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Travel Tips on China National Day Holiday

Published: Sep. 16, 2014

China National Day holiday, or “Golden Week” (October 1st - 7th) is approaching. As one of the only two long holidays in China (the other is Spring Festival holiday) and due to the pleasant weather, many Chinese will go traveling, which makes the flight tickets, train tickets and hotel rooms in very short supply. Also, the scenic spots, especially hot spots like Forbidden City and Great Wall, will be crowded with visitors. As a responsible travel agency with lots of experience in China inbound tourism, TravelChinaGuide.com suggests you avoiding visiting China during this period. If unavoidable, here are some tips on traveling during China National Day holiday.

Transportation

 Train: The busy time of railway system will start on September 25th and end on October 7th this year, when it will be difficult to get the tickets. Please book or buy your ticket as early as possible. China train tickets are available 60 days prior to departure online and via phone and 58 days prior at ticket offices and railway stations. The tickets for October 1st have been available since August 3rd.

 Flight: The ticket fare will begin to rise on September 25th, and will be recently most expensive on September 30th and October 1st, followed by October 6th and October 7th. The fare will fall back to low season level after October 10th, which will last till early December.  In the case, it is recommended to fly after October 10th or around October 3rd. Besides, most passengers are used to departure in early morning rather than late evening, making early morning flights more expensive than late night flights. If time permits, one can take the night flight the day before. It may save counting in the extra one day hotel stay.

Accommodation

Book hotels early. There are several reasons:
1. One can enjoy a relatively low price;
2. Release travelers from the risk of having no room to stay. Last year in Lijiang and some hot travel destinations, visitors even cannot find a room to stay upon arrival during the holiday;
3. There are more choices if booking early. One can choose a bigger, quieter, and nicer room. Some rooms of small hotels and guest houses in China have no windows. Just confirm before booking.

 Note:
While booking hotels, trains or flights, be careful of fishing websites and phone scams, especially during peak travel seasons. TravelChinaGuide.com offers reliable, experienced and qualified booking services. Here are the related links:
China Trains         China Flights

Attractions

There is no doubt that there will be more visitors at scenic spots. During the National Day holiday of 2014, the Forbidden City and Badaling Great Wall have become a sea of people; thousands of visitors queued up to take the cable car on Mt. Huashan. Relatively speaking, the first two days of the holiday are the most crowded; try to avoid the top attractions on the two days. One can also choose some destinations not so popular. Sometimes, a smaller destination with fewer visitors can bring you a more pleasant experience.

  • Questions & Answers on China Tourism News
    Asked by RRoyce | Aug. 24, 2024 00:14Reply
    What to do in Kunming from 1-8th October
    Hello all just realised booked flight ticket to Kunming arriving 1st Oct. Planning to stay in kunming till the 8th onwards and travel to Dali, Lijiang, Shangri-La.

    Any suggestions what to do in Kunming for 7 nights, besides the Dian Lake and Stone forest. Want to avoid the crowd as much as possible.
    Answers (1)
    Answered by Rita | Aug. 26, 2024 18:30
    00Reply


    To be honest, it's difficult to avoid crowds during the "golden week" of China. You may visit the scenic spots earlier than the crowds arrive at around 10:00 or later after 16:00.

    For reference: try local food at Jinma Biji Zone (it's busy as well even at night); have a stroll in Yunnan Nationalities Village; travel to Dongchuan Red Land or Jiuxiang Scenic Area; visit Green Lake Park or Grand View Park...
    Asked by Sudang from THAILAND | Apr. 09, 2024 05:35Reply
    Any special activities/places such as fireworks or parade in Chengdu during October golden week?
    Answers (1)
    Answered by Rita | Apr. 10, 2024 18:14
    00Reply


    Activities in 2024 haven't been announced yet. But normally there will be activities, shows and performances in popular places like Wenshufang, Tianfu Square and Western China International Expo City.
    Asked by Sudang from THAILAND | Apr. 09, 2024 05:28Reply
    What about 3-13 October
    I just realized that I am traveling during the Golden Week to Chengdu. Can I go to giant panda breeding base on 4 Oct and Siguniangshan or Bipenggu on 5 Oct.?
    Answers (1)
    Answered by Joshua | Apr. 10, 2024 18:00
    00Reply


    All of them will welcome the most tourists in a year, especially the breeding base and Siguniangshan. If you book a ticket in advance successfully and don't mind the crowd, then it's OK to go. Note that you can hardly see pandas as the crowd may block your view, so I advise to go after the holiday. Bipenggou has much fewer tourists than the other two.
    Asked by Deirdre from AUSTRALIA | Jun. 01, 2019 21:20Reply
    Sichuan in golden week
    I’m hoping to be in Sichuan in late September, early October 2019. Which areas of Sichuan would be least crowded?
    Answers (1)
    Answered by Sam from NEW ZEALAND | Jun. 02, 2019 18:08
    00Reply


    The scenic areas in northern part of Sichuan like Siguniangshan and Daocheng Yading may be less crowded.
    Asked by Robson from USA | May. 31, 2019 17:35Reply
    What about the days between 8th and 12th?
    Hi there!

    I just figured out I am traveling during the Golden Week, but will arrive in Beijing on the 5th. My question is about the days right after October 7th till the 12th when people are back to work?
    Answers (1)
    Answered by Lily from AUSTRALIA | Jun. 02, 2019 18:00
    00Reply


    Hi, it will be less crowded after the holiday since most people are back to work.
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