Every autumn, two public holidays land within three working days of each other in China, and together they create the single busiest travel window on the planet. In 2026 that window opens on September 25 and closes on October 7. For international visitors the timing is both an opportunity and a planning problem: the country is at its most festive, while its trains, museums, and headline attractions are at their most contested.
The 2026 Holiday Calendar, Confirmed
- Mid-Autumn Festival: September 25 to 27, 2026, Friday to Sunday - three days, with no makeup working day.
- National Day: October 1 to 7, 2026, Thursday to Wednesday - seven days, with September 20 (Sunday) and October 10 (Saturday) designated as working days.
- Railway holiday transport period: September 23 to October 8, 2026 - 16 days.
China's State Council General Office published the 2026 arrangement on November 4, 2025. In total, 2026 carries 33 days of statutory public holiday, up from 28 in 2025.
Because only three working days separate the two breaks, many domestic travelers take September 28 to 30 as annual leave and stitch together a 13-day holiday. The pressure is therefore not confined to October 1 to 7: it runs from September 25 to October 7, with departures peaking on September 25 and again on October 1.
Can You Enter China Without a Visa During This Window?
Yes - for a large share of travelers, and the calendar works in your favor.
- Unilateral visa-free entry: 50 countries, 30 days per entry, valid until 24:00 Beijing time on December 31, 2026. Russia is the exception, extended to December 31, 2027.
- 240-hour visa-free transit: 57 countries, 65 designated ports, 24 provincial-level regions. The 240 hours are counted from 00:00 on the day after entry, so an October 1 arrival can stay through October 11.
- Hainan's 30-day visa-free scheme: 61 countries, for entry through Hainan's own ports and stays within the province.
Two cautions: the 30-day visa-free stay is counted from 00:00 the day after entry, so any itinerary crossing December 31, 2026 must be planned against that expiry date. And the 240-hour transit scheme still requires a confirmed onward ticket to a third country or region - it is transit, not an open visa.
Entry screening was tightened on paper rather than in substance: under the State Council's exit and entry regulations in force since September 15, 2026, officers may request documents, materials, and electronic data to verify the purpose of a trip, while the visa categories travelers already use are unchanged. See our guide to the 2026 exit and entry rules.
Trains: The 15-Day Window Decides Everything
China Railway opens ticket sales 15 days before departure, counting the travel day. Tickets for October 1, 2026 go on sale on September 17; tickets for October 7 go on sale on September 23. On release day tickets do not appear at midnight - each departure station releases at a fixed slot between 08:00 and 18:00 Beijing time. Beijing West opens at 08:00 and Beijing South at 12:45.
For the holiday period the railway is activating 60 pairs of peak-period services and plans to add 304 temporary passenger trains, running roughly 13,000 trains a day on a peak timetable. Overnight high-speed services run on the Beijing-Shanghai, Beijing-Guangzhou and Beijing-Harbin trunk lines on selected nights, with extra high-speed sleeper trains linking Beijing and Shanghai with southern cities including Shenzhen, Zhuhai and Hong Kong.
Three mechanics decide whether you get a seat:
- Standby booking. When a train is sold out, 12306's standby function accepts up to 60 combinations of date and train number, and allocates seats automatically as cancellations and added capacity appear.
- Refund terms. Refunds are free eight or more days before departure, then cost 5 percent (48 hours to 8 days), 10 percent (24 to 48 hours), and 20 percent (under 24 hours). Booking the moment the window opens is therefore low-risk.
- Passport verification. Foreign travelers register on the official 12306 app or website, which has an English interface, using a passport instead of a Chinese ID. Complete verification before release day - approval takes time, and station counters must otherwise check manually.
Attractions Now Run on Reservations, Not Queues
China's flagship sights have moved to real-name, timed advance booking with no same-day sales. The Palace Museum is the clearest case:
- Tickets are released at 20:00 Beijing time exactly seven days before the visit date, and the museum sells no same-day tickets.
- Admission is CNY 60 from April 1 to October 31 and CNY 40 from November 1 to March 31. The Treasure Gallery and Clock Gallery are CNY 10 each and must be booked alongside the main ticket.
- The museum closes on Mondays except when statutory holidays override that closure. In 2026, October 1 falls on a Thursday, so the Palace Museum runs through Golden Week - but Monday, September 28 is a normal closure day, and it sits directly before the holiday.
