When to Visit

What is peak season, shoulder season and low season?

There are 3 kinds of period of time for traveling: peak season, shoulder season and low season.

• Peak season: the season when travel is most active and rates are highest. Usually peak season takes place during one tourist destination's best time for visit, when you can see the most beautiful sceneries, but it is usually crowded during this period of time.

• Shoulder season: it is a period of time between peak season and low season. Usually it is best to travel during shoulder season, because you can see most of the beautiful sceneries and meanwhile save some money,

• Low season: the season when there are less travelers and most sceneries can't be seen due to the weather or other aspects. Price during this season is the lowest.

What's the weather like in China?

In China, a vast land spanning many degrees of latitude with complicated terrain, climate varies radically. China has a variety of temperature and rainfall zones, including continental monsoon areas. In winter most areas become cold and dry, in summer hot and rainy.

• North
  Northern winters, from December to March, can be extremely cold. Beijing may experience temperature of -20C at night, dry and no sun. Further north, -40C are not uncommon, and you'll see the curious sight of sand dunes covered in snow.
  
  During the summer, from May to August, temperatures in Beijing can hit 38C (100F), coinciding with the rainy season for the city.
  
  The best time for visiting the north is spring and autumn. Daytime temperatures range from 20C to 30C (68F to 86F) and drop a lot at night. Precipitation is 6370cm (25-28 inches) per year.
  
  
• Central
  The Yangtze River valley has long and humid summer with high temperatures from April to October. The city of Wuhan, Chongqing and Nanjing on the Yangtze are China's three famous 'furnaces'.
  
  Winters there, with temperatures dropping well below freezing, can be as cold as in Beijing, particularly as there is no heating in public buildings to the south of the Yangtze River.
  
  It can also be wet and miserable at any time apart from summer. Since it is impossible to choose an ideal time to visit, spring and autumn are probably best. Precipitation averages around 76 cm (30 inches) per year.
  
  
• South
  Near Guangzhou, the summer is a season of typhoons between July and September. Temperatures can rise to around 38C. Winters are short, between January and March. It's not as cold as in the north, but you'd better bring warm clothes with you while visiting.
  
  Autumn and spring can be good times to visit, with day temperatures in the 20C to 25C (68F to 75F) range. Sometimes, it can be miserably wet and cold, with rain or drizzle. Precipitation averages 76 cm (30 inches) per year.
  
  
• Northwest
  It gets hot in summer, dry and sunny. The desert regions can be scorching in the daytime. Turphan, which sits in a depression 150m below sea level, is referred to as the 'hottest place in China' with maximums of around 47C.
  
  In winter this region is as severely cold as the rest of northern China. Temperatures in Turphan during Winter are only slightly more favorable to human existence.
  
  This area of China climate experiences little rain, and as a consequence, the air is very dry. Summers, however, can exceed 40C, while winters may drop to -10C. Precipitation averages less than 10 cm (4 inches) per year.
  
  
• Tibet
  Undoubtedly, Tibet is one of the harshest places for human existence. It is cool in summer but freezing cold in winter. In Lhasa, the mildest city in Tibet , temperature may exceed 29C in summer while plummeting to -16C in winter!
  
  Sun radiation is extremely strong in Tibet. The sunlight in In Lhasa is so intense that the city is called Sunlight City. The thin air can neither block off nor retain heat so that the temperature extremes can be met in daytime and the same night respectively in Tibet. However it is not impossible to visit the holy snow land. April to October is the best time to visit Tibet, out of the coldest months, which are from December to February usually.
  
  The average temperature in north Tibet is subzero and winter arrives in October until the following May or June. July and August are the best time to visit the area, enjoying warm temperature, intense sunshine, beautiful scenery and festive events.
  
  May, June and September is the tourist season in east Tibet. In winter, roads are all blocked by heavy snow. Landslides and rock falls frequently occur, which will make travel difficult.
  
  South Tibet is balmy during May to October. During the period, there are also great festive events held. Hence it is the best time to visit Lhasa, Shigatse and Nyingchi.
  Most annual rainfall comes in the rainy season which starts from June to September. Usually it rains at night in Lhasa, Shigatse and Chamdo area. The rainfall may block roads and make travel difficult but the scenery at the time will be the best. From November to the coming May, the wind blows often.

When is the best time to visit?

China is a country with varied tempretures and climates. It depends on which part of China you will vist to say when is the best time.

Normally, the most comfortable season of the year is from September to October. During this time, it feels comfortable to travel throughout China (about 50-72F) with a limited amount of rain and suitable amount of sunshine.

Spring can also be a pleasent season for traveling with its suitable temperature and rain. However, travelers mgith tend to get sick due to the changing of season from winter to spring. The best way to deal with weather unpredictability is to wear layered clothing that will make you comfortable with both chilly and warmer weather.

Summer (from June to the end of August) can be extremely hot with temperatures well above 72F, especially in the famous 'four furnaces' of China: Wuhan, Nanjing, Chongqing and Nanchang(or Changsha). Summer is also the rainy season, so travelers should not forget umbrellas, light raincoats and rubber/plastic shoes.

Winter can be very cold especially in the north. But there can still be some interesting natural and cultural site to see. For example the Harbin Winter Ice Lantern Festival is quite charming.

Before deciding when to take a tour, it is best to check the local weather so to decide what to bring. But of course, the best season is usually crowded and everything is more expensive.

Could I get some information on local weather for major Chinese cities?

Before visit a city, it is worth checking carefully its weather conditions. Check out local weather for major Chinese cities.