Best Time to Visit China

The best time to visit China would be either in spring (March and April) or autumn (September and October), when, although nights can be quite chilly, the days are usually very pleasant. Go armed with umbrellas or raincoats, though: rain is a frequent occurrence at this time.

What with the extreme temperatures over most of China, it doesn’t really make sense to visit the country during the summer or the winter- in most parts of the country it’ll be sweltering, or miserably cold with temperatures dropping below freezing point in winter and hitting over 40 degree C in the summer months. If you are looking for fun and festivities then plan your trip to coincide with the Chinese New Year or Spring Festival, which normally takes place end January or February. It will be cold, no doubt, but the celebrations at this time are a wonderful sight to see, but bear in mind that hotel accommodation maybe high and reservations should be made much in advance.

A visit to the Great Wall is almost always on a travellers list and each season offers a different scenic beauty. The best time to visit the Great Wall may be in Spring when the flowers are bursting into bloom, the countryside around is fresh and has a clean washed look, fewer tourists around and of course the weather is near perfect! In summer the tourists descend and keep coming till autumn. Winter also presents a wonderful sight of the wall but you will have to deal with the freezing temperatures.

If Beijing is your destination then September and October are the ideal months to visit, as temperatures are cool and pleasant. The spring season sees the onset of sandstorms, the summer temps hit the 40 degree C mark and in winter the mercury can drop to -20 C.

The best time to visit Hong Kong would be in Spring, that is March and April and the Autumn months September, October and November. The weather is bracing, the city alive and generally a lovely time to enjoy Hong Kong!

Climate

China’s climate varies a lot, depending upon where you are and what time of the year it is. The northern and extreme southern parts of the country have hot, humid summers, with rain mainly during summer. Surprisingly enough, the north, although considerably hot during the summer, can get bitterly cold in the winter, with temperatures dropping as low as -40°C. The northwest is much drier and hotter (the Turpan Depression touches 47° at the height of summer).

Central China, located in the Yangtse river basin, experiences hot summers and cold winters.