Best time to visit Great Wall of China

Re-score for me — drag the dial — every chart on the page recolours live for your heat limit 27°C
I'm comfortable up to 27°C feels-like
22° heat-averse 30° heat-loving

Default 27 °C is the upper edge of the Holiday Climate Index "ideal comfort" band (Scott, Rutty, Amelung & Tang, 2016). Above this, most warm-tourism travellers report measurable discomfort.

Saved to this browser. Changes update the strips below.
Recent · 2020-2024
Interest Google Trends 2021-2025 searches, not arrivals (?)
Day · avg daily high (?)
Night · avg overnight low (?)
UV index · On a typical day around midday, UV is about this (?)
123566655321
On the sunniest 1 in 10 days, UV reaches this — and even higher
688987
PM2.5 air quality · on a typical day (?)
434647363836444946424137
On the worst 1 in 10 days, PM2.5 reaches this — and even higher
869397636166768082777372
May 9/10 feels 21°C (−1°C vs 1991-2020) · HCI 91/100
Day 24° · Night 13° 36% humidity 17 km/h wind 6 rain days (56h) 227h sun
Thermal 8
Sky 10
Rain 9
Wind 10

Higher = better, including rain & wind (green = "doesn't hurt the score", not "lots of it").

Compare with another destination

Add as many as you like — stacked below the main strips above. Each row is just the recent-window score strip and (for beach destinations) sea-temperature strip.

Similar climatesBeijing92% · Incheon91% · Seoul90%

Other destinations with the most-alike year-round climate to Great Wall of China (apparent temperature, rain hours, sunshine — matched within the same trip-profile). The ±N chip compares each match's typical score for the current month against Great Wall of China's. Based on the 2020-2024 climatology, not this year's actual weather.

Month-by-month

Month Temp °C Feels °C Rain days Rain h Rain h/day Humidity Wind km/h Sun h UV Interest Score
Jan -8–0 -5 2 15 7.5 33% 13 189 1 Busy 5
Feb -5–3 -1 2 31 15.5 35% 13 180 2 Peak 6
Mar 1–11 7 4 42 10.5 37% 16 217 3 Busy 7
Apr 7–18 14 4 41 10.3 32% 17 218 5 Peak 8
May 13–24 21 6 56 9.3 36% 17 227 6 Busy 9
Jun 18–29 28 8 84 10.5 44% 15 227 6 Quiet 8
Jul 21–28 31 16 230 14.4 65% 12 199 6 Quiet 4
Aug 20–27 29 16 185 11.6 68% 11 210 5 Moderate 5
Sep 16–23 23 8 103 12.9 61% 12 200 5 Busy 9
Oct 8–15 13 4 43 10.8 51% 13 189 3 Busy 8
Nov 0–8 4 3 41 13.7 45% 14 173 2 Peak 6
Dec -7–0 -5 1 17 17.0 30% 14 182 1 Moderate 5

UV Index in Great Wall of China by Month

UV index in Great Wall of China peaks at 6 (high) in June, dropping to 1 (low) in January. June have high UV — SPF 30+ and sunglasses recommended.

Best months in detail

May

9/10

13–24°C (feels 21°C) · 6 rain days (56h) · 227 sun hours · 36% humidity · Busy crowd · UV 6 (moderate) · sunniest 1 in 10 days reach 8 (high)

September

9/10

16–23°C · 8 rain days (103h) · 200 sun hours · 61% humidity · Busy crowd · UV 5 (moderate) · sunniest 1 in 10 days reach 7 (high)

June

8/10

18–29°C · 8 rain days (84h) · 227 sun hours · 44% humidity · Quiet crowd · UV 6 (high) · sunniest 1 in 10 days reach 8 (very high)

Every month

Show the other 9 months in detail

January

5/10

-8–0°C (feels -5°C) · 2 rain days (15h) · 189 sun hours · 33% humidity · Busy crowd · UV 1 (low)

