Visit Beijing
The Great Wall winding through orange autumn trees

When to go to Beijing

Short answer: March–May and September–November, skipping the first week of October and the Chinese New Year travel rush. Here's the season-by-season detail.

Spring (Mar–May)

One of the two sweet spots

Warm days and blossom in the imperial parks, though spring winds can bring dust in March and April. Book hotels early around the early-May Labour Day holiday, when domestic travel spikes.

Summer (Jun–Aug)

Hot, with summer storms

Temperatures regularly top 35°C and July brings heavy thunderstorms. School holidays fill the Forbidden City — book tickets the moment they release and see the Great Wall early in the day.

Autumn (Sep–Oct)

The best overall

Clear blue skies, comfortable temperatures and red-and-gold leaves along the Great Wall. Early October's Golden Week is the single busiest stretch of the year — avoid it or book months ahead.

Winter (Dec–Feb)

Freezing but magical

Dry and well below freezing, but skies are often crisp, hotel prices dip and the frozen lakes at Houhai open for skating. Snow on the Forbidden City roofs is the photo of a lifetime.

Crowd peaks to plan around

Chinese New Year (late Jan–mid Feb, dates shift yearly) and Golden Week (1–7 October) see the year's biggest domestic travel surges. Attraction tickets and trains sell out; hotels triple in price. Outside these windows, midweek visits to the Forbidden City and the Great Wall are noticeably calmer — see the wall sections compared in our Great Wall comparison.

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