What's on in Lijiang, China through the year

Busy — Winter break (around Chinese New Year) in China, school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it

• Rule

  Old town maintenance fee

  1 Jan – 31 Dec

  Fifty yuan a head since August 2025, down from eighty and now valid for a year. Collection is patchy: some guesthouses add it, some checkpoints never ask. Source ↗

• Holiday

  Spring Festival

  15–23 FebLunar New YearCrowdedClosures

  Cold, bright and full of domestic visitors. The old town lanes are shoulder to shoulder, guesthouse prices peak, and half the small kitchens shut for the family week. Source ↗

Peak crowds — Spring Festival, Winter break (around Chinese New Year) in China

Nothing new starts in February.

Still on: Old town maintenance fee (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Spring Festival (15–23 Feb)

Busy — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, one of its best months for weather

• Festival

  Sanduo Festival

  5 Mar – 5 Apr · usuallyMajor festival

  The Naxi honour their protector god on the eighth day of the second lunar month, usually late March, with horse racing and family picnics out at the foot of the snow mountain. Source ↗

Still on: Old town maintenance fee (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Busy — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, one of its best months for weather

Nothing new starts in April.

Still on: Old town maintenance fee (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Sanduo Festival (5 Mar – 5 Apr (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 2 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in May.

Still on: Old town maintenance fee (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Quiet — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, one of its worst months for weather

• Season

  Yunnan's afternoon rains

  15 Jun – 30 Sep · usuallyMonsoonRisk

  The rain here arrives late in the day and overnight, so mornings usually stay clear. It is the Tiger Leaping Gorge trail, not the town, that gets dangerous in it.

Still on: Old town maintenance fee (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Busy — Summer break in China, school holidays in 4 of the markets that fill it

• Festival

  Naxi Torch Festival

  15 Jul – 20 Aug · usuallyMajor festival

  Pine torches outside every door on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth lunar month, usually late July or early August. The villages around the valley do it properly; the tourist streets do it for cameras. Source ↗

Still on: Old town maintenance fee (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Yunnan's afternoon rains (15 Jun – 30 Sep (usually))

Busy — Summer break in China, school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it

Nothing new starts in August.

Still on: Old town maintenance fee (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Yunnan's afternoon rains (15 Jun – 30 Sep (usually)), Naxi Torch Festival (15 Jul – 20 Aug (usually))

Shoulder season — school holidays in 3 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in September.

Still on: Old town maintenance fee (1 Jan – 31 Dec), Yunnan's afternoon rains (15 Jun – 30 Sep (usually))

Peak crowds — National Day Golden Week, National Day Golden Week in China

• Holiday

  National Day Golden Week

  1–7 OctCrowdedBook early

  Peak weather and peak everything else. The Jade Dragon cable car sells its daily quota within minutes and the old town is managed one-way in places. Source ↗

Still on: Old town maintenance fee (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Busy — one of its best months for weather

Nothing new starts in November.

Still on: Old town maintenance fee (1 Jan – 31 Dec)

Shoulder season — school holidays in 5 of the markets that fill it, an ordinary month

Nothing new starts in December.

Still on: Old town maintenance fee (1 Jan – 31 Dec)