When to visit China ... and when not to?
China is such a vast country containing so many different climatic zones that there is generally no bad time to visit the country although this does depend on where your trip will be focused. In general however the following rules apply.
➤ Winter Months
It is very cold in the North of China, the Western provinces and Tibet. In the south of China it tends to be mild with little rain and so is not a bad time to visit those areas. If you do also include the North in your winter trip the Harbin Ice Festival that runs through January into February is a must see!
➤ Spring
A good time to visit much of China. April is probably the best month with the best of spring in the popular northern destinations of Beijing and Xian and still pre-summer heat in the lush South of China.
➤ Summer
By June it is hot almost everywhere except Tibet and other higher altitude destinations. It can rain a lot over much of Central and Southern China. However, this is when many people visit and it doesn’t seem to spoil people’s
enjoyment of China.
➤ Autumn
Generally regarded to be the best time for almost all of China with dry sunny weather and comfortable temperatures common from North to South. The second half of October is perhaps the choicest time.
➤ Best time to go ...
You will find the best all round weather conditions in April and May as well as the September to October period stretching into early November. A comfortable climate and the best chance of clear skies.
... and when to avoid!
We’d be tempted to say the very height of summer or the depths of winter but China has a lot to offer during these periods. The only real time to avoid is the first week of October which is a National Holiday across China and all popular sights become hugely busy with local tourists - and when we say busy we are talking 1.3 billion population busy!
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