Is it a good idea to visit China around Chinese New Year?
Yes if you book early. In 2027 Lunar New Year's Day is 6 February; the official holiday dates come out each autumn.
What it depends on
- IfYour trip falls inside the official holiday week→ thenBuy every train ticket the morning sales open (15 days ahead), book hotels early, and check each sight's holiday notice; some close on New Year's Eve.
- IfYour trip is in the 40-day travel rush but outside the holiday→ thenTrains still sell out; buy on the day sales open and keep a backup train in mind.
- IfYour dates are flexible→ thenGo after the rush ends (13 March in 2026) or well before it starts, and check the State Council notice once it is out.
Lunar New Year's Day 2027 falls on Saturday 6 February, according to the Hong Kong Observatory's Gregorian-Lunar calendar; New Year's Eve is Friday 5 February. The exact days off for 2027 are set by a General Office of the State Council notice. As of 6 October 2026 it has not been published. The notice for 2026 came out on 4 November 2025; recent notices have appeared between late October and early December.
Since 2025 the national holiday rules give four statutory days for Spring Festival: New Year's Eve and the first three days of the new year. The State Council then shifts weekend working days to build a longer break, and the rules say people should generally not work more than six days in a row before or after a holiday. In 2026 that produced nine days off, 15 to 23 February, with Saturdays 14 and 28 February made into working days.
Around the holiday sits chunyun (春运), the travel rush. In 2026 it ran for 40 days, from 2 February to 13 March. The National Development and Reform Commission expected 9.5 billion cross-region trips, including 540 million by rail and 95 million by air. Railway 12306 had sold 140 million rush-period train tickets by 7 February.
Train tickets go on sale 15 days ahead, counting the sale day, under Railway 12306's rules. In the rush, buy on the morning they open, and book the return as soon as its sales open too; see how foreigners buy high-speed rail tickets.
Sights keep their own holiday hours, so check each one's notice. The Palace Museum's 2026 Spring Festival notice closed it all day on 16 February, New Year's Eve, and opened it as normal on the other holiday days, 08:30 to 17:00 with last entry at 15:30. That notice went up on 10 February, six days before the closure, so check again close to your date.
The Ministry of Culture and Tourism counted 596 million domestic trips over the nine-day 2026 holiday, a record.
Useful apps
Sources
- Hong Kong Observatory — Gregorian-Lunar Calendar Conversion Table of 2027OfficialOpen source ↗
- 国务院关于修改《全国年节及纪念日放假办法》的决定 (State Council decision amending the national holiday rules (2024))OfficialOpen source ↗
- 国务院办公厅关于2026年部分节假日安排的通知 (State Council General Office notice on 2026 public holidays)OfficialOpen source ↗
- 国务院办公厅关于2022年部分节假日安排的通知 (State Council General Office notice on 2022 public holidays)OfficialOpen source ↗
- 国务院办公厅关于2023年部分节假日安排的通知 (State Council General Office notice on 2023 public holidays)OfficialOpen source ↗
- 新华网 — 2026年春运开启 “流动的中国”充满活力 (Xinhua: the 2026 travel rush begins)PressOpen source ↗
- 央视网 — 铁路12306已累计发售春运火车票1.4亿张 (CCTV: Railway 12306 has sold 140 million rush tickets)PressOpen source ↗
- China Railway 12306 — Railway Passenger Transport RulesOfficialOpen source ↗
- 故宫博物院 — 关于2026年春节开放时间的公告 (Palace Museum: 2026 Spring Festival opening hours)OfficialOpen source ↗
- 文化和旅游部 — 2026年春节假期国内出游5.96亿人次 (Ministry of Culture and Tourism: 596 million domestic trips over the 2026 Spring Festival holiday)OfficialOpen source ↗