wlbox

I am looking at a 18 day China tour March 17- April 3 2009. We will visit Shanghai, Beijing, Xian, Yangtze River Cruise, Guilin (Li River Cruise), Hong Kong.
Would the weather be enjoyable during this time period? I like to travel in the shoulder seasons for better prices. Would this be a busy time for local travelers, any national holidays? thanks for your input.

laowai

As far as weather is concerned - March may still be a bit nippy - and indeed March of this year saw many Northern location suffering badly from snow. Your coldest destinations will be Beijing and Xian. However this winter was exceptionally cold - during normal years the March to April period sees spring starting to kick in - and with any luck you'll get some good weather. Down south in Guilin and HK there certainly won't be running into problems with the cold!!!!

You also arrive before one of the peak holiday times - the May holiday week. The time of the trip is a quite one on the local front.

All in all, I'd say the timing of your trip was pretty good.

Fabio2008

I think most of Chinsese elites are included in your 18 day tour (except Tibet).
The date you chose is good. because tourism is just becoming a little hot during late March. The attractions will not be too crowded and no national holiday.

Cicerone

See weatherbase.com for information and well as other websites. I would say it is OK but really not the greatest time. I think you will find a good bit of rain in Guilin. Beijing can have dust storms in March (this does not show up on websites, but do some searching on this). Cold weather would not be an issue to me as long as you are dressed for it, but it is the rain and possible dust storms that would be more of a concern, it is hard to enjoy the river cruise in Guilin in the rain. I live in Hong Kong and frankly, March is the absolute worst month here all year: damp, foggy, cool and while not rainy, the fog can last for days and make you feel like it’s raining. (Mold grows on things like leather car seats overnight, but in your hotel room this won’t be an issue for you, but does tell you how damp it is here then.) The only thing to be said for April is that it is not March, and it is a little bit hotter. I generally try to be away from Hong Kong in March if I can. You can have some sunny days in April in Hong Kong, but not sure when you would be here.

Chinaren

It like two sides of a coin. A little cold but very few tourists. If you the weather is good, sights are full of human.