Shanghai · Month comparison
April vs October
October ranks #1 overall vs April at #3. Single best month — clear 23C days, plane trees gold, Golden Week (Oct 1-7) chaos then peace, F1 and Shanghai Art Week.
April
#3 of 12 months
Best match
One of the two best months — 20C, plane trees green over the French Concession, Qingming and May Day driving short bursts of crowds.
- ↑French Concession plane trees fully leafed — tree-tunnel walks down Wukang and Changle Roads
- ↑Outdoor cafe season properly begins — Wukang Mansion, Anfu Lu fully buzzing
October
#1 of 12 months
Best match
Single best month — clear 23C days, plane trees gold, Golden Week (Oct 1-7) chaos then peace, F1 and Shanghai Art Week.
- ↑Golden Week (Oct 1-7) excepted, the most reliably clear and pleasant week of the year
- ↑F1 Shanghai Grand Prix and Shanghai Art Week (10 days late October)
| Factor | April | October |
|---|---|---|
| Weather score | 8 | 9 |
| Value score | 4 | 3 |
| Crowd score | 4 | 3 |
| Events score | 6 | 7 |
| Atmosphere | 9 | 10 |
| Avg high temp | 20°C | 23°C |
| Monthly rain | 95mm | 65mm |
| Daily sunshine | 6hrs | 6hrs |
April trade-offs
- ↓Qingming Festival (early April) brings 3-day domestic travel surge
- ↓Hotel rates at year-near-peak — Bund Bellagio from CNY 2,800
- ↓Plum-rain showers — pack umbrella, 8+ rain days
October trade-offs
- ↓Golden Week (Oct 1-7): every Chinese tourist in Shanghai, transport overwhelmed
- ↓Hotel rates back at spring peak — F1 weekend adds another 30%
- ↓F1 and Art Week double-book the entire city in late October
Scores compare months within Shanghai. Climate data: Open Meteo ERA5 30-year normals (1991–2020). Methodology →