Best Time to Visit Luoyang

Spring: peony season and easy sightseeing

March is cool and fresh, with highs of 18°C. April warms to 24°C, and May reaches 30°C. All three rate Excellent. Rain is light, so you can walk the Longmen Grottoes (huge Buddha carvings along the Yi River) without dodging downpours.

Luoyang is famous for peonies. The Peony Cultural Festival usually runs from around early April into early May, when the blooms peak in Wangcheng Park and the Peony Garden. Expect crowds then, especially on weekends and over the Qingming holiday in early April. Hotels fill up and the Grottoes get busy. If you hate queues, go on a weekday or aim for late March.

Summer: hot, then properly wet

June is hot, with highs of 34°C and nights of 21°C. July matches it for heat and adds 157 mm of rain over 15 days. That makes July the wettest month, with August close behind at 126 mm. Both rate Poor.

It's sticky, and the rain can wash out a day at the Longmen Grottoes or the White Horse Temple. Still, it's low season for visitors, apart from school-holiday families in July and August. Hotels are easier to get, and indoor stops like the Luoyang Museum make sense when the sky turns grey. Travelling with kids? Plan indoor time for the afternoons.

Autumn: the sweet spot

September is still warm at 28°C but wetter than you'd like, with 106 mm. October is better: highs of 22°C, lower rain and clear walking weather. November is crisper at 15°C, and rated Excellent too. It's a good month for wandering the old town and trying Luoyang's water banquet, a series of hot soup dishes served in sequence.

China's National Day holiday in the first week of October brings the biggest domestic crowds of the year. Go in mid or late October, or in November, for a calmer visit.

Winter: cold, dry and quiet

December and January are dry and often sunny, but cold. Highs are 8°C and 6°C, and nights drop below freezing. February is slightly milder and rated Good. You'll have the sites far more to yourself, though it's a chilly time to stand around at open-air ruins. Chinese New Year, which falls in January or February, brings a short travel rush and some closed restaurants. Lantern displays often appear around then, and Luoyang's old town looks lovely lit up at night.