China Travel Calendar 2026

Dates to avoid in 2026

When China is on holiday, hundreds of millions of people travel at once: sights cap their visitor numbers, hotel prices jump and train tickets sell out in minutes. Shift your trip if you can.

• Very busyNew Year's DayJan 1–3

  A short break: city sights, malls and nearby getaways are busy; long-distance travel is mostly normal.

  Train tickets on sale: Dec 18 for Jan 1, Dec 20 for Jan 3

• Very busyChunyun (Spring Festival travel rush)Feb 2 – Mar 13

  The 40-day rush home for Spring Festival, the world's largest annual migration. Trains and flights sell out and fares peak; big cities empty out just before the holiday.

• Peak: avoidSpring Festival (Chinese New Year)Feb 15–23

  The biggest holiday of the year. Temple fairs and famous sights are packed, many small shops and restaurants close for the first days, and train tickets are almost impossible to get.

  Train tickets on sale: Feb 1 for Feb 15, Feb 9 for Feb 23

• Very busyQingming Festival (Tomb-Sweeping Day)Apr 4–6

  A three-day break for visiting family graves and spring outings; nearby scenic spots and blossom sites are crowded.

  Train tickets on sale: Mar 21 for Apr 4, Mar 23 for Apr 6

• Peak: avoidMay Day Golden WeekMay 1–5

  Five days off nationwide. Top sights hit their daily caps, hotel prices jump, and it is the busiest week of the first half of the year.

  Train tickets on sale: Apr 17 for May 1, Apr 21 for May 5

• Very busyDragon Boat FestivalJun 19–21

  A three-day break; short trips and towns with dragon-boat races are busy.

  Train tickets on sale: Jun 5 for Jun 19, Jun 7 for Jun 21

• BusySchool summer holidaysJul 10 – Aug 31

  Families and student tour groups travel all summer: book popular museums and sights ahead, and expect weekends to be worse. Dates vary by province; shown here as July 10 – August 31.

• Very busyMid-Autumn FestivalSep 25–27

  A three-day break for family reunions and short trips.

  Train tickets on sale: Sep 11 for Sep 25, Sep 13 for Sep 27

• Peak: avoidNational Day Golden WeekOct 1–7

  Seven or eight days off and the busiest travel week of the year: the Great Wall, the Forbidden City and West Lake are shoulder to shoulder, and hotels and flights cost the most.

  Train tickets on sale: Sep 17 for Oct 1, Sep 23 for Oct 7

2026 crowd calendar

Outlined weekend days are makeup workdays (调休): people are at work, so they are no busier than a weekday unless a travel rush is on.

Best times to visit China in 2026

• November, December: no national holiday or travel rush, so weekdays are the quietest time for the Great Wall, the Forbidden City and other big sights.
• After Chunyun ends (Mar 13) and before Qingming: trains are easy to book again and spring is arriving.
• The weeks either side of May Day (May 1–5), and mid to late October after Golden Week (Oct 1–7): good weather with fewer crowds.
• Whenever you go, see the big sights on weekdays: weekends bring local visitors. Many, like the Forbidden City, need an advance booking with your passport and close on Mondays.

240-hour visa-free transit: when do you have to leave?

Travellers from eligible countries (including the US, Canada, the UK and most of Europe) can stay up to 240 hours (10 days) without a visa if they enter at a designated port and hold a confirmed onward ticket to a third country or region.

Onward means a third place: US → Beijing → Seoul qualifies, US → Beijing → US does not; Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan count as third places. You must stay within the permitted provinces. Rules, eligible passports and ports are set by China's National Immigration Administration; check them before you fly.

How the crowd levels are worked out

• These are rules of thumb from the holiday calendar, not live visitor counts.
• Peak: the three long holidays (Spring Festival, May Day, National Day). Very busy: the short breaks (Qingming, Dragon Boat, Mid-Autumn, New Year), Chunyun before the holiday and until the Lantern Festival, summer weekends, and the day before a long break.
• Busy: ordinary weekends, summer weekdays and the tail of Chunyun. Makeup workdays on a weekend count as working days.
• Chunyun is taken as the 40 days from 15 days before Lunar New Year to 24 days after. Ticket dates assume China Railway's 15-day booking window (travel day included); 12306 confirms each year's dates.

Frequently Asked Questions

When is Golden Week 2026 in China?

Oct 1–7, 2026. It is the busiest travel week of the year: famous sights hit their visitor caps and hotel prices peak, so visitors are better off arriving the week after.

Is Chinese New Year 2026 a good time to visit China?

The holiday runs Feb 15–23, inside the Chunyun travel rush from Feb 2 to Mar 13. Trains and flights are the hardest to book all year and many small businesses close for a few days. Come for the festivities only with transport and hotels booked well ahead.

When do train tickets for Chinese New Year 2026 go on sale?

China Railway (12306) sells tickets 15 days ahead, counting the travel day. Tickets for Feb 15, the first day of the holiday, go on sale Feb 1; for Feb 23, the last day, on Feb 9.

When is the least crowded time to visit China in 2026?

By the holiday calendar, November, December have no national holiday or travel rush, and weekdays then are the quietest time for the big sights. Weekends are still busier than weekdays.

How long can I stay on China's 240-hour visa-free transit?

The 240 hours are counted from 00:00 on the day after you arrive, so you must leave by midnight on the 10th day after your arrival date: arrive June 12, leave by 24:00 on June 22. You need a confirmed onward ticket to a third country or region and must stay within the permitted provinces; check the eligible passports and ports with China's National Immigration Administration.

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