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China travel guide

Best time to visit from the UK, weather, festivals, flights from London and FCDO travel advice.

Great Wall of China
Great Wall of China. Photo: Severin.stalder, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
10h 30mflight from London
Renminbi (yuan)currency
No visafor UK passports
Type A, C, Iplugs

The Great Wall, terracotta warriors and otherworldly peaks

Don't miss

  1. Great Wall
  2. Terracotta Army
  3. Zhangjiajie
Good forHistory & ruinsMountains & hikingFood lovers

Best time to visit China from the UK

Best value: Mar, Jun–Aug, Nov. Apr–May and Sep–Oct; avoid Golden Week (early Oct). Busiest and priciest: Apr–May, Sep–Oct.

-5.2 C-5°J-1.8 C-2°F5.1 C5°M13.2 C13°A20.5 C20°M24.8 C25°J26.6 C27°J25 C25°A19.8 C20°S11.8 C12°O2.8 C3°N-4 C-4°D
Best valueBusy and pricierQuietAverage temperature in Beijing, °C, 2001–2025 (NASA POWER).

Each bar is the average temperature in Beijing for that month, and its colour shows the season for visitors: best value (good weather, fewer crowds and lower prices), busiest and priciest, or quiet (off-peak, sometimes because the weather is poorer).

  • Our pick: July and AugustThe warmest of the best-value months (25–27°C), with fewer crowds than peak season.
  • Peak season: Apr–May, Sep–OctUsually 12–20°C. The busiest time, so book flights and rooms early and expect higher prices.
  • Quiet season: Dec–FebAround -5–-2°C. The cheapest and least crowded time, but cold, so pack layers.
  • Warmest: July (27°C) · coolest: January (-5°C)A 32°C swing between the warmest and coolest months.
Temperatures as a table
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
-5.2-1.85.113.220.524.826.62519.811.82.8-4

Festivals and events

  • Chinese New Year Jan–Feb · Nationwide
  • Harbin Ice Festival Jan–Feb · Harbin
  • Dragon Boat Festival Jun · Nationwide
  • Mid-Autumn Festival Sep · Nationwide

Festival dates move from year to year: check before you book.

Getting there from the UK

Flight time
About 10h 30m
Distance
8,157 km
Main airport
PEK

Flight times are straight-line estimates for a direct flight from Heathrow; journeys with a change take longer.

Add China to your bucket list Search flights to PEK

Practical info and travel guidance

Renminbi (yuan)Capital: Beijing
Type A, C, I · 220VBring a UK adapter
Drive on the rightOpposite to the UK
110
EmergencyAmbulance 120
Drink bottledOr treated water
  • VisaNo visa neededUp to 30 days (visa-free scheme until 31 Dec 2026)
  • HealthcareNo free healthcareYou pay for treatment, so travel insurance with medical cover is essential.
  • LGBT+ travellersLegal, but attitudes can be conservativePublic affection may draw attention.
  • Women travellersFCDO warns of sexual assault or harassmentTake extra care at night and with drinks.

For British passport holders, summarised from the FCDO's advice for China, checked October 2026. FCDO page last updated 27 August 2026. Rules change: read the official FCDO travel advice for China before you book and again before you go.

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