Chinese New Year travel guide: planning around the Spring Festival

What is the Spring Festival?

Chinese New Year — officially called the Spring Festival (春节, Chūnjié) — marks the start of the lunar new year and is China's most important public holiday. The date changes each year based on the lunar calendar, falling somewhere between 21 January and 20 February. The statutory public holiday is seven days (New Year's Eve through to the seventh day of the first lunar month), but the social and economic impact runs for several weeks either side.

The festival cycle runs from New Year's Eve through to the Lantern Festival, fifteen days later. See the full cultural detail in our Spring Festival guide.

Dates: upcoming Chinese New Year

• 2027: 17 January (Year of the Goat) [VERIFY: confirm against official lunar calendar — May 2026]
• 2028: 6 February (Year of the Monkey) [VERIFY: confirm against official lunar calendar — May 2026]

The public holiday period runs for 7 official days from New Year's Eve. In practice, businesses and restaurants in smaller cities and towns may close for 1–3 weeks either side, particularly those run by people from provinces distant from their operating city.

The Chunyun: understanding the migration

Chunyun (春运) refers to the 40-day Spring Festival travel rush — roughly 15 days before New Year's Eve through 25 days after. This is the world's largest annual human migration. Hundreds of millions of migrant workers, students, and urban residents travel home to their family provinces and return afterwards.

For foreign visitors, the practical implications are:

• High-speed rail tickets sell out weeks or months in advance for the most popular routes.
• Domestic flights spike in price and availability is limited.
• Long-distance buses are packed.
• Hotels in popular domestic tourism destinations book out.

The two weeks before New Year's Eve and the week after New Year's Day are the most congested transport periods. Interestingly, Beijing and Shanghai themselves partly empty — workers leave for home — while places like Guilin, Lijiang, Sanya, and other leisure destinations flood.

Booking transport: what you need to know

High-speed rail

Rail tickets for the CNY period go on sale 15 days before travel via the official 12306 system. [VERIFY: current advance booking window — check 12306 policy — May 2026] For popular routes (Beijing–Shanghai, Beijing–Xi'an, Guangzhou–Shenzhen), tickets for peak days sell out within hours of release. Set a 12306 account before the window opens and be ready to book the moment tickets become available.

If your preferred train is sold out, check for tickets becoming available as other passengers cancel — this happens regularly in the days leading up to departure.

Domestic flights

Domestic flights during CNY are expensive but not sold out as rapidly as rail — there is more capacity. Budget airlines and last-minute prices can be unreasonable; booking 6–8 weeks out for CNY-period flights gives the best balance of availability and price.

Getting out of the major cities

If your flight or train departs Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, or Chengdu, allow extra time to reach the airport or station. Taxi and rideshare demand spikes around the major departure days, and some drivers are also heading home themselves.

What to expect: the first seven days

New Year's Eve

New Year's Eve (除夕, Chúxī) is a family occasion similar to Western Christmas Eve. In the evening, families gather for a reunion dinner (年夜饭, niányèfàn). Public fireworks displays — in cities where they remain permitted — happen at midnight. In some cities, fireworks have been restricted or banned for pollution control, but private fireworks in outer suburbs and towns continue regardless.

Most restaurants not catering specifically to tourists will be closed for a private function or fully booked by family bookings. International-district restaurants remain open, as do hotel restaurants.

First day of New Year

Families visit temples for morning prayers. Temple fairs (庙会, miàohuì) begin — open-air markets with food, performances, crafts, and entertainment. Beijing's Ditan and Longtan parks, and Shanghai's Yu Garden area, host major temple fairs that are genuinely worth attending. Expect crowds.

Days 2–7

Families visit relatives on specific numbered days (customs vary by province and family). Tourism at popular sites builds throughout the week as domestic travellers who have completed family duties begin leisure trips. Western China's tourist sites (Guilin, Lijiang, Sanya) are at their domestic peak in this window.

Lantern Festival (15th day)

The final day of the Spring Festival cycle — the Lantern Festival (元宵节, Yuánxiāo Jié) — involves lantern displays, guessing riddles on lanterns (猜灯谜), and eating tangyuan (glutinous rice balls). Cities across China hold lantern exhibitions; Pingyao in Shanxi and Zigong in Sichuan have particularly well-regarded displays. [VERIFY: current Zigong Lantern Festival timing and status — May 2026]

Where to experience celebrations as a foreign visitor

Beijing

Temple fairs at Ditan Park, Longtan Park, and the Temple of Heaven grounds. The hutong areas of Gulou and Nanluoguxiang have street-level celebration energy. The Forbidden City is open but very crowded.

Hong Kong

The CNY parade in Tsim Sha Tsui is one of Asia's larger celebration parades. Fireworks launch over Victoria Harbour on the second day of New Year. The flower markets in the week before New Year (particularly Victoria Park) are worth visiting. See Hong Kong guide for specifics.

Chengdu

Chengdu's Panda Base maintains operations (reduced hours — check before visiting [VERIFY: CNY opening hours Giant Panda Breeding Research Base — May 2026]). Temple fairs at Wuhou Shrine (武侯祠). Sichuan lantern exhibitions in various parks.

Xi'an

The Muslim Quarter (回民街) is active with CNY food markets. The Tang Paradise scenic area holds lantern displays from New Year's Eve through the full 15-day festival.

Smaller cities and rural areas

Village fireworks, dragon dances, lion dances, and local customs are often more authentic in smaller towns than in Beijing or Shanghai. If you have a contact in a Chinese family willing to include you in their holiday, the experience is far richer than anything a formal tour offers.

What is open and what is closed

Open throughout:

• Major tourist attractions (Forbidden City, Great Wall, West Lake, etc.) — open but very crowded.
• International hotels.
• Airport and train station restaurants and shops.
• Large supermarket chains (may have reduced hours on New Year's Eve).
• Convenience stores (7-Eleven, FamilyMart, Lawson).
• Large shopping malls and chain restaurants.

Likely closed or significantly reduced:

• Small local restaurants (especially those run by families from a different province — they go home).
• Local small shops and markets.
• Some government offices and administrative services.
• Some museum special exhibitions (main sites open; rotating exhibitions may close).

Budget considerations

Accommodation in popular tourist destinations increases 30–100% during CNY week. Plan on a significant budget premium compared to the same trip in shoulder season. Restaurant prices in tourist areas also rise during the holiday period. Transport costs are elevated but the premium varies by route and how far in advance you book.

Frequently asked questions