Spring (Mar–May)
One of the two sweet spots
Mild days, blossom along the French Concession streets and manageable crowds. Book hotels early around the early-May Labour Day holiday, when domestic travel spikes.
When to go to Shanghai
Short answer: March–May and September–November, skipping the first week of October and the Chinese New Year travel rush. Here's the season-by-season detail.
Summer (Jun–Aug)
Hot, humid, quieter
Temperatures regularly top 35°C with high humidity, and June brings the plum-rain season. It's low season for hotels, so deals are good — plan indoor time at museums and malls for afternoons.
Autumn (Sep–Oct)
The best overall
Clear skies, comfortable temperatures and golden gingko trees. Early October's Golden Week is the single busiest stretch of the year — avoid it or book months ahead.
Winter (Dec–Feb)
Cold but cheapest
Damp, grey and near freezing, but hotel prices dip and queues at attractions vanish. Pack layers; the view from Pudong's decks is often crispest on cold, clear days.
Crowd peaks to plan around
Chinese New Year (late Jan–mid Feb, dates shift yearly) and Golden Week (1–7 October) see the year's biggest domestic travel surges. Attraction tickets and trains sell out; hotels triple in price. Outside these windows, midweek visits to Yu Garden and the observation decks are noticeably calmer — see the decks compared in our observation deck comparison.
Next steps
- Lock in your dates via find flights.
- Pick a base in where to stay.
- Build your days with the travel guide.