Best Time to Visit Guilin
Weather, best time and insider tips
The best time for Guilin's natural splendor falls in spring and autumn. Your own travel style decides how its beauty is presented.
Seasons with Special Features
- Spring brings you into a Chinese bush painting of mountains and rivers in mist and fine rain.
- Longer hours for beautiful sunrise and sunset photos are granted during summer.
- Capture the golden rice terrace fields during autumn in mild and clear weather.
- Guilin is much quieter in winter if you'd love a good hike by the river or up the mountains.
Weather Data of Guilin in 2017
Best weather is during April to early May when spring comes and everything comes alive; as well as throughout October to late November when you can see golden rice terrace fields in Longsheng while enjoying a sunny yet milder weather.
- Weather data from 2017:
| Month | Ave. Temperature | Ave. Rainfall | Wind Speed | Humidity | Cloud Cover | Sunrise | Sunset |
| January | 10˚C | 73mm | 10km/h | 74% | 43% | 0724am | 0610pm |
| February | 13˚C | 74mm | 10km/h | 84% | 59% | 0714am | 0632pm |
| March | 17˚C | 127mm | 9km/h | 83% | 57% | 0648am | 0647pm |
| April | 22˚C | 254mm | 9km/h | 86% | 58% | 0617am | 0701pm |
| May | 25˚C | 353mm | 9km/h | 89% | 53% | 0554am | 0717pm |
| June | 27˚C | 490mm | 8km/h | 92% | 55% | 0548am | 0731pm |
| July | 29˚C | 343mm | 9km/h | 92% | 45% | 0558am | 0732pm |
| August | 29˚C | 199mm | 8km/h | 89% | 36% | 0612am | 0714pm |
| September | 27˚C | 135mm | 9km/h | 86% | 37% | 0624am | 0643pm |
| October | 24˚C | 37mm | 10km/h | 74% | 29% | 0637am | 0612pm |
| November | 18˚C | 60mm | 10km/h | 75% | 33% | 0656am | 0551pm |
| December | 12˚C | 83mm | 10km/h | 74% | 36% | 0717am | 0551pm |
Some Periods to Avoid
Keep in mind that Guilin is a world-famous travel destination and this makes it a heated mob-rob during Chinese festivals and holidays. Thus, if you prefer a less-crowded experience, try to avoid these dates:
- 3rd of March in lunar calendar: this is the special holiday of Guangxi to celebrate the Zhuang people’s Sanyuesan (3rd of March in Chinese) and all citizens in Guangxi have 3 days off work and Guilin becomes their first pick because of the perfect approximation.
Exact dates are different annually and will be released by government at the beginning of the year; for 2019 it would probably be 7th to 9th April, 26th to 28th March for 2020. With that being said, this is also the time you can witness some celebration actions in Longsheng or Sanjiang (along with the big Chinese crowds of course). - Tomb-Sweeping Festival and Dragon Boat Festival: both traditional national festivals with 3 days off. The former falls on 5th April every year and with 2 days back or front to be laid off; the latter is on 5th of May in lunar calendar, normally during mid-June every year.
- The first week of May: National holiday of Labor’s Day and lasts throughout the week and even with an early heating at the end of April.
- The first week of October: National Holiday or Foundation Day, big domestic tourist groups flock into Guilin during a 7-day span.
Nevertheless, for photographing the golden rice terraces in Longji, the second week is not to be missed out because all corps will be cut away before the third week of October.
Relatively the Chinese Spring Festival for traveling in Guilin is not that scary as you might have heard from others, except for the train travels. Although no stress for the crowds, you might find the landscape a bit dull during winter yet it is ideal for hiking or cycling.
To plan your trip smartly, do contact us for more suggestions.
