Best Time to Visit Ningbo

October to November: the sweet spot

October is the month to aim for. Days are warm but not sticky, at about 24°C, and rain falls on only nine days. It's the best-rated month in our data. November is cooler and a little wetter, but still pleasant for walking around Tianyi Square and the old Moon Lake area.

Chinese Golden Week, the national holiday in the first days of October, is the one catch. Domestic tourists pour into Tiantong Temple and the Dongqian Lake area, and trains get full. If you can, come in the second half of the month.

March to May: green and damp

Spring starts cool and grey. March is mild, around 16°C by day, but it rains on 13 days. By April it's a comfortable 21°C and rated Good. May warms up to 26°C and gets muggier.

This is a good time for Tiantong Temple, a Zen Buddhist temple in forested hills, and for the Tianyi Pavilion library gardens. Bring an umbrella, not a plan that depends on sun. Qingming, the tomb-sweeping holiday in early April, gives locals a short break, so popular sites get busier for a few days.

June to September: hot, wet and sticky

June brings the plum rain season, when drizzle can hang around for days. It's the wettest month here, with 242 mm and rain on 18 days. July and August swap drizzle for heat, with highs of 32°C and warm nights of 25°C. September is still hot and humid at 29°C. Typhoons can also hit this coast in late summer, so watch the forecast if you have a flight or ferry.

If you come anyway, spend afternoons indoors, such as the Ningbo Museum, then head out in the evening. The beaches around Xiangshan, a coastal county south of the city, are busy with Chinese families in school holidays. Travelling with kids? That's when you'll have the most company. Summer is also when Xiangshan hosts its fishing festival, which marks the end of the fishing moratorium in mid-September.

December to February: cold and quiet

Winter is chilly and damp, with highs of 10 to 12°C and lows near freezing in January. December is the driest month, with 54 mm, and it's rated Good. Skies stay grey and there isn't much sun.

If you hate crowds, this is your window. Hotels are cheaper and the city feels local. Chinese New Year, usually in late January or February, shuts many small shops and restaurants for a few days, though temples and the Old Bund area get lively with families. Try the glutinous rice balls called tangyuan, a Ningbo specialty, which are eaten at the Lantern Festival.