Best time to visit Northern China (Beijing)

Northern China (Beijing) has two good windows: Apr–May and Aug–Oct. They sit either side of the season the climate record rules out, which is why the shoulder months matter here. The recommended window is Apr–May, Sep–Oct.

Dry cold winters; wet summers

Best window
Apr–May, Sep–Oct
Driest month
January · 2% rainy days
Warmest month
July · 32.4°C / 90°F
Coolest month
January · 1.4°C / 35°F
Months rated go
5 of 12

Month by month

Monthly climate normals for Northern China (Beijing), 1991–2020
MonthHigh °CHigh °FRainy daysVerdict
January1.4352%Too cold
February5.3424%Fair
March13.0556%Fair
April21.87113%Go
May28.58320%Go
June32.19036%Fair
July32.49051%Fair
August30.68743%Go
September26.58027%Go
October19.36712%Go
November9.8507%Fair
December2.5362%Too cold

Verdict combines mean daytime high with rainy-day frequency. “Rainy days” is the share of days in the month with at least 1 mm of rain.

What the numbers say

January is the driest month, with rain on 2% of days and daytime highs near 1.4°C (35°F). July is the wettest, at 51%. Temperature swings hard across the year — 31.0°C between July (32.4°C / 90°F) and January (1.4°C / 35°F) — so packing for the wrong month is the main risk. The record rules out too cold in Dec–Jan.

Where else to go