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Photo by Pixelflake, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Best time to visit Beijing
China · East Asia
All twelve months scored on daily temperature, rainfall, humidity and holiday crowding.
The year in Beijing
Tap a month for its page
- JanJBeijing in January: avoid
- FebFBeijing in February: ok
- MarMBeijing in March: good
- AprABeijing in April: sweet spot
- MayMBeijing in May: sweet spot
- JunJBeijing in June: sweet spot
- JulJBeijing in July: good
- AugABeijing in August: good
- SepSBeijing in September: sweet spot
- OctOBeijing in October: good, busy
- NovNBeijing in November: ok
- DecDBeijing in December: avoid
- Sweet spot
- Good
- OK
- Avoid
- Busy
Plan this trip
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Flights from
Flights
Your city is a guess from your time zone. Choose your city
Where are you flying from? Choose your city for its flights and fares.
Book with the airline
Where to stay
Book direct
Luxury
Things to do
Car hire
Rent direct
Travel insurance
Check whether your bank card or home insurance already covers this trip.
If the trip needs a visa, the travel agent or visa centre usually sells the cover it asks for.
Mobile data (eSIM)
Your own plan's EU roaming may already cover this.
Renting a pocket Wi-Fi is the other common way to stay connected.
These are sites people in book with. Each opens in a new tab, on the site's own pages.
Things to do in Beijing
- Forbidden City Chinese imperial palace in Beijing
- Zhongnanhai This former imperial garden centered on two lakes is now the headquarters of China's…
- Temple of Heaven Inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Not only a beautiful sight…
- Summer Palace Extensive gardens and palaces constructed by the Qing emperors that are a UNESCO World…
- Great Hall of the People Seat of China's parliament and venue for important political meetings.
- CITIC Tower (China Zun) Beijing's tallest building (528m) completed in 2018.
- Chairman Mao Memorial Hall The body of the founder of the People's Republic of China, Mao Zedong…
Tours and tickets in Beijing
Each site opens on its own search: choose your dates there. A few open on their home page, where you type the place too. Links marked Ad pay us a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you; most pay nothing, and what a site pays never decides whether it is listed or where. How we rank
Sights and their lines from Wikivoyage (Beijing/Central Dongcheng, Beijing/Chaoyang, Beijing/Chongwen, Beijing/Haidian, Beijing/Xicheng), licensed CC BY-SA 4.0, and Wikidata; in order of how often each one's Wikipedia article was read on phones in the last 12 months.
Month by month
No fare history for this route yet, so this ranking is climate and crowds only — the price column will fill in as the scanner collects.
| Month | Max °C | Rain days | Humidity | Sun h/day | Verdict | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 2° | 0d | 38% | 8.0h | avoid | bitter cold: 2C daily max |
| Feb | 6° | 1d | 40% | 8.6h | ok | 6C max, 1 rainy day |
| Mar | 15° | 2d | 42% | 9.4h | good | 15C max, 2 rainy days |
| Apr | 22° | 2d | 39% | 9.4h | sweet spot | 22C max, 2 rainy days |
| May | 28° | 3d | 45% | 9.8h | sweet spot | 28C max, 3 rainy days |
| Jun | 33° | 3d | 49% | 10.2h | sweet spot | 33C max, 3 rainy days |
| Jul | 32° | 10d | 72% | 8.8h | good | 32C max, 10 rainy days |
| Aug | 30° | 10d | 76% | 8.9h | good | 30C max, 10 rainy days |
| Sep | 27° | 3d | 64% | 9.2h | sweet spot | 27C max, 3 rainy days |
| Oct | 18° | 4d | 60% | 7.7h | goodbusy | busier than usual |
| Nov | 10° | 2d | 54% | 7.6h | ok | 10C max, 2 rainy days |
| Dec | 3° | 1d | 39% | 7.8h | avoid | bitter cold: 3C daily max |
Rain days are the days with at least 1 mm of rain, as a weather station counts them.
