weather by month
6 cities × 12 months, one chart
october is perfect. except oct 1–7. trust.
- the comfy window everywhere: april–may and mid-september to november.
- july–august is hot (33–34°c highs in shanghai, chongqing, xi'an, guilin) and it's when most of the year's rain falls.
- beijing winters average a high of about 2°c in january, but it's dry and sunny.
- the weather isn't the real enemy, the holidays are: avoid feb 15–23, may 1–5 and oct 1–7 in 2026.
“when’s the best time to visit china?” is the single most asked china travel question, and the honest answer is that china is the size of a continent. beijing in january and guilin in january are not the same planet.
so here’s every city on the classic route, every month, on one chart. hover any square for the details. tap “rain” to flip it.
the heatmap
cma 1991–2020 climate normals (via wikipedia) · crowds from the 2026 official holiday schedule.
see it as a table
| city | jan | feb | mar | apr | may | jun | jul | aug | sep | oct | nov | dec |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| beijing | 2° / 2 | 6° / 6 | 13° / 9 | 21° / 22 | 27° / 36 | 31° / 72 | 32° / 170 | 31° / 113 | 27° / 54 | 19° / 29 | 10° / 14 | 4° / 2 |
| xi’an | 5° / 9 | 9° / 13 | 16° / 28 | 22° / 50 | 27° / 68 | 32° / 86 | 33° / 104 | 31° / 97 | 25° / 117 | 19° / 67 | 13° / 28 | 7° / 7 |
| shanghai | 9° / 72 | 11° / 65 | 15° / 97 | 21° / 84 | 26° / 91 | 29° / 225 | 33° / 163 | 33° / 226 | 29° / 132 | 24° / 70 | 18° / 61 | 11° / 50 |
| chengdu | 10° / 9 | 13° / 12 | 18° / 24 | 23° / 48 | 27° / 77 | 29° / 123 | 31° / 238 | 31° / 199 | 26° / 117 | 21° / 43 | 17° / 16 | 11° / 7 |
| chongqing | 10° / 21 | 14° / 22 | 19° / 56 | 24° / 103 | 27° / 143 | 30° / 212 | 34° / 174 | 34° / 126 | 29° / 125 | 22° / 95 | 17° / 50 | 12° / 25 |
| guilin | 12° / 69 | 14° / 84 | 18° / 153 | 24° / 227 | 28° / 321 | 31° / 449 | 33° / 266 | 33° / 148 | 31° / 81 | 26° / 55 | 21° / 82 | 15° / 54 |
avg high °c / rain mm
the top strip is crowds. those red blocks are the domestic holidays, when roughly the entire country travels at once.
what jumps out
the sweet spot is obvious. april, may, late september, october and november are comfy-to-warm across the board. that’s why every guide says “spring or autumn” — the chart agrees.
summer is a furnace in the south and center. chongqing, shanghai, guilin and xi’an all average highs of 33–34°c in july or august. chongqing is famous for it. and that’s the average high, not the bad days.
summer is also when it rains. beijing gets about 170mm in july alone, more than its whole november-to-april. guilin’s june averages around 450mm. flip the heatmap to rain and watch the summer columns go dark blue.
beijing winter is cold but dry. a january average high of about 2°c sounds rough, but it’s crisp and sunny, the sights are empty and hotels are cheap. layer up and it’s genuinely underrated.
chengdu is always humid. humidity sits around 75–85% all year. that’s why it’s grey so often (locals joke dogs bark at the sun when it comes out).
the crowd calendar (2026)
| holiday | 2026 dates | how bad |
|---|---|---|
| spring festival (chinese new year) | feb 15–23, travel rush feb 2–mar 13 | brutal. trains sell out, many small restaurants close |
| qingming | apr 4–6 | a short spike |
| may day golden week | may 1–5 | brutal at famous sights |
| dragon boat | jun 19–21 | a short spike |
| mid-autumn | sep 25–27 | a short spike |
| national day golden week | oct 1–7 | the worst week of the year to sightsee |
the 2027 schedule usually comes out in early november. expect chinese new year around feb 6, 2027, and the same may 1 and oct 1 golden weeks. what each of those holidays actually celebrates is in chinese festivals through the year.
the best month for each city
| city | best months | skip if you can |
|---|---|---|
| beijing | april–may, september–october | july (hot + wettest month) |
| shanghai | april–may, october–november | june–august (plum rains, then heat) |
| xi’an | april–may, september–october | july |
| chengdu | march–may, september–november | july–august (wettest + humid) |
| chongqing | march–april, october–november | july–august (furnace mode) |
| guilin + yangshuo | april–may, september–october | june (wettest month by far) |
for the full season-by-season breakdown, see the best time to visit china.
the vibe check
the chart makes it pretty clear: go in spring or autumn, dodge the three red weeks, and you’ll get good weather almost everywhere on the classic route. if summer is your only option, it’s still doable — just plan indoor afternoons, pack an umbrella (here’s what i packed for china) and lean into the night markets.
climate data: china meteorological administration 1991–2020 normals, via wikipedia. holiday dates: 2026 state council schedule.
the kit for this trip
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