Tiananmen Square decorated with flowers and national flags for National Day

Beijing · China

October

National Day Golden Week brings China's largest domestic travel surge — magical if you plan around it

Best match

#2 of 12 months

October is one of the best times to visit Beijing.

Climate

High

17°C

Low

7°C

Rain

16mm

Sun

9.5hrs/day

30-year climate normals · Open Meteo ERA5

How October scores in Beijing

Weather
Excellent
Value
Below average
Crowds
Outstanding
Events
Excellent
Atmosphere
Very good

What you gain in October

  • National Day celebrations (Oct 1) at Tiananmen Square are a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle
  • Post-Golden Week (Oct 8+) the crowds drop but the autumn colour remains superb
  • Crisp air and warm afternoon sun make outdoor sightseeing a pleasure

What you sacrifice

  • Oct 1–7 Golden Week is China's busiest travel period — expect wall-to-wall crowds at every sight
  • Hotels and transport booked out months ahead, prices surge to annual peak
  • Queue times at Forbidden City, Great Wall can exceed 2 hours

How October compares to September (best month)

FactorOctoberSeptember
Weather
8
9
Value
3
5
Crowds
9
7

October in other destinations

Lisbon (21.1°C)Barcelona (21.2°C)Tokyo (22.4°C)Bali (31.1°C)Santorini (20.9°C)Paris (16°C)New York (18.5°C)Marrakech (27.1°C)Amsterdam (14.4°C)Maldives (30.3°C)Rome (20.7°C)Bangkok (30.6°C)Istanbul (19.2°C)Vienna (16.1°C)Seoul (18.4°C)Dubrovnik (20.2°C)Rio de Janeiro (27.6°C)Kyoto (22.8°C)Phuket (31.2°C)Cape Town (21.4°C)Prague (14°C)Amalfi Coast (22°C)Mexico City (22°C)Medellín (27°C)Fiji (28°C)London (15°C)Sydney (22°C)Iceland (6°C)Tulum (31°C)Dubai (34°C)Singapore (32°C)Hoi An (29°C)Chiang Mai (30.5°C)Miami (30°C)Florence (19.8°C)Queenstown (15.5°C)Madrid (19.8°C)Porto (21°C)Edinburgh (13°C)Copenhagen (13°C)Budapest (17°C)Kraków (13°C)Tbilisi (19°C)Palawan (30°C)Hanoi (29°C)Osaka (22°C)Goa (32°C)Cusco (21°C)Buenos Aires (22°C)Mykonos (22°C)Zanzibar (29°C)Sri Lanka (30°C)Costa Rica (25°C)Cancun (30°C)Krabi (32°C)Athens (23°C)Seville (24°C)Cartagena (31°C)Siem Reap (30°C)Havana (29°C)Split (20°C)Taipei (27°C)Kuala Lumpur (32°C)Valletta (25°C)Ho Chi Minh City (32°C)Hawaii (30°C)Cappadocia (19°C)Dominican Republic (30°C)Jamaica (31°C)Tanzania (27°C)Seychelles (28°C)Nepal (24°C)Jordan (26°C)Azores (22°C)Bora Bora (28°C)Los Angeles (25.3°C)Cairo (30.6°C)Kenya (26.2°C)Jaipur (33.5°C)Las Vegas (28.8°C)San Francisco (20.3°C)Madeira (24°C)Vancouver (13.5°C)Muscat (35.2°C)Lima (19.5°C)Cinque Terre (20°C)Kotor (21°C)Tel Aviv (26°C)Santiago (22°C)Bogotá (18°C)Bruges (14.8°C)Penang (31.2°C)Lombok (31.5°C)Cape Verde (28.5°C)Fez (26.4°C)Kerala (31°C)Kigali (26°C)Hong Kong (26°C)Oslo (12°C)Auckland (18°C)Delhi (32°C)Mumbai (32°C)Victoria Falls (34°C)Stockholm (10°C)Oaxaca (27°C)Bhutan (22°C)Da Nang (28°C)Nashville (21°C)Nice (21°C)Mallorca (23°C)Tuscany (21°C)Namibia (31°C)Crete (24°C)Komodo (33°C)Montréal (14°C)Melbourne (19°C)Cairns (30°C)Venice (18°C)Dublin (13°C)
Climate data: 30-year normals (1991–2020) from Open Meteo ERA5 reanalysis. Scores compare months within Beijing, not across destinations. Methodology →