01Verdict
When to go, in short
Beijing has a continental climate with real extremes: bitter, dry winters and hot, humid summers with the rainy season in July and August. Spring and autumn are short and excellent, with April to May and September to October offering the clearest skies and the best light on the Great Wall and the Forbidden City. The catch is the Chinese holiday calendar: Spring Festival, May Day and especially National Day Golden Week in early October bring hundreds of millions of domestic travellers and sell out everything.
Avoid those weeks and the shoulder seasons are superb. The Forbidden City sells timed tickets online a week ahead with a daily cap, closes on Mondays and sells out days in advance in every busy season; the Great Wall at Mutianyu is less crowded than Badaling. Air quality has improved but still dips in winter heating season and on still days. Foreign cards and mobile payments now work for the main sites, but carry a passport for every ticket. For the best weather without the holidays, take the second half of May or October after the 8th.
02Weather
Beijing weather by month
04Compare
Month by month
| Month | High | Low | Rain days | Sun h | Daylight | Crowds | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beijing in January | 4 °C / 39 °F | -9 °C | 0 | – | 9.6 h | quiet | Good |
| Beijing in February | 7 °C / 45 °F | -6 °C | 3 | – | 10.7 h | moderate | Good |
| Beijing in March | 16 °C / 61 °F | 2 °C | 4 | – | 11.9 h | moderate | Good |
| Beijing in April | 23 °C / 73 °F | 8 °C | 4 | – | 13.3 h | busy | Excellent |
| Beijing in May | 29 °C / 84 °F | 14 °C | 6 | – | 14.4 h | very busy | Good |
| Beijing in June | 33 °C / 92 °F | 20 °C | 9 | – | 15.0 h | busy | Mixed |
| Beijing in July | 33 °C / 91 °F | 23 °C | 12 | – | 14.8 h | busy | Mixed |
| Beijing in August | 32 °C / 89 °F | 22 °C | 10 | – | 13.8 h | very busy | Mixed |
| Beijing in September | 28 °C / 83 °F | 16 °C | 8 | – | 12.5 h | busy | Excellent |
| Beijing in October | 20 °C / 67 °F | 7 °C | 5 | – | 11.2 h | very busy | Good |
| Beijing in November | 12 °C / 54 °F | 0 °C | 2 | – | 10.0 h | moderate | Good |
| Beijing in December | 5 °C / 41 °F | -8 °C | 1 | – | 9.3 h | quiet | Good |
08Pick a month