Traveling to China During Holidays: Golden Weeks, Crowds and Practical Tips

China has several major public holidays and festivals every year. While they offer a chance to experience vibrant celebrations, they also bring massive crowds, higher prices, and logistical challenges.

Lively celebrations during Chinese New Year

The Challenges of Traveling During Chinese Holidays

Chinese holidays - especially Chinese New Year and the two Golden Weeks, are the busiest travel periods in the world:

Hundreds of millions of Chinese people travel at the same time.
Trains, flights, and popular attractions become extremely crowded.
Hotel prices can double or triple.
Many local restaurants and small shops close for several days.
Getting tickets for high-speed trains, flights, and popular sites becomes difficult.

Our honest advice: If this is your first trip to China, we generally recommend avoiding these periods, unless you specifically want to experience the festive atmosphere of the holidays and don't mind crowds.

Train Station during peak holiday

Major Chinese Holidays & Festivals

Here is the general yearly schedule (exact dates change slightly each year as many of the Chinese festivals are determined by the Lunar Calendar):

Holiday	Typical Time	Duration	Crowd Level	Notes & Travel Advice
New Year's Day	January 1st	1 - 3 days	Medium	Not a major traditional holiday. Offices close but most attractions stay open. Relatively calm and a good time to visit.
Chinese New Year (Spring Festival)	Late January or February	7 - 10 days	Extreme	The biggest holiday of the year. Many businesses close, massive domestic travel, and high prices. Best avoided for first-timers.
Qinming Festival	Early April	3 days	High	Tomb Sweeping Day. Chinese people visit family graves. Moderate travel rush, but less intense than Golden Weeks.
Labor Day (May Day)	May 1 - 5	5 days	Very High	One of the two major Golden Weeks. Very crowded and expensive. Avoid if possible.
Dragon Boat Festival	Late May or June	3 days	Medium - High	Famous for dragon boat races and zongzi (rice dumplings). Manageable crowds compared to Golden Weeks.
Mid-Autumn Festival	September or October	3 days	Medium - High	Mooncake festival and family reunions. Pleasant time with nice weather in many places.
National Day (Golden Week)	October 1 - 7	7 days	Extreme	The second major Golden Week. Extremely busy, high prices, and heavy crowds at all major attractions. Strongly advised to avoid.

Practical Tips for Traveling During Holidays

Book Everything Early — Trains, flights, and hotels can sell out weeks (or months) in advance during Golden Weeks.
Expect Higher Prices — Hotel rates often increase 50–100%.
Avoid Popular Attractions — The Great Wall, Terracotta Warriors, Guilin, and Zhangjiajie become extremely crowded.
Use the “Shoulder Days” — The days just before or after official holidays are often slightly calmer.
Consider Smaller Cities — Less famous destinations are usually more pleasant during holidays.
Be Flexible — Have backup plans if trains or flights are fully booked.

Pro Tip: If you must travel during a Golden Week, consider domestic flights instead of trains (they can be easier to book last-minute) and stay in bigger chain hotels that rarely close.

Crowded Great Wall of China during National Day Holiday

When It's Actually Worth Visiting During Holidays

Some travelers enjoy the festive atmosphere:

Lantern festivals and lion dances during Chinese New Year
Dragon boat races
National Day fireworks and celebrations

Just be prepared for crowds and plan carefully.

Lantern Festivals in Xian

Chinese New Year vs New Year's Day

Many foreigners confuse the two. January 1st is a quiet Western-style New Year, while Chinese New Year (Spring Festival) is the massive traditional celebration with family reunions, red lanterns, lion dances, dragon parades and the highest travel volume of the year.

Lively celebrations during Chinese New Year

Christmas Travel in China

Christmas is not a public holiday in mainland China, which makes it quite different from Western countries.

As this is not a public holiday, offices, schools and most businesses operate as usual. Only some international companies and schools may give staff time off.

Crowds are generally light to moderate in most tourists spots. Much calmer than Chinese New Year or National Day. There may be a mild increase in domestic travel around December 24 - 26 and New Year's Eve.

Christmas in Hong Kong is an exception. Here, Christmas is a major, official public holiday marked by vibrant Western traditions, spectacular light shows, and festive shopping. Influenced by its British colonial history, both Christmas Day (Dec 25) and Boxing Day (Dec 26) are official, government-recognized public holidays.

Christmas Decorations in Hong Kong

In mainland China, big cities (especially Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou) put up Christmas decorations, lights, and trees in shopping malls but the big celebrations and decorations are reserved for the Lunar New Year festivities.

Families Traveling With Kids During Chinese Holidays

Traveling with children during major Chinese holidays is possible but demanding. Here's practical advice based on real family experiences:

Challenges for Families

Extremely crowded attractions make it tiring and sometimes stressful for young children.
Long queues for tickets, toilets, and transportation.
Higher risk of kids getting overwhelmed in massive crowds.
Many restaurants and kid-friendly facilities may be closed or overcrowded.

Our Recommendation: For families with young children, we strongly suggest avoiding the Golden Weeks if possible. The experience is significantly more enjoyable outside these peak periods.

Crowds at the Temple Fairs in Beijing

Practical Tips for Families During Holiday Travel

Choose Kid-Friendly Destinations — Guilin/Yangshuo, Chengdu (pandas), and Shanghai (Disneyland) handle crowds better than Beijing or Zhangjiajie.
Book Family Rooms Early — Larger family rooms or connecting rooms disappear fast during holidays.
Use Domestic Flights — Much easier and less exhausting than high-speed trains during peak times.
Hire a Private Driver or Guide — Worth the extra cost for families with young kids to avoid public transport chaos.
Plan Shorter Sightseeing Days — Kids tire quickly in crowds. Build in plenty of rest time and hotel pool/play time.
Bring Snacks and Entertainment — Long waits are common. Have portable snacks and small toys ready.
Priority Access — Some attractions offer priority lanes for families with small children — ask staff.
Toilet Strategy — Public toilets can be very crowded. Use hotel or upscale mall restrooms when possible.
Chinese New Year can be magical with lanterns and decorations, but only if your kids enjoy crowds and you book everything very early.