Best Time to Visit Wuhan

Spring and autumn: the sweet spots

October and November are Wuhan's best months. Days are mild, the air feels drier, and you can walk around East Lake without sweating through your shirt. Rain falls on about nine days a month, but it's usually light.

Spring comes close. March and April are Good, and the rain picks up as you move toward May. If you want cherry blossom, Wuhan University's campus is the famous spot. It gets very crowded in late March, so go on a weekday. Locals queue for it, and the paths fill up fast.

Summer: hot, wet and sticky

Wuhan is one of China's "furnace cities," and June to August earns the nickname. Nights stay warm, so you get little relief after dark. June and July bring the most rain, with showers on 15 or 16 days. August is a bit drier and sunnier, but it's the hottest month at 33°C.

Still going? Plan your days around air conditioning. Visit the Hubei Provincial Museum, home of the Marquis Yi bells, in the afternoon. Save the Yellow Crane Tower and the Yangtze riverfront for after sunset, when the lights come on. Hot, filling bowls of hot dry noodles (*re gan mian*, the local breakfast) taste better on a cooler morning, so you may skip them in July.

Winter: cold, grey and quiet

December to February is cold and damp, with a chill that gets into your bones because most buildings aren't well heated. January is the coldest month, with lows at freezing. Skies are often grey, and sun is scarce at about three hours a day. December is the driest month, so it's the easiest winter month for walking.

The upside is space. Big sights feel calm, and hotels are quieter outside Chinese New Year. That holiday, in late January or February, empties the city as people travel home, and some small restaurants close for days. Winter suits you if you want museums, hot pot and cheap, quiet trips more than views.

Crowds and timing

The busiest weeks are the Spring Festival break and the National Day holiday in the first week of October. Trains and sights fill up then. Mid-October onward is calmer, and it's the best mix of weather and elbow room. Travelling with kids? Avoid July and August, when school is out and the heat is hardest to manage.