Children

Little Pace is a home-based Montessori preschool set in a hutong courtyard near to Beixinqiao. The school transcribes Montessori rationales to a Chinese setting infused with traditional and local cultural heritage and maintains small class sizes, bilingual education, and individualized development plans.

Kimo Kids Café is part lavish café, part kids playpen given that it's decked out with the hottest toys a little human could dream of, including make-up and dress-up areas, a mini supermarket, and interactive games. Parents can choose between two-hour play sessions for RMB 128 on weekdays or RMB 158 on weekends.

Food options revolve around (relatively steep) American fare such as burgers (RMB 80-95) and salads.

A family friendly farm in Tongzhou.

This newly opened family club boasts a well-stocked kiddies corner, ping pong and pool tables, a library and even a squash court! English and Chinese story times are held daily; weekends are for puppet shows. RMB 25/family.

Has a range of interactive displays appealing to kids of all ages, including robotic dogs who play soccer, musical sculptures, sound and light distortion machines, soap bubble rings and much more. The staff regularly host live science shows in Chinese. RMB 30 (adults), RMB 20 (students), free (kids under 6) – buy your tickets at the museum booth outside the park’s south or east gates and you won’t have to purchase park entry tickets.

If staff dressed up in minority costumes pretending to be Tibetans isn't kitschy enough, for a small fee you too can don an outfit and get your photo taken. Regular live shows. Extensive expansion (a whole second park) has just been completed. RMB 90, RMB 65 (students).

Marine animals of all shapes and sizes; sharks, rays, eels, seahorses. Divers feed fish and sharks twice daily. RMB 75, RMB 50 (kids under 12 years old), free (kids under 1m).

The animals don't look too comfortable, which may upset some visitors, but the city zoo does offer nice walk-abouts. RMB 10 (adults), RMB 5 (kids).

Thousands of fishy friends to meet. RMB 100 (adults), RMB 50 (kids, over 60s), free (kids under 1.2m).

Ferris wheel, water slide, looping roller coaster and teacup rides. RMB 100, RMB 70 (1-1.4m), free (kids under 1m).