Missed Golden Week? Late October Is Actually Better

🇨🇳 Kat's Hacks — Golden Week is over. The crowds have gone home, the sky is clear, and this is quietly one of the best times of the year to be in China. If you missed the holiday, you didn't miss much. WHY LATE OCTOBER TO NOVEMBER IS GREAT - Domestic flights and hotels in popular cities usually drop back sharply once the holiday ends. - Most of the country is dry, cool and comfortable for walking all day. - Train tickets are easy to get again, and big sights are back to normal queues. WHERE TO GO RIGHT NOW Beijing — Clear blue skies and autumn colour. Fragrant Hills Park turns red in late October to early November. Layer up for chilly mornings and evenings. Shanghai — Hairy crab season runs through the autumn. The weather is mild and perfect for walking the Bund and old streets. Sichuan and Chengdu — Pandas are more active in cooler weather. Mountain areas like Jiuzhaigou show their autumn colours around mid to late October, so go soon. Yunnan (Kunming, Dali, Lijiang) — Dry season, sunny days, almost no rain. Cold nights in the mountains, so bring a jacket. Guilin and Yangshuo — Osmanthus flowers bloom through early autumn and the heat has finally lifted, which is perfect for the river and the karst hills. Xi'an — Cool and dry, and the ginkgo trees turn gold in November. Good weather for cycling the city wall. Sanya (Hainan) — Beach season starts to open up as the rest of the country cools. Planning something else? Our Cities page has difficulty ratings and best-for tags for all 17 cities. WHAT NOT TO DO - Don't pack for summer. Northern China can fall to around 0°C at night by November. - Don't assume the south is warm all the way through. Guilin and Chengdu get cool and damp in late November. - Don't forget the weekends. Chinese people still travel on weekends, so book popular sights ahead. - Don't leave your phone setup until you land. Get your eSIM, payments and VPN sorted before the flight. THE QUICK VERSION If you have flexible dates, aim for the weeks right after Golden Week. You get the same China with fewer crowds, lower prices and better weather. If you are planning this window, tell me where you are heading and I'll tell you what to pack. — Kat

Missed Golden Week? Late October Is Actually Better

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