Though Shanghai is teeming with activities and attractions, both indoor and outdoor, it can sometimes be a slave to its erratic weather. No matter when you visit, pack smart and don’t forget an umbrella. Here are a few tips for travelling to the city throughout the year and a guide to the best times to visit Shanghai.To get more news aboutChina travel advice, you can visit shine news official website.

If you want the Shanghai experience without all the people, January is the time to visit. Depending on the year, the month is sandwiched between two major holidays: the Western New Year (on 1 January), which is a public holiday in China, and the Chinese New Year, which is incredibly important. Because the lunar calendar dictates the Chinese New Year, the holiday falls on a different date each year, sometimes in late January and sometimes in early to mid-February.

The Chinese New Year, or Spring Festival as it is called in China, is often referred to as the largest human migration in history, as millions of city dwellers pack up for a week or two and head to the countryside to see family. That leaves cities like Shanghai feeling more like ghost towns than metropolises, but be aware that the major tourist attractions, such as Yu Garden and the Bund, both become flooded with extra Chinese tourists during this time. Indeed, there are so many visitors that military personnel have to serve as queue barriers.

February can have the same confusing hectic-calm effect that January does, though it typically subsides after a week or two. It is the perfect month to stay inside, with the infamous Shanghai humidity making the month’s winter weather feel even more unbearable. Take this time to check out one of Shanghai’s world-class museums or get pampered in one of its dreamy spas. Those not fazed by heights are encouraged to soar sky high in one of the Lujiazui skyscrapers, perhaps the Jin Mao Tower.

By March, the weather is starting to become more pleasant in Shanghai, just enough for the cherry blossoms to come out and play. Though the city’s cherry-blossom season is overshadowed by Japan’s, Shanghai offers many idyllic places to enjoy the blooms. Indeed, eight city parks take part in the annual Cherry Blossom Festival, which lasts until mid-April – even Tongji University has a few pink trees on display.

April kicks off every year with the Qingming Festival, also known as Tomb-Sweeping Day. On this public holiday, which always falls on 4, 5 or 6 April, Chinese families visit the graves of their deceased relatives to pay respects, pray and offer sacrifices. The festival also marks the end of the prime green-tea-picking season, meaning teas produced before this date carry a higher price tag than those picked and produced after. Those looking for a perfect snack to pair with a pre-Qingming green tea will be delighted by the seasonal tuanjie, a sticky-rice dumpling filled with red or black bean paste. April is also the perfect month to gorge on savoury dumplings, of which there is no shortage in Shanghai.

May is one of the most popular months to visit Shanghai, and it’s not hard to understand why. Before the plum rains (heavy downpours brought on by the collision of moist Pacific and cool continental air) start and the temperatures skyrocket, the city enjoys a peaceful spring energy with people dining al fresco, bars opening their terraces, leaves on the French Concession’s parasol trees bursting open and casual cyclists picking up their hobby once again. Of course, more tourists mean larger crowds and higher hotel costs, both of which can be avoided by planning far in advance and enjoying the city’s alternative attractions.

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