Baotou is Actually Great for Family Trips with Kids

During the May Day holiday, since my husband had to work, I signed up for a marathon fun run. Our 5-day vacation ended up being only 3 days, making long-distance travel neither realistic nor cost-effective. After much thought, I decided to go to Baotou, just to casually wander and, most importantly, to meet my roommate.

There are many trains from Wuhai to Baotou, but suitable departure times are limited. I finally chose to depart on the morning of the 3rd, arriving at noon, and return on the afternoon of the 5th, arriving in the evening. For the trip there, I managed to get one hard sleeper lower berth (107.5 yuan) and one hard seat (53.5 yuan), departing at 7:46 and arriving at 12:09. Our family of three directly found seats in the hard seat carriage, played games, snacked, and were drawn to instant noodles. For the first time on a train, our little one had the classic combo of instant noodles, ham sausage, and chips. Oh, she loved it! It’s strange—food that usually doesn’t interest her seems magically upgraded on a train. For a two-year-old, giving her a small toy, chatting with her, and letting her play with other kids makes time fly. She won’t be too noisy either. The key is making sure she slept well the night before and is fully awake. She napped around 11 and slept until we arrived.

We booked the JJ-Star near Baotou Teachers College, mainly because it has a robot and because chain budget hotels are generally reliable in price, safety, hygiene, and convenient transportation. When booking a hotel, you still need to compare: check whether breakfast is included, how many servings, room size, and bed size. We chose this hotel because it has a 2-meter big bed, perfect for a family of three.

Upon arriving in Baotou, we took a direct bus to the hotel. Since it was the starting stop, we got seats and the fare was cheap. We only had one small suitcase, which was manageable, provided the child was awake. Taxis in Baotou cost 7.5 yuan for the first 2 kilometers, then 1.5 yuan per kilometer. Didi is very convenient in Baotou. We first went to the hotel for an afternoon nap, then visited the Northern Weapons City with friends in the afternoon. The entrance fee was 20 yuan. It’s a national AAAA-level tourist attraction and the first military-themed scenic spot in North China. It mainly features exhibition areas of aircraft, cannons, armored vehicles, and tanks, as well as a water area for leisure and simulation experiences like shooting and tank battles. It should be very attractive to kids interested in military. Baotou is an industrial city, and our Wuhai was also a steel industrial city supplying coal and other resources to Baosteel back then. I remember my high school geography teacher talking about Baosteel and Baotou Steel—it left a deep impression on me. This is a city of workers indispensable in the founding of the country.

Every time we visit a bigger city, my husband enjoys exploring local cuisine. To be honest, the food in Baotou feels similar to Wuhai, nothing particularly special. He still chose to try a buffet—specifically the Muxianglai French Teppanyaki Buffet. We tried a bit of everything. The teppanyaki wasn’t as good as Huayuechu, the other snacks were very average, and the steak was mediocre. However, the salmon and seafood salad from the seafood section were highly recommended—really top-notch texture! Baotou Wanda is pretty good, with plenty of food options. The street outside feels like a college town.

On the second day, we naturally woke up late and then strolled a few hundred meters to the Saihantala City Grassland. The weather was overcast, there were very few tourists, and the grass wasn’t very lush. Last time I came here was during my internship right after college graduation to visit my friend. At that time, she was interning at a kindergarten in Baotou, and I stayed with her in a dorm shared with several other girls—it felt very warm. My impression then was that it was super huge and incredibly beautiful. This time, the memory and the reality felt quite different. Back then, my friend was dating someone; now her child is one and a half years old. This place is absolutely perfect for taking kids. It’s spacious, safe, and flat, giving you the feeling of embracing nature. Heading deeper inside, there is a Deer Museum and a concentrated animal farm area with chickens, ducks, pigs, cows, sheep, deer, horses, camels, rabbits, etc. Kids can feed them; carrots cost 5 yuan per plate. It’s perfect for little animals accompanying little kids. Strolling here is just so suitable!

At noon, I went to meet my roommate, who now works nearby. We had Hunan cuisine—high ratings but not tasty. Then we strolled along the Qiaojia Golden Street, an old street in Baotou, and visited the Lüzu Temple and Miaofa Temple, a national 3A-level scenic spot and the largest Han Chinese Buddhist temple in western Inner Mongolia. The main structures lined up along the central axis: the Mountain Gate, Heavenly King Hall, Lüzu Hall, and Mahavira Hall. To the north of the Heavenly King Hall is the Jade Emperor Hall, to the south the City God Hall, the south courtyard is the Buddha Recitation Hall, and the north courtyard is the 500 Arhat Hall. I don’t know if it’s an age thing—I used to have no feeling for such architecture and religion, but now when I encounter them, I light incense and bow, praying for the safety and health of the elderly at home. Qiaojia Golden Street has many photo spots and many intangible cultural heritage shops. The government seems to be trying to create a cultural tourism street, although it imitates other cities obviously, it shows that Baotou’s cultural tourism is making an effort. Afterwards, my roommate took us to Nanhai Park. It’s a large fee-charging park. Because the weather was cold, we left quickly. We bought corn flowers (5 yuan) to feed the deer tomorrow. In the evening, we took a taxi to eat Yunnan cuisine, but the restaurant had closed. Next time, I should remember to call ahead using MT (Meituan). A lesson learned. Finally, we ate lamb tripe noodles nearby—delicious!

On the third day, we woke up naturally. It was drizzling outside. Our little one played with the robot at the hotel for a while, then we went out to eat shaomai. To be honest, they weren’t as good as the ones in Wuhai. Then we went to Labor Park, a park with a historical feel and nice scenery. But why do parks here have gates and fences? We walked in the rain, sometimes running, and our little one was very happy. The gem inside was the zoo—a small zoo but really suitable for families with kids. There were tigers, lions, bears, deer, monkeys, alpacas, horses, sheep, amphibians, snakes, lizards, peacocks, swans, ducks, and other birds. No long walks—just a circular route. It was super lovable. Entrance fee: 25 yuan—extremely worth it. You can also watch birds up close. I heard that in good weather, you can even touch baby tigers! Our little one has been to Beijing Zoo, Hohhot Zoo, and Gansu Zoo, but none gave such a wonderful experience. Other places were crowded, far distances, congested, and tiring. I highly recommend this place for young children. Maybe it’s because I’m lazy?

At noon, we had lunch, then took a nap. Then we went to the train station to go home. Finally, I want to say: during holidays, you must secure your train tickets in advance, or you’ll regret it. I kept trying to book a bullet train ticket, and only canceled and rebooked another train at noon on April 30. In the end, I bought three tickets from Baotou to Wuhai, but only from Linhe to Wuhai did we have a hard seat. This time, our child experienced standing without a seat, squeezed by the bathroom for over two hours. China has a lot of people, so be mentally prepared.

1. Transportation: train + taxi + bus: 10.12 + 0.1 + 3.82 + 6.32 + 2 + 10 + 11.5 + 11.22 + 2 + 58.5 + 58.5 + 117 + 53.5 (total 344.58)

2. Accommodation: 273.4

3. Entrance fees: 5 + 50 + 5 + 40 + 30

4. Meals: 332 + 33 + 31 + 7 + 20 + 29 + 10 + 48 + 27 + 19.89 + 155.91