- Foreign visitors book with passport details through the official Palace Museum website or the official WeChat mini-program. There is no authorized reseller, and no walk-up window.
The National Museum of China is free but releases its quota seven days ahead at 17:00 daily, and also closes Mondays outside holiday arrangements. Tiananmen Square needs its own reservation, bookable up to 10 days ahead, and the flag-raising ceremony a dedicated time slot.
The working rule: anchor each day on one hard-to-get booking and treat everything else as flexible.
What the Crowds Actually Cost
The claim that Golden Week prices double or triple is not supported by the numbers. Industry booking data for the 2025 peak showed domestic average airfare up about 10.8 percent year over year, while hotel rates moved about 1.8 percent. The binding constraint was availability: booking volumes rose more than 120 percent and charter-car demand 115 percent.
For 2026 the picture is more favorable: airfares between September 27 and October 1 are the lowest for that window in three years, and departing September 22 costs roughly 30 percent less than on the Mid-Autumn first day and 50 percent less than on October 1.
Where International Visitors Are Actually Going
Inbound demand is running well above 2025. National Immigration Administration data show 369 million cross-border trips in the first half of 2026, up 10.8 percent, including 45.9 million crossings by foreign nationals. Foreign arrivals reached 22.91 million, up 20.4 percent, of which 17.815 million - 77.7 percent - arrived visa-free, a 30.6 percent increase. The third quarter added a further 178 million cross-border trips.
For the autumn peak, booking data show foreign travelers concentrating on Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Shenyang, Qingdao, Chongqing, Shenzhen and Hangzhou, with traffic to Zhuhai and Wenzhou tripling and to Yiwu, Lhasa, Kunming and Yichang doubling. The leading source markets are Indonesia, the United States, Canada, Thailand, Vietnam and Australia.
At Shenzhen's airport port alone, 1.28 million foreign nationals crossed between January 1 and September 9, 2026, up 31 percent and a record for the period; about 70 percent traveled for business or sightseeing, and 62 percent of foreign arrivals came in visa-free.
How to Plan Around the Peak
- Prefer October 4 to 7 over October 1 to 3. The first half of the holiday concentrates the heaviest load at flagship sites.
- Use the October 2 to 3 gap. The first wave of domestic travelers departs September 28 to October 1, the second departs October 3 to 5. Trains, domestic flights and top attractions thin out in between.
- Choose secondary cities. Chengdu, Xi'an, Guilin, Hangzhou and Kunming absorb volume far better than the largest hubs.
- Book the anchor first, then everything else. Confirm the Forbidden City or the Terracotta Army date before you commit to flights.
- Book Mid-Autumn dining early. September 25 is the festival itself, and reunion restaurants and mooncake shops fill up fast.
Working With an Operator Based in China
Timing is the whole game in this window, and it is where a China-based operator earns its place. LinkedTours handles inbound leisure travel, business travel and corporate visits and international study tours, with teams in Beijing, Shanghai and Xi'an booking the moment inventory opens. For your dates, pair this with our 2026 visa-free policy map and our guide to paying in China.
FAQ
When is China's Golden Week in 2026?
National Day Golden Week runs October 1 to 7, 2026. The Mid-Autumn Festival holiday runs September 25 to 27, 2026.
Can I visit China visa-free during Golden Week 2026?
Yes, if your passport is from one of the 50 countries covered by China's unilateral visa-free policy - 30 days per entry, valid to December 31, 2026. Travelers from 57 countries can also use the 240-hour visa-free transit scheme through 65 designated ports.
How far in advance do China train tickets go on sale?
Fifteen days, counting the travel day. Tickets for October 1, 2026 open on September 17, 2026, and release times are staggered by departure station between 08:00 and 18:00 Beijing time.
Do I need to book the Forbidden City in advance?
Yes. The Palace Museum sells no same-day tickets and releases its quota at 20:00 Beijing time seven days ahead. Foreign visitors book with passport details on the official website or WeChat mini-program.
Is it more expensive to travel during Golden Week?
Less than commonly reported: airfares rose about 10.8 percent and hotel rates about 1.8 percent over the 2025 peak. The real problem is that popular trains, hotels and timed-entry attractions sell out.
