Best Time to Visit Beijing

What’s the Best Time to Visit Beijing? The best time to visit Beijing is from September to October in autumn. Firstly, the temperature in these two months is mild and cozy, which is suitable for all kinds of outdoor excursions, and you won’t feel hot or cold even if you go to hike the Great Wall. Secondly, the precipitation is low and the weather is sunny and clear most of the time; under bright sunshine, all the attractions look more beautiful and attractive. Thirdly, although the daylight hours are gradually shortening, most attractions still adopt the opening hours of the peak season, meaning that you still have enough visiting time. In addition, it’s worth mentioning that late October to early November is also the best time to see the autumn leaves in Beijing.

The second-best time to visit Beijing is April and May. The weather of Beijing in these two months is also good, with warm temperatures and plenty of sunshine. At the same time, various flowers like peach blossoms, cherry blossoms, and magnolias bloom, adding more colors to Beijing. The only thing worth noting is that it can be windy with flying dust in the air.

Badaling Great Wall in Favorable Autumn

 

The peak season starts from April and ends in October, when the city with beautiful scenery but is filled with lots of travelers and is unavoidably crowded at some popular sights. You may even find attraction tickets and hotels a bit difficult to book. In addition, travel expenses will be higher during this season because some attractions have peak season prices and most hotels raise their prices.  

 

The slack season for Beijing is from November to March, because the weather is cold at this time. On some nights in the coldest January and February, the temperature can even drop to -10°C (14°F) or lower. What’s worse, Beijing also experiences wind during these months, which makes the apparent temperature even colder.

However, if you can tolerate the coldness, you can visit less-crowded attractions in these months, and the airfare, hotels, and scenic area tickets cost less. Besides, December and January are the months with the highest probability of snowfall in Beijing, when you have a chance to see the snowy scenery of the Forbidden City, Summer Palace, etc.


 

During China’s public holidays, Beijing, a famous tourist city in China, is full of tourists, and there may be long lines at the entrances of attractions:

The busiest public holidays of the year are the May Day Holiday from May 1 to 5 and the Chinese National Day Holiday from October 1 to 7. During these two periods, there will be extremely large crowds at tourist attractions, and you can’t really enjoy yourself. The airfare and hotels might cost three times more than usual, and it is extremely hard to buy a train ticket. 

In addition, the Chinese New Year Holiday in January or February, and the 3-day public holidays like the Qingming Festival in early April, the Dragon Boat Festival in May or June, and the Mid-Autumn Day Holiday in September or October are also very crowded and advised to avoid.

Crowded Temple of Heaven during Chinese New Year Holiday

 

If you can’t stand the hot climate, you’d better try to avoid traveling to Beijing in July and August for your 2025 trip. In these two summer months, Beijing is quite hot, and its daily high may reach 35 - 40 degrees Celsius (95 - 104 degrees Fahrenheit) sometimes. In addition, these months are also the wettest months of the year and have 14 and 12 rainy days on average per month, respectively. The high rainfall causes stuffier weather on the one hand, and may make it inconvenient to travel outdoors on the other hand.

Great Wall in Rainy Summer

What’s worse, these two months also coincide with China’s summer holiday. At that time, what impresses you the most when you visit popular attractions like the Forbidden City and the Great Wall may not be the grandeur and beauty of them, but the crowds. Accordingly, you will find that both airfares and hotel prices are expensive.