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Travel guide

China holidays: a travel guide for UK visitors

The Great Wall, the Terracotta Army, the pandas of Chengdu and the karst hills of Yangshuo: a practical guide to China holidays and tours. It covers the best time to visit China month by month, how long to go for and how to plan around Golden Week.

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Why visit China

The first question many people ask about China is whether the old country is still there under the new one, and the answer is yes, though it takes some finding. The towers of Shanghai and the high-speed trains are real, and so are the Ming watchtowers along the ridges north of Beijing, the buried army outside Xi’an and the river villages of the south. Most China tours follow the same spine: Beijing for the Forbidden City and a day on the Great Wall, Xi’an for the Terracotta Army, and Shanghai at the end, with Chengdu and its pandas, the Yangtze or the limestone peaks around Yangshuo added on longer trips. Further out, the tea-horse towns of Yunnan, the Tibetan plateau and the Silk Road deserts make second journeys of their own. It is a large country with an unfamiliar language, its own apps and its own rules for hotels and tickets, which is why so many first visits are made with a group: the tour arranges the trains, the entry tickets and the registrations, and a guide does the talking.

Best time to visit China

The best time to visit China is spring or autumn. April and May are mild and mostly dry across Beijing, Xi’an and Shanghai, though the south around Guilin and Yangshuo is already wet. Late September, October and early November bring the clearest skies and the most comfortable walking weather of the year, and October is the best month of all, once the National Day holiday in its first week has passed. That holiday, Golden Week, is the busiest week in the Chinese calendar, and so are the days around the Lunar New Year in January or February and the Labour Day holiday at the start of May; trains and sights fill with domestic travellers, and a tour that avoids them is a calmer one. June brings the plum rains to Shanghai and the Yangtze, and July and August are hot, humid and crowded almost everywhere, with the heaviest rain of the year in Beijing and Chengdu. Winter is dry and well below freezing in the north, milder in the south, and quiet everywhere: a cold but uncrowded time to see the Great Wall. Tibet and the high country of Yunnan run to a different calendar, with summer the main season on the plateau.

China month by month

JanuaryQuiet
Cold and dry in the north, with Beijing regularly below freezing; the south stays milder and is the easier introduction.
FebruaryQuiet
Lunar New Year usually falls in this month or January, when domestic travel and family visits peak and popular sights get crowded.
MarchGood
A transitional month: still cool in the north, warming steadily further south.
AprilBest
Mild and dry across most of the touring circuit, with blossom in the river valleys.
MayBest
Reliably warm and clear before the summer humidity sets in; one of the better months to travel.
JuneQuiet
The plum rains reach the Yangtze region, bringing humid, unsettled weather to central China.
JulyAvoid
Hot and humid across most of the country, with the school-holiday crowds at their thickest.
AugustAvoid
The hottest month almost everywhere, with the same crowds as July and, on the southern coast, the chance of typhoons.
SeptemberGood
The heat breaks and the air clears, though the first week can still carry summer crowds.
OctoberBest
Clear autumn skies and comfortable temperatures make this the best month to travel, once the National Day holiday crowds of the first week have passed.
NovemberGood
Cooling further, with autumn colour lingering in the river valleys and fewer visitors than October.
DecemberQuiet
Cold and dry in the north, mild in the south, and quiet everywhere before the New Year travel rush begins.

Top things to do in China

  1. 1

    Walk the Great Wall north of Beijing

    Most tours from Beijing spend a day at Mutianyu, a restored stretch of wall with a cable car up to the ridge and steep, uneven steps between the watchtowers. Walking holidays go further, to the less restored sections at Jinshanling, Simatai and Gubeikou, where the wall runs over the hills for miles and the crowds thin out quickly.

  2. 2

    See the Terracotta Army at Xi’an

    Thousands of clay soldiers, each with a different face, were buried to guard the tomb of the first emperor of a unified China more than two thousand years ago. The pits lie outside Xi’an, which also has some of the best-preserved city walls in the country and a Muslim Quarter known for its street food. Most tours reach it from Beijing by high-speed train.

  3. 3

    Meet the pandas in Chengdu

    Chengdu, the capital of Sichuan, is where most China tours go to see giant pandas, at the breeding centres outside the city, where they are most active in the cool of the morning. It is also the place to eat Sichuan food at its source, hot with chilli and numbing with Sichuan pepper, and the starting point for journeys south into Yunnan and on to Vietnam.

