When to go · Beijing
Beijing in May
Great month. Warm and dry; May Day week is crowded.
Key facts
- Verdict
- Great
- Temperature
- 26°C (79°F)79°F (26°C) / 13°C (55°F)55°F (13°C)
- average high / low
- Rain days
- 8
- Crowds
- High
- China overall
- Prices
- High
- China overall
Verdict
Warm and dry; May Day week is crowded.
All twelve months in one grid — weather, crowds and prices, with gaps left as unknown.
Is another month better than May?
No other month rates higher than May for Beijing in this guide.
Weather in May
- BeijingHighs around 26 °C (79 °F), lows around 13 °C (55 °F), rain on about 8 daysHighs around 79 °F (26 °C), lows around 55 °F (13 °C), rain on about 8 days
- North China, China · Beijing, Tianjin, Xi'an, Datong, Pingyaobest weather
Continental: dry winters down to −10 °C (14 °F), hot humid summers with thunderstorms. Dust and smog peak in late winter and spring; September–October is the clear season.Continental: dry winters down to 14 °F (−10 °C), hot humid summers with thunderstorms. Dust and smog peak in late winter and spring; September–October is the clear season.
Apr–May, Sep–Oct season
The most comfortable months; Oct 1–7 (National Day) is the most crowded week of the year, avoid if possible.
Festivals and holidays
Dates as our data lists them. Moving holidays (lunar and Islamic calendars, Easter) shift every year: check the date for your year before you build a trip on it.
Labour Day holiday
Around 1 May · Nationwide
A domestic travel peak; sights and transport are busier.
Labour Day (May Day) big impact
1–5 May · China
Five-day holiday with make-up working days around it; the Great Wall, West Lake and the Bund packed.
Crowds and prices
- Crowds · China overall
- High
- Prices · China overall
- High
China overall: Warm and clear, but the 1–5 May holiday packs every sight; go after the 6th.
High-price month: see what to book ahead.
Compare two months
Weather, crowds and prices for any two months in Beijing, side by side.
Verdict
May: Great
Sep: Great
Daytime high
May: 26 °C (79 °F)79 °F (26 °C)
Sep: 26 °C (79 °F)79 °F (26 °C)
Night low
May: 13 °C (55 °F)55 °F (13 °C)
Sep: 15 °C (59 °F)59 °F (15 °C)
Rain days
May: 8
Sep: 7 (better)
Crowds
May: High
Sep: Medium
Prices
May: High
Sep: Medium
Festivals listed
May: 2
Sep: 1
May: Warm and dry; May Day week is crowded.
September: Clear and mild; a good month.
Beijing: figures are long-term averages from this guide, not a forecast.
What to pack
Nothing unusual for the weather this month.