Let me give you the number first. Over 900 million domestic trips in seven days. That is what Golden Week is. It is not just a busy travel period. It is the largest simultaneous movement of people on earth. If your China trip overlaps with October 1 to 7, this guide tells you what is still possible and what you should stop trying to do.
Key Takeaways
- 2026 dates: October 1 to 7.
- Train tickets: sell out in minutes on release day. Set an alarm. Booking guide.
- Skip Badaling, Zhangjiajie, Huangshan, and Guilin. Go somewhere less famous. Details below.
- Hotels near tourist sites: 2x to 3x normal price. Book months ahead or stay in a nearby smaller city.
- Best strategy: pick one city. Stay there. See smaller, less-famous sites.
- Not avoidable? This guide covers what still works.
Why Golden Week Is Different From ‘Busy’
A busy travel period means more people and slightly higher prices. Golden Week is something else. The Ministry of Culture and Tourism reported over 900 million domestic trips during the 2024 Golden Week. Train ridership alone exceeded 140 million passengers. When you arrive at a famous site during this week, you are not seeing the site. You are seeing a crowd that happens to be near a site.
Train Booking: The Exact Process
Tickets go on sale exactly 15 days before travel at 8:00 AM Beijing time (UTC+8). For October 1, that is September 16. For October 7, that is September 22.
| Travel Date | Tickets On Sale | Competition |
| October 1 | Sep 16 at 8:00 AM | Extreme. Sell out in minutes on major routes. |
| October 2 | Sep 17 at 8:00 AM | Extreme. |
| October 3 to 5 | Sep 18 to 20 | Very high. |
| October 6 (return peak) | Sep 21 at 8:00 AM | Extreme. |
| October 7 (return peak) | Sep 22 at 8:00 AM | Extreme. |
What to do: open Trip.com or 12306 before 8:00 AM. Have your passenger details saved. Have your payment method ready. Search at exactly 8:00 AM. If the route you want is sold out within the first few minutes, check at midnight Beijing time. Cancellations from the previous day are released then.
Where to Go (and Where Not to)
Skip these during Golden Week
- Badaling Great Wall: capped at 65,000 visitors per day. Still unbearable. Go to Mutianyu instead, and go on October 8 or later.
- Zhangjiajie (Floating Mountains): cable car waits of 3 to 4 hours. Not worth it.
- Huangshan (Yellow Mountain): must book tickets weeks ahead. If you have not booked already, do not try.
- West Lake, Hangzhou: beautiful every other week of the year. Genuinely unpleasant during Golden Week.
- Guilin and Yangshuo: Li River cruises sold out. Room prices tripled.
Places that still work during Golden Week
- Western Sichuan (Danba, Xinduqiao, Tagong): fewer domestic tourists, dramatic autumn scenery. See autumn leaves guide.
- Qinghai: Qinghai Lake, Chaka Salt Lake. Long travel, but the vast space absorbs crowds.
- Fujian coast: Xiamen is busy but functional. Quanzhou and smaller coastal towns are quieter.
- Any major city’s lesser-known neighborhoods: Beijing’s Drum Tower hutong area, Shanghai’s old French Concession side streets, Chengdu’s local teahouses.
Attraction Tickets
Most major Chinese attractions now require timed-entry tickets booked in advance via WeChat or official apps. During Golden Week, tickets for the Forbidden City and other top sites sell out weeks before the holiday starts. Book tickets the moment you confirm your dates. Do not arrive without tickets expecting to buy at the gate. For how to book via WeChat: WeChat Mini-Programs guide.
What Golden Week Is Actually Good For
There is a version of Golden Week that works well. Pick one city. Do not travel between cities. Walk the neighborhoods that domestic tourists do not go to. Visit the smaller, less-photographed sites. Go to the night market at 9pm when the first wave of crowds has gone home. The festive atmosphere is real. Red flags on every lamp post. Extended market hours. Street performances. It can be a memorable experience if you work with the week rather than against it.
Frequently Asked Questions
For the full annual timing guide, see Best Time to Visit China. For Chinese New Year, which has the same transport challenges, see Chinese New Year Travel Guide.