February

6/10

-5–3°C (feels -1°C) · 2 rain days (31h) · 180 sun hours · 35% humidity · Peak crowd · UV 2 (low)

March

7/10

1–11°C (feels 7°C) · 4 rain days (42h) · 217 sun hours · 37% humidity · Busy crowd · UV 3 (moderate)

April

8/10

7–18°C (feels 14°C) · 4 rain days (41h) · 218 sun hours · 32% humidity · Peak crowd · UV 5 (moderate) · sunniest 1 in 10 days reach 6 (high)

July

4/10

21–28°C (feels 31°C) · 16 rain days (230h) · 199 sun hours · 65% humidity · Quiet crowd · UV 6 (moderate) · sunniest 1 in 10 days reach 9 (very high)

August

5/10

20–27°C (feels 29°C) · 16 rain days (185h) · 210 sun hours · 68% humidity · Moderate crowd · UV 5 (moderate) · sunniest 1 in 10 days reach 8 (high)

October

8/10

8–15°C (feels 13°C) · 4 rain days (43h) · 189 sun hours · 51% humidity · Busy crowd · UV 3 (moderate)

November

6/10

0–8°C (feels 4°C) · 3 rain days (41h) · 173 sun hours · 45% humidity · Peak crowd · UV 2 (low)

December

5/10

-7–0°C (feels -5°C) · 1 rain days (17h) · 182 sun hours · 30% humidity · Moderate crowd · UV 1 (low)

Frequently asked questions about visiting Great Wall of China

When is the best time to visit Great Wall of China?

May is the highest-scoring month (9/10 on the Holiday Climate Index). Typical conditions: 13–24°C (6 rainy days). The top three months by score are May, September, June.

What is the worst time to visit Great Wall of China?

July is the lowest-scoring month (4/10, capped by extreme heat). Typical conditions: 21–28°C (16 rainy days).

Is Great Wall of China too hot in summer?

1 month (July) trip the heat deal-breaker in our scoring: apparent temperature crosses the comfort cap, so even with clear skies and low rain the score is held down. Plan around it if heat tolerance is low.

When are crowds lowest in Great Wall of China?

Search-interest seasonality (Google Trends 2021-2025) is lowest in July and peaks in November. Interest tracks both in-trip visitors and lead-time planners, so treat it as a "destination is on people's minds" signal rather than literal arrivals.

Which months in Great Wall of China have good weather but fewer tourists?

June (climate 8/10, crowd index 20) — shoulder months with above-average climate and below-median search-interest. Often the best value-for-weather trade.

What is the UV index in Great Wall of China by month?

UV peaks at 6 (high) in June and is lowest in January at 1 (low). Monthly peak values: Jan 1, Feb 2, Mar 3, Apr 5, May 6, Jun 6, Jul 6, Aug 5, Sep 5, Oct 3, Nov 2, Dec 1.

What is the UV index in Great Wall of China in June?

June is the peak UV month in Great Wall of China, with a daily-peak UV index of 6 (high). Apply SPF 30+, wear sunglasses, and seek shade during midday hours.

How high can UV get in Great Wall of China on the sunniest days?

Most days look like the monthly average, but on the sunniest ~1 in 10 days UV climbs higher than the mean suggests. July is the worst case: typical days average UV 6 (moderate), but the top 10% of days reach UV 9 (very high) — and even higher. Months where the sunniest days routinely exceed the typical reading: April, May, June, July, August, September. Plan sun protection for the worst case, not the average.

Is air quality in Great Wall of China bad for travelers?

PM2.5 (fine-particle pollution) exceeds the WHO sensitive-group guideline (15 µg/m³) in 12 months: January, February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December. The worst month is August with a typical-day mean of 49 µg/m³ (hazardous); on the worst 10% of days PM2.5 reaches 80 µg/m³ (hazardous) and higher. People with asthma, heart conditions, or sensitive children may want to avoid these months or limit outdoor activity. Source: CAMS via Open-Meteo.