Best time to visit Dalian
China · East Asia
All twelve months scored on daily temperature, rainfall, humidity and holiday crowding.
The year in Dalian
Tap a month for its page
- JanJDalian in January: avoid
- FebFDalian in February: avoid
- MarMDalian in March: ok
- AprADalian in April: sweet spot
- MayMDalian in May: good, busy
- JunJDalian in June: sweet spot
- JulJDalian in July: sweet spot
- AugADalian in August: good
- SepSDalian in September: good
- OctODalian in October: good
- NovNDalian in November: good
- DecDDalian in December: avoid
- Sweet spot
- Good
- OK
- Avoid
- Busy
Plan this trip
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
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 Dalian
- Xinghai Square On the coast south west of the city center, is the largest square in Asia, a fact frequently mentioned in Dalian tourist literature.
- Dalian Discovery Kingdom Amusement park in Dalian, Liaoning, China
- Dalian Laodong Park Park in People's Republic of China
- Zhongshan Square This square in the heart of the city's financial district is surrounded by some of the best examples of colonial-era architecture in Dalian.
- Big Black Mountain Mountain
- Lüshun Museum History museum in Liaoning, China
- Xinghai Park Park in Dalian, People's Republic of China
Tours and tickets in Dalian
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 (Dalian/Shahekou, Dalian/Zhongshan), 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 | 1° | 1d | 58% | 7.8h | avoid | bitter cold: 1C daily max |
| Feb | 3° | 2d | 58% | 8.5h | avoid | bitter cold: 3C daily max |
| Mar | 9° | 2d | 61% | 9.6h | ok | 9C max, 2 rainy days |
| Apr | 15° | 4d | 60% | 10.0h | sweet spot | 15C max, 4 rainy days |
| May | 20° | 6d | 69% | 10.0h | goodbusy | busier than usual |
| Jun | 24° | 5d | 77% | 10.5h | sweet spot | 24C max, 5 rainy days |
| Jul | 27° | 6d | 86% | 10.0h | sweet spot | 27C max, 6 rainy days |
| Aug | 28° | 8d | 82% | 9.5h | good | 28C max, 8 rainy days |
| Sep | 25° | 4d | 74% | 9.7h | good | 25C max, 4 rainy days |
| Oct | 18° | 4d | 66% | 8.3h | good | 18C max, 4 rainy days |
| Nov | 11° | 3d | 63% | 7.3h | good | 11C max, 3 rainy days |
| Dec | 3° | 2d | 59% | 7.0h | 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 Zhongshan Square, the centre, 9 km from the airport (DLC): 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
Dalian's March days now average 8.8°C, 3.9°C warmer than in 1981–1990. 10 of 12 months are clearly warmer.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1981–90 | -0.6° | 0.6° | 4.9° | 11.0° | 16.6° | 21.3° | 24.6° | 26.0° | 22.6° | 17.0° | 9.2° | 2.8° |
| 2017–26 | 0.9° | 2.7° | 8.8° | 14.9° | 19.8° | 23.8° | 27.0° | 27.9° | 24.6° | 17.5° | 10.9° | 3.0° |
| Change | +1.5° | +2.2° | +3.9° | +3.9° | +3.2° | +2.6° | +2.4° | +1.9° | +1.9° | +0.5° | +1.7° | +0.2° |
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 Dalian is, and what it costs, depends on where you set off from — the months above do not.
- from Seoul
- from Taipei
- from Tokyo
- from Hong Kong
- from Manila
- from Ho Chi Minh City
- from Bangkok
- from Kolkata
Open in Rome2rio for every way from to Dalian, 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 Dalian
- 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.
Taxis are plentiful in Dalian and flagging one down is rarely a problem except in the more remote parts of the city… More on Wikivoyage
From the Wikivoyage article on Dalian, 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
Dalian in pictures
What Dalian is like
It should not be confused with Dalyan in Turkey. Dalian (大连; Dàlián) is the second largest city in Liaoning Province, Dongbei (North East), China, the largest port in northern China, and a major destination for Chinese tourists. More on Wikivoyage
- Worth seeing
- Squares – Within China, Dalian is renowned for its squares and green places, with a large number scattered throughout the city… More on Wikivoyage
- Worth doing
- Relax on one of the city's beaches – There are a number of beaches clustered along the southern and eastern sides of the Dalian Peninsula, the largest of which are Xinghai Beach (星海海滨 Xīnghǎi Hǎibīn), Fujiazhuang Beach… More on Wikivoyage
- Getting in
- Dalian Zhoushuizi International Airport (大连周水子国际机场 Dàlián Zhōushuǐzǐ Guójìjīchǎng DLC IATA). More on Wikivoyage
- Staying safe
- Crime, particularly street crime, is low in Dalian as it is in most of China. That said, the people in northeastern China are on average more aggressive than their southern counterparts and fights do happen. More on Wikivoyage
From the Wikivoyage article on Dalian, 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 Dalian
Also in China
- Beijing best Apr, May, Jun
- Chengdu best Apr, May, Jun
- Chongqing best Mar, Apr, Jun
- Dali best Mar, May, Jun
- Guilin and Yangshuo best Oct, Nov, Dec
- Hangzhou best Mar, Apr, May
- Harbin best Apr, May, Jun
- Kashgar best Mar, Apr, Jun
- Kunming best Feb, Mar, Apr
- Lhasa best Apr, Jun, Oct
- Lijiang best Mar, Apr, Nov
- Luoyang best Mar, Apr, May
- Nanjing best Mar, Apr, May
- Qingdao best Apr, Jun, Aug
- Quanzhou best Jan, Feb, Nov
- Sanya best Jan, Mar, Apr
- Shanghai best Mar, Jun, Nov
- Shangri-La best Jun, Sep, Nov
- Suzhou best Mar, May, Sep
- Xi'an best Mar, May, Jun
- Xiamen best Sep, Oct, Nov
Nearby
- Seoul South Korea · 492 km
- Jeju South Korea · 744 km
- Gyeongju South Korea · 753 km
- Busan South Korea · 789 km
Kind of place
Dalian is in China, East Asia. Distances are great-circle, so a short one can still be a long way round.
Check your inbox. A confirmation is on its way: open the link in it, press Confirm, and you are subscribed.
That did not go through. Check the address, or try again in a minute.
Already sent. A confirmation went to that address in the last day: look for it, spam folder included. Its link works for three days.
You are not on the list until you confirm from your inbox. The list lives with our email provider, Resend; the privacy page says the rest.
Links marked Ad pay us a commission if you book through one, at no extra cost to you. That does not affect the scores on this page, which are computed from climate and fare data before any link is built.