Autumn in Beijing: Weather, Scenery, Activities, Food, Tours and Tips

Why you should visit Beijing in Autumn

Wandering along the Great Wall to feel the gentle autumn breeze atop the mountains, hiking on the Fragrant Hill park to experience the life style of local Beijingers, strolling under the golden gingko trees in the ancient royal palace such as Forbidden city and Summer Palace, you will have a wonderful travelling experience during autumn, and it is the best time to visit there, especially from mid-October to mid-November.

The temperature is so comfortable and the air is quite clean, and it is a period of time when you can most possibly encounter the blue sky each day in Beijing.

Since it is also a famous scenic city in China and a great number of people flood into the city to enjoy a break, you may wisely skip the national holiday (Oct 1st to 7th) and weekends.

Travelling Beijing in autumn, you will witness the most colorful and vibrant side of the city from the royal palace in the downtown to the ancient relics at outskirt. It's all in all beautiful, all in all gorgeous, all in all worthwhile to travel.

Jinshanling Great Wall in Autumn, Photo by Our Customer (October, 2019)

Beijing Weather in Autumn

Beijing Temperature in Autumn - The Most Comfortable Temperature

The average temperature in autumn is from 15°C/59°F to 25°C/77°F. It is the best time to visit Beijing for it is the most beautiful and pleasant season, when there is plenty of sunshine and cooler temperatures. Days become shorter and cooler as rainfall increases. It is recommended to wear shirts, long skirts and thin sweaters, windbreakers, casual clothes, jackets, suits, etc.>>Learn More about Beijing Temperature

Beijing Highest & Lowest Temperature in Autumn Day by Day (Updated in 2018, Click to Enlarge)

Beijing AQI in Autumn - The Lowest AQI

Beijing used to be quite infamous for its air quality, but it has improved a lot since 2013. According to the data from 2015 to 2018, autumn is the season with the best air quality and spring is the second best season. The following pie charts show the good, moderate and USG (unhealthy for sensitive group) unhealthy days of Beijing in 2018 from September to November, and September is so good (average AQI in September: 59) that includes none unhealthy days.>>Learn More about Beijing AQI

Beijing AQI in Autumn

Places to Visit in Beijing in Autumn

Beijing is a city where you can visit whenever you want. As the chilly wind from the north gently comes and embraces this city, the autumn marks itself with those golden ginkgo leaves and red maple trees. Fragrant Hill Park and Badaling national park become like fairylands. Except for the National holiday (from Oct 1st to 7th), you will have a lot to explore in Beijing.

Fragrant Hill Park 香山

Address: 40 Maimaijie, Haidian District, Beijing 北京市海淀区买卖街40号

Entrance Fee: CNY 10

Located in the northwest suburb of Beijing,Fragrant Hill is about 20 kilometers away from the city center. It is a magnificent royal garden with mountains and forests. In addition to the natural scenery, there are many ancient temples in the park.

A large area of apricot was planted there. During the blooming season, the flowers are beautiful and fragrant. Also, Buddhism believers come to burn kinds of fragrant incense in the temples, and that is how the park was named.

Autumn Leaves Festival is held in fragrant hill park every year with over 100,000 maple trees and yellow oak trees. You can take a cable car to the top area. Hiking in the mountains and enjoy the dazzling spectacular leaves and ancient sites, such as Biyun Temple (碧云寺).

Badaling National Forest Park 八达岭森林公园

Address: South across the highway from Badaling Great Wall Center, Yanqing County 延庆县八达岭长城南

Entrance Fee: CNY 25

Autumn is the busiest period for Badaling National Forest Park when the leaves turn red and great walls attract millions of people from China and abroad.

It is home to numerous species of plants. It's located near the Badaling Great Wall with over 50,000 maple trees. When the frosty season comes, the mountain looks like a flaming cloud stretching to the sky. Droves of visitors drive there to enjoy the stunning forest views and the best time to go there is during the late September to late October (except for national holidays from Oct.1 to 7)

Mutianyu Great Wall 慕田峪长城

Address: Mutianyu, Bohai Town, Huairou District, Beijing 北京市怀柔区渤海镇慕田峪

Entrance Fee: CNY 40

No list of autumn destinations is complete without the Great Walls, whose location on mountain ridges makes it ideal for foliage viewing. The most recommended Great Wall is Mutianyu section. While further away and 75km to the city center, it's less tourist infested than nearby Badaling. Built in 5400m long, it is regarded as the “Essence of the Great Wall in Ming Dynasty” and the longest great wall in China for now.

Walk a couple of miles along the historic relics and hike atop to the watchtowers. Most of the walls have been renovated which makes it safer for both the young and the old to travel along. If you don't want to walk up, you can also get a cable car to the top area, and then slide 1.5km back down on a toboggan. >>Learn More about Mutianyu Great Wall Transportation

Summer Palace 颐和园

Address: 19 Xin Jian Gong Men Rd, Haidian District 海淀区新建宫门路19号

Entrance Fee: CNY 30

Located on the western outskirts, Summer Place (颐和园) is one of the most popular attractions in Beijing. Just as its name implies, the palace is the place of emperors and his families for summer retreat. Not only the landscape, but also the designs of Summer Palace are the best masterpieces among all the ancient gardens. You will see the most aesthetic color matching there during autumn.

