. And set off on a long walk home, on the way stopping at the shop SUPER MING. It is a chain store with snacks sold by weight in a huge assortment, various sweets, and it also carries soft and alcoholic drinks (there we saw beer in small 0.33 cans at a laughable price for the first time), ice cream, yoghurts, chocolate bars, Kinder products. Bigger shops also have toys (key rings for 9.90 yuan) and some household chemicals.
1 / 10 From Guangzhou to Shenzhen
From Guangzhou to Shenzhen we went by taxi. Economy tariff, 375.2 yuan. The journey took 2:20. You can go by train, but for 4 people it was easier to go by taxi "door to door".
Hotel
First of all, we were aiming at a beach holiday for the final days of the trip, and in the evening, when the illumination is switched on, to go out by metro to walk in the parks. We chose a hotel close to the sea, and therefore far from the centre. The compulsory criteria were a pool and breakfasts. It was the only hotel without cancellation, and the booking was split in two, two days each. Why? It worked out 2,000 roubles cheaper)) The maximum occupancy of this category on Trip is 2 people, but in fact they accommodate more without a problem (we wrote to the hotel beforehand to ask if it was possible).
We were put on the 8th floor with a sea view without asking and without extra charge. The room smelled of dampness, the plumbing was old and the room had not been washed. When we changed rooms the situation did not change; they offered the 9th floor and an even better view. Judging by the reviews, the problem is common.
Pluses: the hotel is children-oriented, there are play areas, two pools and good breakfasts. The rooms are very spacious. A free transfer every half hour to the private beach of the InterContinental hotel. There are only about 5 sunbeds there set aside for our hotel, but we settled on the sand as well.
We liked it there more than on the public beach: there are no swimming enclosures, the entry into the water is even, the sand is soft. There were few people.
Next to the hotel there is an outlet; very good prices on New Balance trainers) Clothes there too, cafés, and suitcases in a wide range and inexpensive (at the hotel they sent us far away for a suitcase, but in the faraway lands there were no suitcases at all, and we came across these only on the last day).
For two days the weather was kind to us, and then it simply rained almost without stopping. It was exactly for this case, since it was the rainy season, that we looked for a hotel with a pool.
The "tech buildings"
We passed the days in the hotel and in shopping centres; the names and addresses of two of them are below.
We got everywhere by metro. To help, we opened the route in Amap, where the route, line, number of stations and direction of travel are given. We paid for the tokens with WeChat.
If you enter the metro with a liquid, you may be asked to take a sip, or at the security check your bottle will be checked on some machine. Don't be thrown.
We visited not ordinary shopping centres but multi-storey "tech buildings".
These are places where iPhones are taken apart by the thousands, MacBooks lie in heaps, and behind the display cases brand-new phones appear before your eyes)) A crazy spectacle, crazy scale of it all. Hundreds of boxes in every little nook. Here too they repair/solder/stick on new IMEIs and screen protectors, and smoke, smoke, smoke...
Feiyang Times Communications Market
Guangdong Shenzhen Futian Huafa South Road No.66 Feiyang Times Mansion F F3
Yuanwang Digital Mall
Guangdong Shenzhen Futian Huaqiang North Road No.2006 Hualianfa Multiple-use Building Mansion Floor 1-5 (Huaqiang Plaza Hotel Diagonally Opposite)
When it comes to things other than phones and complex electronics, in the shopping centres we look in person, assess, can carefully photograph and find it on Taobao, ordering to the hotel. Often the prices were half as much. That is how we ended up with very much needed drones, a soft piano and the like). For DJI, however many sellers we asked, the official stores were cheaper.
From Shenzhen to Beijing we took tickets on Trip. My husband and the older child then flew home from Beijing, while I and the younger one went to Samui, the island we love dearly; notes about it will appear too.
1 / 6 Rambling notes
If you have a choice between going and not going — definitely go!!! Yes, there is a big, impenetrable language barrier. But there is a translator. There is sign language. Most Chinese people are very empathetic and will sincerely try to help. At the start of the holiday we somehow automatically tried to communicate in English, but by the end we were boldly speaking Russian, and the Chinese were answering in Chinese))) But we always reached a consensus.Smoking
About smoking everywhere and anywhere — yes, it's hard. Wild. Smelly)) People may smoke in a lift or in a shopping centre. At the airport we even saw two girls who decided to smoke opposite the check-in gates!! (a policeman soon ran up to them, and the cigarettes were thrown on the floor and put out with their shoes). We chose only hotels with non-smoking rooms and checked that the reviews had no complaints about such a problem or smells. Besides, many hotels now try to introduce smoking bans in public areas, but locals are not always in a hurry to see and hear them. In the only hotel in Guilin there was a cigarette smell from the ventilation, though not a strong one. The family didn't pay attention, and I kept quiet. Reception apologised and explained that smoking is forbidden in all rooms. But Chinese people still sometimes smoke!Manners
About people burping. Not a myth. Burping or sneezing so that your ears ring is normal for many. But not for all. We noticed that the younger generation doesn't allow itself that. The older ones — easily. You sit at a foot massage, catching your zen, relaxing. And the masseuse burps heartily. WELL, that's so-so. You can't say "aren't you ashamed", and you have nothing to answer with)). We met some unceremonious people. Someone will get right in your face and stare point-blank with bulging eyes, or press up against you in the metro and cough without covering their mouth. At the airport a married couple settled on the bench next to our children, took off their shoes and generously sprayed their feet with some green fragrant liquid. They took out sunflower seeds. And, almost laying their heads on the children's shoulders, they watched what they were playing on their tablets))) In the Avatar mountains the younger boy ended up next to a young Chinese girl, and she delightedly started touching his hand and filming reels that he is riding along beside her and that he is real, not staged))) But! These were isolated cases. We did not experience excessive and intrusive attention to our persons, even though we were the only non-locals. If they wanted to take a photo with the children, they asked us by gestures. Not only by gestures — who am I kidding, it was always accompanied by Chinese speech)) The gestures were just clearer.Luckin Coffee and MiXue
I can't help mentioning two more chains that are widespread in China: the coffee-shop chain Luckin Coffee and MiXue — the most mass-market chain of drinks and ice cream at affordable prices. The "Luckin" trademark symbolises luck, bringing joy and happiness into the lives of the Chinese. The Milu deer is the brand's calling card. The Milu is an endangered species of deer. Very tasty coffee, order through the app. The price there is pleasantly lower. To go, it is packed with a cardboard cup holder and in a bag with handles, after the flap over the "neck" of the cup lid is closed. A very pleasant presentation, a good price and tasty coffee; we enjoyed coffee from this place the whole holiday. They also have insanely tasty mochi (for me, truly the best) and other desserts that are worth trying. 蜜雪冰城 (Mìxuě Bīngchéng) is the famous chain with the snowman. Fast service, quality standards, affordable prices and very tasty. A soft-serve cone for 2 yuan (in some places it cost 3–4), lemon water for 5 yuan, various kinds of bubble tea, ice cream with toppings. Larger outlets carry branded souvenirs and snacks. We never walked past)).Route as PDF
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