Shanghai · Month comparison
March vs October
October ranks #1 overall vs March at #9. Single best month — clear 23C days, plane trees gold, Golden Week (Oct 1-7) chaos then peace, F1 and Shanghai Art Week.
March
#9 of 12 months
Strong option
Spring arrives — cherry blossom in late month at Gucun Park and Lu Xun Park, but a wet, often grey month.
- ↑Cherry blossoms peak end-March at Gucun Park (Shanghai's blossom capital)
- ↑Magnolia (city flower) blooms across the French Concession
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 | March | October |
|---|---|---|
| Weather score | 6 | 9 |
| Value score | 5 | 3 |
| Crowd score | 5 | 3 |
| Events score | 5 | 7 |
| Atmosphere | 8 | 10 |
| Avg high temp | 14°C | 23°C |
| Monthly rain | 80mm | 65mm |
| Daily sunshine | 5hrs | 6hrs |
March trade-offs
- ↓Plum-rain showers — 80mm rainfall, 5+ rainy days
- ↓Damp cold lingering in first half of month
- ↓Cherry blossom weekend crowds at Gucun Park up to 100,000/day
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 →