Chinese New Year and Golden Week: When NOT to Travel to China

China has 1.4 billion people, and a few times a year it feels like most of them are travelling at once. Plan around these holidays and you'll enjoy quiet sights and better prices. Get caught in one and you'll queue for hours.

The three busy periods

• Chinese New Year (Spring Festival): in 2027, New Year's Day is 6 February. The official holiday is about a week around it.
• May Day (Labour Day): 1 to 5 May each year.
• National Day Golden Week: 1 to 7 October each year. This is the busiest week of all for sightseeing.

Smaller holidays, such as Qingming in early April, Dragon Boat in June and Mid-Autumn in September or October, add a busy long weekend.

What actually happens

• Trains and flights sell out weeks ahead, and prices jump.
• Famous sights hit their daily limits. The Forbidden City, the Great Wall, West Lake and Zhangjiajie can be shoulder to shoulder.
• Hotels cost more, especially in tourist towns.
• During Chinese New Year, many family-run shops and restaurants close for several days, while big malls and hotels stay open.

The travel rush around Chinese New Year

The "Spring Festival travel rush" lasts about 40 days, starting a couple of weeks before the new year as hundreds of millions of people go home to their families. The days just before and just after the holiday are the hardest for trains and flights.

When to go instead

• Best: mid-March to April (avoiding Qingming), mid-May to June, and mid-October to November.
• Winter outside New Year: December and early January are quiet and good value. See China in winter.
• More detail in the best time to visit China.

If you can only travel in a holiday

Sometimes school holidays leave no choice. A private trip makes a big difference:

• Timed tickets booked early, with first entry slots before the crowds.
• Your own car, so you never queue for taxis or buses.
• Less famous alternatives: the Mutianyu or Jinshanling Great Wall instead of Badaling, quieter water towns instead of the most famous ones.
• Flexible days: we visit the busiest sights on the quietest days of the holiday.

Enjoying the festivals

Chinese New Year is also a wonderful time to see Chinese culture: red lanterns everywhere, temple fairs in Beijing, lion dances and fireworks. The Lantern Festival, 15 days after New Year, lights up old towns and parks. If you want to experience it, we plan around the closures and the rush.

How we help

Send us your dates on WhatsApp. If they fall in a holiday, we'll tell you honestly and suggest the best way around it, with a free plan within 24 hours.

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