Beijing in April Travel Guide (Weather, Wear, Events & Tips)

April is one of the best months to visit Beijing. Actually a warm and comfortable spring in Beijing starts from early April, one month later than that in southern China.

The Weather in April in Beijing

The temperature in April rises gradually with the average low at 7℃ and highest 20 ℃.

What to Wear and Pack in Beijing in April

April is a flower booming season for Beijing. It is getting warmer. You may wear a hoodie, or a thin coat, a thin jeans, a pair of breathable sneakers, walking in the streets of Beijing, or climbing the Great Wall of China.

But please note that April is a little weird, also a season with much changing in terms of dress code. Very often what you should wear today largely depends on the weather changes or the latest weather reports. Just get ready for some warm clothes for possible drop of temperature in the evening.

If you don’t want to pack or carry heavy warm clothes all the way from your home country, you may purchase them here in Beijing. Major department stores and free markets sell various kinds of winter clothes. Many travellers would like to go the Silk Street Market for shopping: see  Top 10 Markets in Beijing.

Check the following historical climate data to prepare for your Beijing tour – what to wear and what to pack.

Historical Climate Data for April in Beijing

This past 50-year historical weather data is quite useful for you to plan your trip to Beijing well in advance.  You may use the data to decide what to wear and pack on your coming trip to Beijing.

By the way you may also check our Beijing April Realtime Weather Photos  for more information on the Beijing weather in April.

What is there to do in Beijing in April?

April is also a time for enjoying all kinds of flowers booming in and around Beijing. In spring, one of the best delights is to see various flowers coming into blossom one after another under the warm sunshine.

Qingming Festival (Tomb Sweeping Festival) 清明节

Qingming Festival falls on April 4 each year. For the Chinese, Qingming, first of all, a day to remember and honor one’s ancestor. People, young and old like, pray before the ancestors, sweep the bombs and offer food, tea, chopsticks, paper accessories and/or
libation to the ancestor. People have one paid day off.

Qingming is also a day to celebrate the coming of spring. People go on family outings, start the spring farming singing, dancing etc. Another popular thing to do is fly skies.

World Snooker China Open 斯诺克中国公开赛 （北京）

The tournament currently takes place at the Beijing University Students’ Gymnasium, Haidian District, Beijing in late March and early April. It is the last ranking event before the World Championship.

Beijing International Long-distance Running Festival  北京国际长跑节

Normally Beijing International Running Festival Kicks off on mid April 1 .  The annual spring running has been a traditional sporting activity in the capital city ever since its established  in 1956.

Yuyuantan Park Cherry Blossom Festival北京玉渊潭樱花节

Avenue: Yuyuantan Park ( not far from CCTV Tower and the China Millennium)
Time: Late March – April
Yuyuantan Park is a hectic tourist attraction from April through to early May every year due to its amazing cherry blossoms. There are around 200,000 plants including about 2000 cherry trees with approx. 20 different species. Many of the cherry trees were gifts from Japan when the two countries established diplomatic ties in the 1970s.

Beijing Tulip Cultural Festival 北京国际鲜花港郁金香文化节

Venue: Beijing Shunyi Fresh Flower Port
Add: Located in Shunyi District’s Yang Town, Beijing
Time: Mid-April – early May
The tulip culture festival will be held in an indoor site and an outdoor site. Over 3 million tulips with more than 70 species, such as Barcelona, Xiusemeiren and Don Quixote, and some bulbous flowers rarely seen in China such as Hyacinth, Water Hyacinth and Ranunculus Asiaticus, and some advanced techniques including soilless planting and pot growing will be displayed at the outdoor site.

Beijing Zhongshan Park Tulip Festival 中山公园郁金香节

Avenue: Zhongshan Park ( on the north of Tiananmen Square )
Opening Time: around mid-April
This peaceful park becomes awash with the color of tulip blossoms. It boasts over 30 varieties of tulips with over 300,000 tulips. Each year it attracts thousands of visitors.

Beijing International Peach Blossom Music Festival 北京 国际桃花音乐节

The annual International Peach Blossom Festival is held in mid-April in Pinggu County,  Beijing, which lasts one month. Pinggu is quite popular for its peaches and peach garden. Now it is the largest peach garden throughout the world.

Beijing International Film Festival 北京国际电影周

The week-long film festival was established in 2011.  Normally it takes place in late April annually. Beijing International Film Festival, with its elaborate ceremonies, red carpets and diverse perspectives, is an unmissable chance for movie-lovers to see the latest films from both home and abroad.

Beijing International Automobile Exhibition 北京国际汽车展览会

Beijing International Automotive Exhibition or Auto China  is an auto show held in late April biennially in Beijing since 1990. This auto festival has now become one of three top auto shows in the world and other two are  Frankfurt (Frankfurt Motor Show), New Delhi (Auto Expo) . Currently China boasts the largest and fastest growing auto market in the world.

Miaofengshan Temple Fair 妙峰山传统民俗庙会

Venue: Miao Feng Shan, about 55km West of Beijing, is the nearest mountain in Beijing
Time: Late April and mid May
At the end of April, Miao Feng Shan Mountain with several century-old pilgrim’s trails and the Golden Summit, will hold the biggest temple fair in northern China. Temple fairs have traditionally been a time for worshiping the gods and praying for blessings, a great opportunity for some serious fun. Many kinds of traditional shows will be on display.

Grain Rain on April 20 谷雨

Rainfall increases which is helpful to grain crops. Grain Rain is one of the 24 solar terms. The traditional Chinese lunar calendar  classifies the year into 24 solar terms.

Beijing Travel Guide in Each Month (Weather, What to do)

Escorted Beijing Tours in Spring and more:

If you don’t want to do a self-guided tour and prefer the hassle-free escorted tours, here are some options for organized tours to Beijing:

Beijing Spring Tour
Car Rental in Beijing
Beijing Day Tour
Beijing Tour Packages
Great Wall Tour
Beijing Winter tour
Beijing Tour
China City Tours
China Tour

Further Readings

Best Time to Visit Beijing
How to plan a trip to Beijing

Top 10 Attractions in Beijing
Top 10 Tourist Scams Beijing
How to Visit Forbidden City
How to Visit Temple of Heaven
How to Visit Summer Palace
How to Visit Ming Tombs
How to Visit the Great Wall of China
How to Visit Tiananmen Square
How to Visit Hutongs
How to Visit Olympic Sites

Top 10 Markets in Beijing
Top 10 Shopping Malls in Beijing
Beijing Shopping

Wangfujing Night Snack Street
Qianmen Commercial Street
Beijing Huguosi Street

Any questions, just drop a line.