Family Winter Holiday Itinerary

Trip at a glance

Fourteen days, three countries, one arc south to north and home. Singapore to Beijing for two days, on to the ski slopes of Chongli for four, back through Beijing, then six days in Tokyo before flying home on New Year's Eve.

Quick routing: Singapore → Beijing (flight) for Days 1–2. Day 3: Beijing → 太子城站 Taizicheng by high-speed rail (~1 h), then a free resort shuttle (~15 min) to Wanlong. Days 3–6 at Chongli; day 6 ends with the HSR back to Beijing to fly to Tokyo on Dec 25. Days 8–14 in Tokyo; depart for Singapore on the evening of Dec 31. Note that Day 13 and Day 14 both fall on Dec 31: Day 13 is the final Tokyo day (morning and early afternoon), Day 14 is the evening flight home.

Critical planning flags

A handful of facts drive every booking below. Read these before the day-by-day section, because they change which days you lock in.

Day by day

Each day offers two ways to spend it. Option A and Option B are separate tabs so you can compare quickly, then switch whenever the weather or the kids' energy turns.

Both Beijing days fall on a weekend, so every major museum is open (Monday closures do not apply). Expect crowds; book timed-entry tickets ahead. Beijing in late December hovers near 0 to −8°C with occasional light snow, so all indoor stops are heated. source

Another open day for the big museums. Off-season (Nov 1–Mar 31) ticket prices drop and crowds thin, making winter a photographer's dream at the palace and temple sites.

Chongli ski week (Dec 21–24)

Chongli sits at the foot of China's Olympic ski mountains in Zhangjiakou, Hebei. The four days below pair ski time with Olympic heritage, indoor kids' parks and hot soaks. Wanlong 万龙 is the base resort.

Resort quick guide: Wanlong 万龙 — China's "powder paradise", earliest-opening, largest snowmaking, 32 trails (~47 km), 554 m vertical; beginner runs 娇龙道/短龙道/卧龙道. source Thaiwoo 太舞 — most European "fairy-tale" vibe, best ski+resort-town pick. source Fulong 富龙 — warmest and least windy, best night-ski culture. source Yunding 云顶 — the 2022 Olympic freestyle venue, all lifts heated. source

Take the ~1 h high-speed rail from Beijing to 太子城站 Taizicheng, then a free resort shuttle (~15 min) to Wanlong. Fit ski gear and find your legs on the gentle beginner trails.

A day to sample a different mountain. Yunding brings Olympic pedigree and heated lifts; Thaiwoo brings Europe-style village life and the best kids' snow-play.

The day to push the skiing a notch. Option A stays on Wanlong's all-mountain terrain; Option B trades part of the day for Fulong's family-friendly village.

The last ski morning before heading home. Option A skis then drives to the HSR; Option B ends on the Snow Ruyi sunset party for a memorable finale.

Chongli pricing & kids' schools

Reference numbers for lift passes, gear and lessons. The 2026–27 season prices are not yet published, so everything here is the 2025–26 peak-winter proxy and sits in italics. Approximate FX at research time: CNY ≈ SGD ¥5.5–5.7 per SGD; verify at booking.

A travel day: out of the mountains, back through Beijing and onto the flight to Tokyo. Leave early so Christmas dinner happens in Japan.

Tokyo winter week (Dec 25–31)

Six days of science museums, digital-art immersion, towering views and winter lights. Tokyo's weather is dry and cold with rare rain in Nov–Feb, around 5–12°C in the day and 2–7°C at night.

Rough FX: ¥100 ≈ S$0.95, so think of yen and dollars as near 1:1. Prices below list both.

Christmas Day in Japan. Land, then head to the waterfront for digital art and the bayside, and finish with a holiday dinner. This is one of only two days in the window (with Dec 27) that teamLab Planets slots cleanly around.

Old Tokyo in the morning, the city from above in the afternoon, and your hands in a sushi workshop.

Miraikan is only open Dec 25–27 in this window. This is one of the two days you can do it; it is closed Dec 28–Jan 1 plus Tuesdays. Lock it in now.

With Miraikan done on its open window, this day turns to the world's largest digital-art venue. In the evening, catch Midtown's lights — Roppongi's Keyakizaka street illumination already ended Dec 25.

Shibuya Sky closes Jan 1 only, so Dec 29 works. Book a timed sunset slot early, since they sell out. Keep the evening to Yebisu or Marunouchi lights, which run well into 2027.

The final full Tokyo day before the Dec 31 departure. Many shops and museums start closing Dec 29–Jan 1, so keep this gentle and cultural. Check Tsukiji's Wed/Sun calendar, as it closes some Wednesdays and Sundays.

Day 13 and Day 14 both fall on Dec 31. Day 13 is the final Tokyo morning/early afternoon; Day 14 is the evening departure flight. Many shops and museums close Dec 31–Jan 2, so keep the day light, do last-minute gift shopping early, and head to the airport from mid-afternoon.

Events & illuminations calendar

The winter events that line up with the window. Where an edition has not been confirmed for 2026–27, it is flagged in italics.

Booking checklist & lead times

Prioritised by how far ahead each needs booking. The highest-risk items first.

Sources

Every factual claim in this itinerary traces to one of the links below. Where a season or date remains unconfirmed, the file flags it in italics rather than asserting it.