Best Time to Visit Lu'an

Spring and autumn: the sweet spots

April is the first month that really works. Days are mild at 22°C, nights are cool, and the rain is steady but not heavy. March is a little chilly and damp, but fine if you want quiet. By May it's warm and wetter, with showers on about twelve days.

October is our top pick. It's dry by local standards, with the most sun of any month outside winter. November is almost as good, with crisp air and clear afternoons. Lu'an sits at the foot of the Dabie Mountains, so autumn is the time to head for the hills. Tiantangzhai, a mountain scenic area north of the city, looks its best when the leaves turn.

Summer: hot, wet and sticky

June to August is the hard stretch. Highs reach 32°C, nights stay warm, and humidity feels heavy. July is the wettest month, with rain on 18 days. Expect short, loud downpours that can wash out a hiking plan.

Still, summer isn't a write-off if you pick your spot. The mountains are cooler than the town, and Tiantangzhai is the usual escape for locals. Skip the lowland sights in the middle of the afternoon. If you're travelling with kids, school holidays fall in July and August, so mountain areas get busy then.

Winter: quiet and cold

December to February is cold and often grey. Nights drop to around freezing in January, and homes here usually have little central heating, so cafés and restaurants can feel chilly too. December is the driest month, though, with rain on only six days. That makes it decent for a short city stop if you don't mind the cold.

Lu'an is famous for Lu'an Guapian, a green tea with whole, flat leaves. Picking begins in spring, around the time of Qingming, in early April. Visit then and you can see the harvest and taste the new tea.

Crowds and festivals

Lu'an isn't a mass-tourism stop, so crowds come in waves tied to Chinese holidays. Expect the busiest days around Qingming in early April, the May Day break, and National Day on 1 October, when the first week of October is packed. That's right in our best month, so aim for mid or late October instead. Chinese New Year, in January or February, empties offices and shuts many small restaurants for a few days.

If you hate crowds, pick late April or November. You'll get good weather and plenty of room.