Day Trips
Winter Wonderland
Beijing might not be the first place you think of for snow sports, but in the winter, there are great options for skiers and snowboarders. Even for families with small children, there’s a range of affordable activities and features available. Here’s a roundup of the city’s local ski resorts.
A Soak a Day Keeps the Doctor Away
Are you feeling overwhelmed by the holidays? Soak away those winter blues with a hot spring. Though many are concentrated in Daxing and Changping, there are also a few within the city if you can’t take off for an entire weekend. Though none of them list a minimum age requirement, high temperatures and a lack of activities for younger children make hot springs better suited for ages 5 and up.
Hot springs are known to promote blood circulation, relieve swelling and pain, and alleviate stress, but bathers should also take precautions to avoid injury or disease. Most commercial hot springs in China will provide towels, robes, and slippers; some will even supply sterilized bathing suits. It’s usually a good idea to shower before and after soaking.
Joy City Chaoyang
As the icy northern winds pummel the city with arctic gales, it’s a good time to consider a day of indoor fun in one of Beijing’s many shopping sanctuaries, such as relatively recent newcomer, Joy City Chaoyang. This 11-story citadel, found on the corner of Chaoyang Beilu and Qingnian Lu, has something for everyone in the family. At Joy City, families can hunt for new clothes, grab a meal, watch a movie on the big screen, get a relaxing massage, ice skate, and play in a play center.
A Sandy Escape
Only a two-hour train ride away, Beidaihe is a favorite Chinese summer resort located in Hebei Province. Bordering the Bohai Sea, it is clean, well manicured with plenty of flowers, and has a sprawling beach with cool calm waters. A popular destination in the 1890s after English railways engineers discovered this fishing village, Beidaihe became a popular spot for wealthy Chinese and foreign diplomats. After 1949, Mao Zedong and the Communist Party of China made it their summer retreat. While there are no sparkling white sands here, it’s a peaceful spot for escaping the crowds, noise and traffic of the capital.
Ride Off Into the Sunset
Beijing is a perfect city for bicyclists of all ages. The terrain is flat, designated bicycle lanes abound and there are ad hoc bicycle repair shops set up at major intersections every few kilometers. As an added bonus, Beijing’s best scenic spots appear as if they were designed with bike riders in mind. Whether it is just a couple of hours meandering through Beijing’s famous hutongs, or several days experiencing the majestic Great Wall and its surrounding mountains, exploring Beijing by bike is an unique, educational and healthy alternative to the dull tour bus options.
Cave Dwellers
Ninety kilometers northwest of Beijing lies a collection of 174 caves tucked into a stony hill. Dubbed Guyaju, the name translatedto English means Ancient Cliff Dwellings. Its proximity to the capital makes it a great destination for a day trip. With rooms as big as 20sqm and as small as cubbie spaces, kids will no doubt enjoy exploring this intriguing structure.
It is estimated that these caves were created during the Tang dynasty (618-907 AD) by the ethnic minority Xiyi, but little is known about these inhabitants and mystery about the caves in general remains. Supposedly, the dwellers lived on the upper levels while the lower caves housed animals. Further information may be deduced from observing these rooms up close and personal.
What's Fun In: 798
Take your family to 798 (also known as Dashanzi) and visit the galleries that started Beijing's artistic revival. Formerly home to some of Beijing's largest factories, this area has been transformed into a vibrant neighborhood for artists and art lovers. Here, you can find works spanning from the traditional to the contemporary. By no means a stuffy museum environment, kids are welcome to wander through this labyrinth of artistic manifestations, dotted with casual cafés, boutiques and kitsch stores.
Beijing Blue Zoo
Beijing Blue Zoo is located at the south gate of Worker's Stadium. The aquarium was built under Gongti Lake, which doesn't do much for street-side visibility. But rest assured, this aquarium packs in a ton of fun, housing Asia's longest underwater walk (120m long).
Tower Power
Veiled within the verdant woodlands that flourish in the lee of Silver Mountain, the ruins of the once great Fahua Temple are the swan song of an age when the whole surrounding region was sacred Buddhist ground. Once, over seventy temples occupied the valley and the slopes of this mountain. Now, a handful of ornately decorated pagodas are all that's left of this lost order.
Playtime SOS Part 2
11. Fundazzle
Fundazzle makes young kids squeal with delight, while it makes their parents wince (because it smells of feet), then gasp (at the size of the plastic-ball-filled pool) and finally sigh (as they realize that for a few precious hours, the furniture in their home is safe). This cavernous, indoor playground has a huge two-story jungle gym, trampolines and a toddler area with small cars, swings, seesaws, toy houses and so on.
RMB 30 (kids); adults free (Mon-Fri), RMB 15 (Sat-Sun). Mon-Fri 9am-5.30pm, Sat-Sun and holidays 9am-7pm.
Gongti Nanlu, Chaoyang District (6593 6208) 朝阳区工体南路
12. Horse Riding 
The Asgard Horsemanship Club near Shunyi is run by husband-and-wife team Daisy and Ren Yake. In addition to stables, Asgard features a soccer field, children's playground, a fishing and duck pond, petting zoo and a fruit orchard. Accommodation is available for RMB 300 a night.
RMB 380 for a 45-minute single lesson. Memberships available for RMB 2,400 (10 sessions), RMB 6,600 (30 sessions) and RMB 9,800 (50 sessions). Tue-Sun 7am-7pm. Shunhuang Lu (just west of Danshui Restaurant), Chaoyang District (8459 5908); 亚萨园乡村俱乐部.朝阳区顺黄路淡水餐厅西边
