Shanghai · Month comparison
December vs October
October ranks #1 overall vs December at #6. Single best month — clear 23C days, plane trees gold, Golden Week (Oct 1-7) chaos then peace, F1 and Shanghai Art Week.
December
#6 of 12 months
Best match
Cold dry winter — Christmas window in expat zones, hotel deals before CNY surge, hot xiaolongbao at peak season.
- ↑Christmas displays at Plaza 66, Xintiandi, IAPM — Western expat scene at full glow
- ↑Hot xiaolongbao at Jia Jia Tang Bao on cold days
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 | December | October |
|---|---|---|
| Weather score | 5 | 9 |
| Value score | 6 | 3 |
| Crowd score | 5 | 3 |
| Events score | 7 | 7 |
| Atmosphere | 8 | 10 |
| Avg high temp | 11°C | 23°C |
| Monthly rain | 40mm | 65mm |
| Daily sunshine | 4hrs | 6hrs |
December trade-offs
- ↓Damp 11C/3C — feels much colder than figure
- ↓Smog days more frequent — air quality 100-180 AQI
- ↓Heating in older buildings inconsistent — book post-2010 hotels
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 →