Our Customers Visiting Mutianyu Great Wall (November, 2016)

Our Customers from USA Visiting Summer Palace in Autumn (November, 2019)

Badachu Park 八大处公园

Address: Badachu Rd, Shijingshan District, Beijing 石景山区八大处路

Entrance Fee: CNY 10

Located at the southern foot of Beijing's famous Xishan scenic spot, Badachu Park is a mountainous area with Buddhist temples and gardens. It has a long history, and is known by the eight ancient temples scattered among the mountains. The "twelve landscapes"(十二景观) are the landmarks. Although Badadu Park is named for eight ancient temples. In 2000, cliff carvings were found and can be dated back to Ming Dynasty. Cultural festivals and temple fairs are held there, and the cherry blossoms in spring and colorful leaves in fall are stunning seasonal attractions for tourists and many Buddhist believers. The cable car is available there and it can get you to the top. It opens from 6am to 7pm during the summer and 6am to 6pm in winter, and the best time to travel to is between mid-October to mid-November.

Recommended Beijing Tour in Autumn

>>4 Days Classic Beijing Tour with Great Wall Hiking

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Things to Do in Beijing in Autumn

Appreciate the Fall Foliage

Beijing in autumn has the richest color and the most spectacular scenery. The dazzling oak trees, a large area of red-tinted forest, and the orange fallen leaves cover the entire woodlands, parks and palaces.

You will encounter the best color matching in the forbidden city, stand in awe before the stunning maple tree vegetation at Fragrant Hill Park, and walk along 'the flaming natural gallery' where the Great Wall lies atop.

Temperatures in October go down rapidly, especially at night, creating an ideal condition for conceiving a sea of red leaves. At that time, 80% of the leaves in these areas have turned red. Therefore, the best time to enjoy the red leaves scenery is from middle October to middle of November.

Hike on the Great Wall

There are different sections of the Great Walls. They are the outstanding representative manual antique relics of China. Hiking on the Great Walls, appreciating the watchtowers, surrounded by high mountains and multicolored vegetation in autumn, you can enjoy the quintessence of Ming Dynasty Great Walls, such as the Badaling Great Wall, Mutianyu Great Wall, Jinshanling Great Wall, etc. The former one is the earliest developed and most famous both in China and aboard, which also brings it a large number of tourists all year round. It is proposed to plan your travel schedule wisely, to avoid the crowded time, or choose to visit Mutianyu Great Wall and Jinshanling Great Wall where you can enjoy the same marvelous scenery.

Pick Fresh Fruits in Suburb Areas

Autumn is the harvest season in Beijing. When fruit and vegetables get ripe, picking fresh fruit and vegetables in local orchards is a good way to relax and have quality time with your beloved ones.

It's one of the most popular activities for local Beijingers to relax themselves on weekend and holidays. Walking in orchards and fields, enjoying the scenery while picking your favorite vegetables and fruit, in the quiet suburbs of Beijing, you can enjoy picking fruit and vegetables by hand.

If you would like to try the regional lifestyle living in Beijing, it is always better to go there on a weekday, avoiding the crowds.

Recommended Beijing Tour in Winter

>>2 Days Mutianyu and Jinshanling Great Wall Hiking

>>2 Days Jinshanling and Simatai Great Wall Wild Hiking

Jingshanling Great Wall in Autumn (Photo by Our Guest in November, 2018)

Our Customer from UK Visiting Jinshanling Great Wall (October, 2018)

Beijing Autumn Travel Tips

Weather: Check the specific weather and AQI forecasts for the region of Beijing you are visiting.

Time: If you are traveling in October, please be aware of the massive crowd in the scenic area during National holiday (Oct. 1st to 7th)

Clothes: Though the weather is often pleasant, bring a few extra layers for the cooler evenings, and a pair of comfortable hiking shoes.

Photos: Bring a camera to capture the exceptional fall scenery.

Snack Supplement: Tourists should take some snacks such as chocolate and energy bars with them for the supplement calories during hiking.

How to Plan a Beijing Tour in Autumn

In only 2 or 3 days, you can have a trip in Beijing which will cover the most popular attractions - You can visit the Forbidden City to witness the royal buildings of the ancient China empire, hike on the incredible Great Wall, and wander along the traditional hutongs to experience the authentic local life...All of your dreams about Beijing can be tangible in our Beijing tours. Beijing is also available for to 144 Hours Visa-free for Transit, which allows you to have a short trip to Beijing without visa. If you have more time, you can go for an in-depth Great Wall hiking or photography tour, and explore more attractions in the city. If you have more days, taking a Beijing Trip may become one of your lifelong memorable experience in China!

Recommended Beijing Autumn Tour

>>4 Days Classic Beijing Tour Package

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Travel with China Discovery

China Discovery offers you customized tour packages and you don't need worry about the hotel booking, schedules arrangements and all the troublesome public transportation. Our skilled driver and knowledgeable guide will pick you up at the airport or railway station and escort you to your hotels, restaurant, the pier and other tourist destinations. You can just focus on sightseeing in Beijing.>>Contact us now