3 Days in Guangzhou with Kids: Pandas, Cable Cars and Theme Parks

Guangzhou is surprisingly family-friendly. World-class theme parks, giant pandas, cable cars, aquariums and huge modern shopping centres mean there's plenty to keep children entertained while adults still get to experience the city. This three-day itinerary aims to minimise time spent travelling and maximise time having fun together.

Day one

Baiyun Mountain is a good place to start - near the entrance are themed gardens with activities aimed at families. Our friend's young daughters loved dressing up in traditional Chinese costume there to get photos. Then take the cable car up the mountain for a view of the city.

Then off to Canton Tower for a truly spectacular view of the city. Sunset is amazing there - so don't be afraid to be a bit late, or have a buffet dinner at the revolving restaurant hundreds of meters above the city.

Day two

It's off to Chimelong! This is a huge complex with different parks. We've put the Safari Park here as it is an amazing zoo. Explore the park on foot, ride the safari train through the animal enclosures, and take the cable car over the African plains. Along the way you'll see giant pandas, rare white tigers and hundreds of other animals. And look out for the live animal shows shown throughout the day.

There are two other major parks at Chimelong you might want to go to instead - Chimelong Paradise is an excellent amusement park, while the Water Park is great fun in the summer. Change your itinerary to include this instead (if you have a lot of energy, you could hit two parks in one day but we'd generally recommend one per day).

Day three

Start at Grandview Mall to see the amazing aquarium and rainforest exhibit and you can get a bit of shopping in too. Plenty of food options there for lunch. Finish the day with a trip to the highly interactive science center.

This itinerary works particularly well with a private driver (especially in a large 6 seater) because the attractions are spread across different parts of Guangzhou. Rather than navigating taxis and metro stations with tired children, you can relax while the next stop is only ever a short drive away. If you'd prefer different attractions or a slower pace, open this itinerary in the planner and customise it for your own family.