When to Go

China is roughly the size of Europe plus half of Russia, and it contains tropical rainforest, high desert, subarctic forest and a plateau above 4,000 metres. There is no single best time to visit; there is a best time for your particular route. What is universal is the advice to avoid two national holiday weeks, when 1.4 billion people travel simultaneously.

The short answer

By region

North — Beijing, Xi'an, Shanxi

Continental and extreme. January hovers around −5°C with a bitter wind off the Mongolian plateau; July hits 35°C with humidity. Spring brings sandstorms blowing off the loess. The window that everyone agrees on is late September to early November: dry, clear, cold at night, and the light on grey brick and yellow roofs is at its best. Late April into May is the second choice.

East — Shanghai, Suzhou, Hangzhou, Huangshan

Subtropical and humid. The July–August combination of 35°C and 90% humidity is genuinely punishing, and the plum rains in June bring weeks of drizzle. March to May and October to November are the seasons, with the gardens at their best in spring and the maples and ginkgos in late November. Typhoons occasionally clip the coast between July and September.

South — Guangzhou, Guilin, Hong Kong

Subtropical to tropical. The good season is October to December: dry, warm, clear. Typhoon season runs July to September and can shut Hong Kong down for a day at a time. The Li River needs enough water to be navigable but not so much that cruises suspend — spring and autumn hit that balance.

Southwest — Sichuan, Yunnan, Guizhou

Yunnan is the mildest place in China and works nearly year-round, though the June–September rains bring afternoon downpours. Sichuan's basin is grey and damp for much of the year; Jiuzhaigou peaks in the third week of October for autumn colour and needs booking months out. Guizhou's festivals cluster in spring and autumn.

Northwest — the Silk Road

May to October only. Dunhuang and Turpan exceed 40°C in July and August, and winter drops well below freezing with some sites closing. Late May to June and September are the sweet spots — warm days, cold nights, and the Dunhuang caves bookable rather than sold out.

The plateau — Tibet, Qinghai

April to October. July and August bring the monsoon's edge and the biggest domestic crowds; late April to June and late September to October give the clearest mountain views. Winter is cold, dry, startlingly clear and very cheap, and Tibet permits are easier to obtain.

Northeast

Inverted: winter is the season. Harbin's ice festival runs from late December to late February and the whole regional economy is built around it. Summer is short, green and pleasantly cool — a genuine escape from the southern heat.

Festivals worth planning around