Best Time to Visit Chengdu

Spring and autumn: the sweet spots

March and November score best here, and they feel right. March is mild, with highs around 21°C, and the city's parks start to green up. Tea houses in People's Park fill with locals, and it's a good time to sit with a cup of jasmine tea and watch. Rain falls on about ten days, but it's usually light drizzle.

November is cooler and drier. Highs are about 18°C, and you can walk the lanes of Kuanzhai Alley or Jinli without sweating. Expect grey skies. Chengdu is cloudy for much of the year, so don't count on blue-sky photos.

April and October are also good. April gets wetter, but it's warm. Late October is a fine time for the Giant Panda Base, since the pandas are lively in cooler weather.

Summer: hot, wet and sticky

June to September rate Poor, and it's fair. Highs sit at 32–33°C in June, July and August, nights stay warm, and July is the wettest month with rain on 22 days. Humidity makes afternoons feel heavy.

Still, there's a way to do it. Do hotpot at lunch if you're brave, then spend the hottest hours in the Sichuan Museum or a tea house with a fan. Many locals escape to the mountains, such as Qingcheng Mountain, which is cooler than the city. Summer is also school-holiday season for Chinese families, so the panda base and Dujiangyan get busy.

Winter: quiet and cool

December and January are dry, with highs of 13°C and 11°C. Nights drop close to freezing, and most buildings have little heating, so you'll want a proper coat indoors too. Travelling in winter means thin crowds and cheaper rooms at most hotels. Sichuan food is at its best in the cold, with spicy hotpot and mapo tofu warming you up.

Chinese New Year falls in January or February, and the date moves each year. Temples such as Wenshu Monastery hold lively fairs, and the Wuhou Shrine temple fair is a highlight. Many shops close for a few days, and trains are packed around the holiday.

Two other busy periods are the National Day holiday in early October and the May Day break. Domestic tourism peaks then, so pick another week if you hate queues. For the best mix of comfort and calm, aim for mid-March or mid-November.