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China travel questions

When is the best time to visit China?
Spring and autumn. April and May are mild across Beijing, Xi’an and Shanghai, and late September to early November is clear, dry and comfortable for walking, with October the best month once the first week is over. July and August are hot, humid and crowded, and winter is very cold in the north.
When is Golden Week in China, and should I avoid it?
Golden Week is the National Day holiday, from 1 to 7 October, when much of the country travels at once. Trains, hotels and the famous sights are at their busiest, so most tours avoid it, as they do the Lunar New Year holiday in January or February and the Labour Day holiday in early May. The rest of October is one of the best times to go.
Do UK citizens need a visa for China?
Not at the moment, for a holiday. Until 31 December 2026, British citizen passport holders can visit China visa free for up to 30 days. Your passport must be valid for six months after you arrive, with two blank pages. If your holiday is in 2027 or later, check the UK government’s travel advice for China nearer the time, as the rules may change.
How many days do I need in China?
About ten days covers the classic first trip of Beijing, Xi’an and Shanghai. Two weeks adds Chengdu and its pandas, the karst country around Yangshuo, or a Yangtze cruise. Three weeks or more is enough for Yunnan, Tibet or an overland journey on to Vietnam or Mongolia. Distances are long, so each extra region usually means a flight or a long train journey.
Which part of the Great Wall do tours visit?
Most tours from Beijing go to Mutianyu, which is restored, has a cable car and is an easy day trip from the city. Walking holidays include wilder sections such as Jinshanling, Simatai and Gubeikou, where the steps are uneven and steeper and the wall is much quieter.
How do tours get from Beijing to the Terracotta Warriors?
Most take the high-speed train from Beijing to Xi’an, a journey of around five hours, and some fly or take an overnight train. The Terracotta Army is outside Xi’an, so it is usually a day trip from the city.
Is it better to go on an escorted tour or travel China independently?
Independent travel is possible, but more work than in most countries: train tickets, timed entry to sights such as the Forbidden City, payment apps and the language all take effort. That is why many first-time visitors join a group. Escorted tours arrange the transport, tickets and hotels, and a local guide does the talking; small-group tours often leave more free time and use public trains.
Is China a good choice for solo travellers?
Yes. Joining a group takes care of the hardest parts of travelling alone in China. Just You’s tours are for solo travellers only, and some G Adventures tours, such as Solo-ish China, are built with solo travellers in mind. On other group tours, ask about the cost of a single room before you book.
Will my phone, WhatsApp and Google work in China?
Not on Chinese networks or hotel wifi, where Google, YouTube, Facebook and many other foreign sites and apps are blocked. Roaming on a UK mobile plan, or using a travel eSIM, often gives wider access because the data is routed outside China, but ask your network what works and what it costs before you go. VPNs must be licensed in China, so do not rely on one.
How do I pay for things in China?
Mostly by phone. Alipay and WeChat Pay are used almost everywhere, including for small purchases, and both let visitors link a UK debit or credit card; set one up and test it before you travel. Carry some cash too, in yuan, for places that will take it. Outside the big cities, cards are not always accepted and cash machines are fewer.
How physically demanding is a China tour?
More than many expect. Days involve a lot of walking, often on stone paving and steep steps without handrails at the Great Wall and the Forbidden City, and some days start early. Look at each tour’s activity level, and ask the operator what a typical day involves if you have any doubts about walking or stairs.
Can tours in China cater for vegetarians and food allergies?
Usually, if they know in advance. Tell the operator when you book, and remind your guide, who can explain your needs in restaurants. Meat stock, soy sauce and peanuts are used widely in Chinese cooking, so for a serious allergy carry a written note in Chinese as well.
What vaccinations do I need, and can I take my medicines to China?
See your GP or a travel clinic at least eight weeks before you go, and read TravelHealthPro’s advice for China, including on altitude if you are going to Tibet or Yunnan. Some medicines allowed in the UK are not allowed into China, so check with your GP and the Chinese Embassy before you travel, and take enough for the whole trip.
Can I visit Tibet on a tour?
Yes, but only on a tour. Visitors need a permit for Tibet, arranged through a specialist agent in China, and must travel on an organised tour; tour operators arrange this as part of the holiday. Permits can be suspended at short notice, and Lhasa is high enough for altitude sickness to be a real risk.
Is China safe for tourists?
Serious crime against visitors is relatively rare, though it is worth watching your belongings in crowded tourist areas, and there are well-known scams that begin with an invitation to a tea tasting. Carry your passport at all times, as police make random checks. Read the UK government’s travel advice for China before you go.

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