Weather read at Tiananmen Square, 26 km from the airport (PEK): ten years of ERA5 and ERA5-Land reanalysis, through Open-Meteo's open data.
A busy month is a crowded one, not a bad one — usually it is crowded because the weather is good. It is flagged rather than scored down, and crowds alone never make a month “avoid”: that is reserved for weather worth skipping.
How busy it gets
Then and now
Beijing's March days now average 14.9°C, 2.8°C warmer than in 1981–1990. 6 of 12 months are clearly warmer.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981–90 | 0.9° | 4.4° | 12.1° | 21.2° | 27.5° | 31.2° | 30.6° | 29.3° | 25.4° | 19.4° | 9.7° | 2.8° |
| 2017–26 | 2.4° | 6.1° | 14.9° | 22.0° | 27.8° | 32.5° | 31.9° | 30.1° | 27.1° | 18.3° | 10.4° | 2.7° |
| Change | +1.4° | +1.7° | +2.8° | +0.8° | +0.3° | +1.3° | +1.3° | +0.8° | +1.8° | -1.1° | +0.7° | -0.1° |
The average daily high, month by month, for the nearest ERA5 grid cell. Bold is a clear change; grey is within the ordinary spread between years. Every destination, ranked.
Getting there
How far Beijing is, and what it costs, depends on where you set off from — the months above do not.
- from Seoul
- from Taipei
- from Hong Kong
- from Tokyo
- from Manila
- from Kolkata
- from Bangkok
- from Ho Chi Minh City
Open in Rome2rio for every way from to Beijing, flying or not.
Before you go
Type A and C and I plugs at 220 V. Drives on the right. The currency is the Renminbi. No UK Foreign Office advice against travel. Global Affairs Canada: Exercise a high degree of caution (with regional advisories). US State Department: Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution. Everything for China: cost of living, languages, emergency numbers and health.
Being there
On arrival
- Paying — Most payments are made by phone with Alipay or WeChat Pay: link a Visa, Mastercard or other foreign card to either app, then scan the shop's QR code. Many hotels and larger shops take foreign cards, but many places do not, so carry some yuan in case the apps fail you.
- UPI, for visitors from India — Not accepted for paying here; bring a card that works abroad.
- Tipping — Not expected in most restaurants and hotels, or in taxis; bars and cafeterias in hotels, and some other restaurants and bars, may add a 10-15% service charge.
Getting around Beijing
Tap a contactless Visa, Mastercard, Amex, JCB or UnionPay card, or a phone, at any subway gate, the two airport express lines included. A BEIJING PASS card (CNY 20, bought with your passport at both airports and the main railway stations) also covers buses, as does a QR code from Alipay's Transport tab.
- Apps — Rides: DiDi, Amap. Maps: Amap, Baidu Maps, Apple Maps. Messages: WeChat. Google and WhatsApp are blocked in mainland China, as are Facebook, YouTube and X; WeChat, Alipay and DiDi all work in English.
Beijing boasts a world-class public transportation network, featuring an extensive subway system that reaches most major tourist attractions. More on Wikivoyage
From the Wikivoyage article on Beijing, written by travellers and licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Help
- Emergency — police 110 · ambulance 120 · fire 119. Traffic police are on 122.
TravelCharika is not an emergency service: we cannot call for help or send anyone. Numbers can change; if one fails, ask someone local or your hotel.
Your embassy — : how to reach your embassy or consulate abroad. A guess from your city, : a city is not a passport.
Put together by hand from the sources listed, checked 7 October 2026. Apps, cards and rules change, so check before you rely on one.
