Best time to travel to Beijing

Beijing has a continental climate with four distinctive seasons, long, hot summers and long dry, cold winters. Spring and autumn have beautiful weather, warm and dry, but both are extremely short. Many tourists avoid spring because of the famed sandstorms, but there are less and less of these and they do not last long. The summer rain falls during July and August, and can make everything fresh. Autumn is definitely the golden season, cool and comfortable. Winter is cold and dry with little snow.

The best season to visit Beijing is probably autumn. Summer (June to August) is considered peak season, when hotels typically raise their rates and the Great Wall nearly collapses under the weight of marching tourists. Autumn months (September to November) have the best weather and fewer tourists. Spring is less pleasant - not many tourists but lots of wind and dust (northwesterly winds blow in masses of fine loess from Mongolia). In winter, you'll have Beijing to yourself and many hotels offer substantial discounts - just remember it's an ice box outside. Everything is chock-a-block during the Chinese New Year (in January or February). Have a look at our Beijing tours and choose your time of travel.

Edited by Athena Lee,

Author/Editor By : HCT