Chinese New Year 2013 - When to Travel

[Alex Whiteman]

Hi,

I intend to travel to China in February next year, if possible.

I've some vague notion that getting around might be a problem around those dates but I can't find precise information. I can find out when the New Year begins - but not when is that people are moving around or when do things finally quiet down.

Sorry if it's an obvious questions for those living there full time.

I'd just like to know which dates are good; I'm already looking at flight alternatives.

[WestTexas]

As a rough suggestion, I'd say avoid at least 4 days before and after the New Year Day itself. A week is even better. So, New Year's Day appears to be February 10th. I'd stay away from China (or at least, don't try to travel between cities) between February 5th and about February 14th. What you could do is go to Beijing or another city you are particularly interested in and just stay there until things settle down a bit, then do your travelling elsewhere in China. Especially before the New Year, every sort of travel is going to be extremely crowded. Train tickets won't be available unless you want to stand, and airfares will go up drastically or be sold out. If you are going to fly between cities or go to cities that are close together, I suppose it's doable, even during those dates.

[liuzhou]

It's also worth noting that from January 26th through the first week of Feb will be busy too as that is when most colleges / universities end and millions of students head home.

Then again they will head back during the last week of February in time for the new semester which will start on March 4th in most universities.

[WestTexas]

My classes are done December 29th I've heard January 16th or sth like that is the date for other schools.

OP maybe February isn't the best time?

[langxia]

I travelled during chinese New Year 2 years ago and it wasn't that bad as a lot of people describe it. But you have to be able to speak chinese as it might be necessary to take other means of transportation than the train (at least sometimes). And you have to consider the flow, means before the new year people will get out of the big cities and probably not that many will travel towards the big cities.

Also I think you just have to experience it once (if you are going to china more often definately do it once) if it will be your first time and you don't plan to go to china again maybe consider another month (also because of the weather as february is weather wise not the best month to visit china in my opinion)

[Alex Whiteman]

So, the week of Feb 18th sounds like the least bad option, does it?

By the 18th, most of those who went home to celebrate the 10th should be already back (or so can be concluded from the wikipedia article). Then, I'm still some days away from the very last week so as to avoid the higher concentration of students returning to campuses.

I'll be doing all the travelling by plane.

[gato]

If you have to, the week after the week of Chinese New Year is better than at other time around the New Year.

[Steingletscher]

I'm just curious, why February?

[Alex Whiteman]

If you have to, the week after the week of Chinese New Year is better than at other time around the New Year.

Ok, so that's because people celebrate the New Year the 10th and then stay put with their families for a week?

[gato]

Is this going to be your first time in China? To make it simpler to think about. Think of Chinese New Year as Christmas (or Thanksgiving if you are American), except observed even more widely, and think about how the travel and tourist situation might be like: Busy airports and train stations right before, near empty streets and closed stores on the day of....