Best Time to Visit Kaifeng

Spring and autumn: the sweet spots

April and October score best here, and it's easy to see why. April days reach about 24°C, nights are cool, and you can walk the Ming-style city wall or the Iron Pagoda grounds without sweating through your shirt. October is similar, a bit drier, with clear light for the Song Dynasty sights.

March and November are also rated Excellent, but they're cooler. Mornings can feel sharp, so they suit slow walking days better than long hours on a bike. May and September are warmer but still pleasant. September brings more rain than October, so expect the odd shower.

Chrysanthemums and crowds

Kaifeng is famous for its chrysanthemums. The Kaifeng Chrysanthemum Festival usually runs through much of October and November, with flower displays in parks like Longting and along the lake paths. It's the busiest stretch outside the holidays, so hotels fill up and the big sights get queues.

China's National Day holiday in the first week of October is the real crowd peak. If you hate crowds, aim for mid-to-late October or early November instead. Spring has a similar rush around the May Day break and the Qingming holiday in early April, when locals travel for short trips.

Summer: hot, then wet

June is hot and fairly dry, with highs of 34°C. July is the same heat, but the rain changes everything. It's the wettest month by far, with downpours on 16 days, and August isn't much better. The air turns sticky, and the afternoons are better spent indoors.

If you come anyway, plan around the Kaifeng Museum and the covered food stalls. Night markets help too, since evenings are cooler. Try the Gulou Night Market for soup dumplings (*tangbao*) and peanut-based snacks once the sun drops.

Winter: quiet and cold

December and January are the driest months, but also the coldest, with nights below freezing. January is the coldest, at -4°C overnight. The upside is space. Sights like the Millennium City Park and the Daliang gate area feel calm, and a bowl of hot lamb soup tastes better in the cold.

Winter suits food-focused trips and travellers on a tight budget. It doesn't suit anyone hoping for gentle outdoor days. Chinese New Year, usually in late January or February, is the exception. Expect temple fairs and noise, and many small restaurants close for a few days.