Sources (27)
- gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/china/getting-help
- gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/china/safety-and-security
- travel.gc.ca/destinations/china
- auswaertiges-amt.de/de/service/laender/china-node/chinasicherheit-200466
- english.shanghai.gov.cn/en-PaymentsInShanghai/20260920/f22b7e0f606c407e9da9d26b089eac48.html
- english.shanghai.gov.cn/en-PaymentMethods/20240313/6f4e58272f1a4cea9aec59c518915bdf.html
- english.shanghai.gov.cn/en-UsefulApps/20231214/3cac2d8cc7f847da92a72252bae06705.html
- english.shanghai.gov.cn/en-Latest-WhatsNew/20250627/d8f21f2e7d3b45a5b03757e35039b806.html
- english.shanghai.gov.cn/en-Latest-WhatsNew/20250614/a5c7bac93f024324ace770d3275d28b6.html
- english.shanghai.gov.cn/en-CIIE2025Service-Transport/20251017/c6c5ca124ee74e92a37244280c0983b9.html
- english.shanghai.gov.cn/en-Latest-WhatsNew/20240417/0444aa1c2f114f7eb66a0341b603bbbc.html
- english.shanghai.gov.cn/en-Latest-WhatsNew/20250711/8f2fcf3c6b624a56a6b2c0d8152ea2f2.html
- english.shanghai.gov.cn/en-FAQs-LivinginShanghai/20231214/6e73c9e64a174827beeb9b588af1255d.html
- english.beijing.gov.cn/latest/specials/essentialtipsfornewarrivals/transportation/202408/t20240830_3785706.html
- english.beijing.gov.cn/latest/news/202506/t20250616_4114250.html
- english.beijing.gov.cn/contactus/faqs/list/202602/t20260209_4502729.html
- english.beijing.gov.cn/livinginbeijing/transportation/beijingsubway/202409/t20240914_3891497.html
- english.beijing.gov.cn/consuminginbeijing/news/202410/t20241016_3921355.html
- english.visitbeijing.com.cn/article/47ONhboe35K
- apps.apple.com/us/app/didi-china-ride-hailing/id554499054
- apps.apple.com/us/app/amap-global/id461703208
- en.prnasia.com/releases/apac/tencent-announces-2026-second-quarter-results-543788.shtml
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WeChat
- en.wikivoyage.org/wiki/China
- apple.com/ios/feature-availability
- pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2286608
- rbidocs.rbi.org.in/rdocs/AnnualReport/PDFs/09PAYMENT290526C6588B796E664822A2BD0DEB6452CAD4.PDF
Beijing in pictures
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Reinhold Möller Ermell, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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CEphoto, Uwe Aranas, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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Ermell, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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Reinhold Möller Ermell, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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Ermell, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
What Beijing is like
Beijing (北京 Běijīng) is China's capital and its second-largest city after Shanghai, with a population of around 22 million. With a rich history as the capital of Imperial China for much of its past, Beijing became the political and cultural heart of the People's Republic of China following the Chinese revolutions. More on Wikivoyage
- Worth seeing
- The Great Wall of China (长城 Chángchéng) is the must-see on any trip to Beijing and a destination worth visiting multiple times due to its vastness and the variety of views, landscapes, and hikes it offers. More on Wikivoyage
- Worth doing
- Hiking, camping, and tobogganing on the Great Wall: There are numerous hiking options available on the Great Wall, with various tours and groups offering guided experiences… More on Wikivoyage
- Getting in
- Travelers from 54 countries can enjoy a visa-free stay of up to 240 hours (10 days) when transiting through Beijing to a third country. More on Wikivoyage
- Staying safe
- Free emergency telephone numbers: Police: 110. Fire alarm: 119. More on Wikivoyage
- Staying healthy
- Tap water in Beijing is not safe for drinking. Hygiene for cooked food is generally not an issue. More on Wikivoyage
From the Wikivoyage article on Beijing, written by travellers and licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the full article has far more. The numbers above are measured; this is experience.
Around Beijing
Also in China
Nearby
- Seoul South Korea · 954 km
- Taipei Taiwan · 1,720 km
- Hong Kong Hong Kong · 1,970 km
- Macau Macau · 1,988 km
Kind of place
Beijing is in China, East Asia. Distances are great-circle, so a short one can still be a long way round.
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