As a cosmopolitan capital for business and leisure, Beijing is basically busy all year round. Coming from different corners of the world, people have their own favorite time or seasons to plan Beijing Tour.
The Best Time to Visit Beijing
The winter time is not as bad as most people think, a good time to save money and see less visitors, thus avoiding tourist crowds.
Many foreign visitors prefer choosing spring or autumn to visit Beijing due to the mild and comfortable weather.
But the sporadic sandstorm in spring has kept people on alert when they plan their spring trip to Beijing.
In the recent years Beijing’s spring is getting better in terms of air quality and weather conditions.
Autumn is unanimously regarded as the best season to visit Beijing with sunny and azure sky and mild weather.
Beijing Tourist Seasons
•High tourist season: April, May, Sept and October
•Shoulder season: March, June, July and August
•Lower season: Nov. 15 till Feb 28 next year
Beijing Winter (Nov. 15 – next year Mar 15)
Winter time lasts four months from Nov. 15 till next year March 15. Yes, it is very cold in winter, especially if there is a strong northwest wind. If no wind, then the feeling temperature will be much higher due to the dry weather in Beijing.
The winter time is not as bad as most people think, a good time to save money and see less visitors, thus avoiding tourist crowds. Chekc out How to dress for visiting Great Wall in winter for more information on climbing the Wall in winter.
Further reading:
Beijing winter tour
How to Visit Beijing in November
How to Visit Beijing in December
How to Visit Beijing in January
How to Visit Beijing in February
Beijing Spring ( March 15 – May 15)
Spring lasts 60 days from March 15 to May 15. But a warmer spring usually starts early April and ends early May. So a warm springtime in Beijing lasts over one month.
Kindly reminder: Wind and dust can be possible in the March. Generally speaking, Beijing is dry and windy in spring.
Further reading:
Beijing Springtime tour
How to Visit Beijing in March
How to Visit Beijing in April
How to Visit Bijing in May
Beijing Summer (June, July and August)
Beijing Summer time falls on June, July and August, also a rainy season in Beijing, wet and humid. But July and August are the hottest months in Beijing.
You will expect a long queue and wait at the most of the attractions in Beijing mainly due to the large number of domestic tourists because of school vacations.
Further reading:
Beijing Summer tour
How to Visit Beijing in June
How to Visit Beijing in July
How to Visit Beijing in August
Beijing Autumn ( Sep 05 – Nov 15)
Autumn lasts 60 days from September 05 to November 15. Autumn is unanimously regarded as the best season to visit Beijing with sunny and azure sky and mild weather.
Get out and enjoy the best fall colors period from October 15 throughout November 15 in Beijing .
Further reading:
Beijing Autumn tour
How to Visit Beijing in September
How to Visit Beijing in October
How to Visit Beijing in November
Crowd Information
Beijing gets very crowded and busy during school vacations and public holidays (July and August) in Beijing.
You are kindly advised to skip over the Official Chinese Holidays when you plan your Beijing tour. Please jot down the following public holidays:
New Year’Day ( 1st Jan, three-day holiday )
Chinese New Year ( later Jan and early Feb )
Tomb Sweeping Day ( Early April, 3-day holiday )
Mid-Autumn festival ( Aug-Sept, 3-day holiday )
May Day ( 1st May, three-day holiday)
National Day (1st Oct, week-long holiday)
Closure Information
Most of the attractions in Beijing are open all year round, but most of the museums in Beijing are close on Mondays. The Beijing attractions mostly stop selling tickets after 4:30pm though you can keep on visiting till 6 or 9 pm if you have bought the entrance tickets before 4:30pm.
All the sections of Great Wall are open in winter though you may have no access to hiking the Wall if there is a heavy snow blocking your road to the Great Wall. Chekc out How to dress for visiting Great Wall in winter for more information.
Winter time to Save
If you are going to cope with cold weather, you can enjoy and lower-priced hotel rooms, special deals from Dec 01 till next year Feb 28.
During that time of year, it’s also worth trying to negotiate a discount directly from your hotel.
In Beijing, hotels offer lower rated on weekends to lure tourists, who may go to the suburbs for weekend vacations.
The department store sales take place during the first later December for the Christmas and new year as well as the time before Chinese lunar new year when very substantial bargains can be found, particularly on clothes and consumer electronics.
Tip: Hassle-free Beijing Guided Tours
Beijing Winter Tour
Beijing Springtime Tour
Beijing Autumn Tour
Beijing Summer Tour
Further Readings
Best Time to Visit Beijing
How to plan a trip to Beijing
Top 10 Attractions in 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.
Hello, i’m arranging my trip to beijing for next year. As i am an indonesian, i expect to see the snow because our country dont have it. But i’m considering about the great wall, can i visit and take a trip in the great wall in snowy season? thank you very much
Hello Iani,
All the sections of the Great Wall around Beijijng are open to the public all year around, even in snow season. But if extremely heavy snow, the roads to the Wall may be blocked. But this rarely happens. Have a good time in Beijing.
Hi.
I am planning to visit Beijing on the 2nd week of December and I’d like to ask you if there is heavy snow during this time. I’d like to see the Great Wall and the forbidden city and a few museums as well. Do you think 4 days is enough for this? And also , is it okay to visit Beijing in December?
Thank you in advance.
Vernon
Hello Vernon,
It is all right to visit Beijing in winter, less crowded, discounted entrance fees, though a bit cold outside especially on a windy day. Indoor heating all Beijing makes you feel better back to your hotel or in other indoor areas.
It is hard to predict a heavy snow during your travel time. Basically 4 days are enough for a regular tour of Beijing covering the highlights you’ve mentioned. Have a good time in Beijing. Check out the link below to feel Beijing’s winter and plan your winter tour:
http://www.tour-beijing.com/blog/beijing-travel/beijing-winter-tour/
Do you arrange private tour to visits all the spring flower bloom and how much ?
Hi Katherine Lim,
You may check out the link below for more information：
http://www.tour-beijing.com/spring_flowers/
i am planning to visit beijing this august in a tour of around 4-5 days. i have heard that the tianmen square and forbidden city closes as the chinese do their marchpast practice . which time is best to visit so that i can cover maximum sites and it will be good if you send a plan
thankyou
Hi Sunshine,
As as I know, haven’t heard any information on the marchpast in Auguest.