Giving up on Harbin, heading straight to the snow playground accessible by high-speed rail first

Last winter vacation, I discovered a hidden gem for playing in the snow with kids: ❄️ Few people, beautiful scenery, reachable by high-speed rail, very convenient transportation, perfect for families with kids~
The key is the snow scenery is just as stunning as Changbai Mountain, plus endless forest snowfields and rime forests! Great value for money! 🥳
Riding off-road vehicles across the snowfields, skiing with the kids ⛷, ice fishing 🐟, cutting paper window decorations, making ice lanterns, dumpling making, attending bonfire parties and watching fireworks 🎆… the festive atmosphere is super strong! Our southern kids had so much fun they didn’t want to leave! 😂
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6 days and 5 nights itinerary was amazing! 💁🏻‍♀️ Here’s a tried-and-true route for parents to copy👇🏻
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Day 1: Beijing—Chengde
✨ You can arrive in Beijing two days early to take the kids to see Tiananmen and the Forbidden City, hitting two spots at once~
✔ Chengde cuisine: ice-boiled lamb, sliced meat 😋
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Day 2: Chengde—Skiing—Ulanbutong
✨ Time to ski! There are professional coaches giving hands-on lessons, even my kid with zero experience learned quickly ⛷ Skiing all morning, had a blast!
✔ In the afternoon, we passed through the rime forest you only see in movies ❄️ and arrived at Ulanbutong snowfield, drank horse milk wine, received a khata scarf, and felt the warmth of the Mongolian people~
✔ Made cozy ice lanterns 🏮 with the kids and enjoyed delicious Manchu cuisine 🥄
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Day 3: Snowfield
✨ Experienced ice fishing 🐟 at Ulanbutong snowfield, first breaking the ice, then catching fish—so novel, the kids were super excited when they saw the fish! 🤩
✔ Drank Mongolian milk tea, rode horse-drawn sleds, snow banana boats, so much fun! Also made snow bricks and built an ice house with the guide, experienced brewing tea around a fire on the snowfield 🍵
✔ In the evening, everyone made dumplings and pasted window decorations, followed by fireworks and a bonfire on the snowfield 🔥 super lively! Southern kids got to experience the northern New Year vibe~
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Day 4: Crossing the Forest Snowfield—Chengde Ancient City
✨ Took off-road vehicles to see the magical snow buns, baked bread in the snow 🍞, built snowmen, had snowball fights ❄️ the kids went wild!
✔ Fed reindeer like Santa’s 🫎, watching them eat moss was so interesting! In the evening, strolled Yuanbao Street and ate sweet, tender almond tofu with the kids~
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Day 5: Gubei Water Town—Simatai Great Wall—Hot Springs
✨ The ancient town was full of New Year vibes, watched shadow puppetry, painted New Year pictures, cut paper art, and experienced northern culture with the kids~
✔ Climbed the Simatai Great Wall, the kids were fascinated listening to the teacher explain the wall’s structure and gained lots of knowledge 📖
✔ Soaked in natural hot springs ♨️ while watching a drone light show, so relaxing~
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Day 6: Beijing—Return
✨ Leisurely walked around the ancient town on the last day, took lots of beautiful photos 📷 and went home with full memories~
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✅ Ulanbutong snowfield is huge and the attractions are far apart, self-driving in the snow with kids isn’t safe 😣… We joined a reliable family-friendly tour that included hotel stays, tickets, private transportation, full-time photography, and customized parent-child activities, making it super easy to travel with kids~
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👉【Private Car Tours】【Customized Tours】【Private Groups】 all available~ To get the same itinerary, tap the bottom left corner 【Chat with TA】 for a plan!
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