China
Lijiang in January
🧥 WinterCool and mostly dry.
🎒 Pack: warm jacket for evenings
Why January scores 8.6What goes into the score
How it works- Weather comfort8.3
- !Cool (14°C highs / 1°C lows)
- ✓Comfortable humidity (dew point -3.3°C)
- ✓Mostly dry (~5 mm rain)
- Air quality8.6
- ✓Good (within WHO guideline) (PM2.5 ~14 µg/m³)
- Seasonal hazards10.0
- ·No notable seasonal hazards
- Safety baseline7.5
- ·Increased caution
| Jan | May | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 8.6 Excellent | 9.3 Excellent |
| Season | 🧥 Winter | 🌷 Spring |
| High / low | 14° / 1° | 23° / 12° |
| Rain | 5 mm | 69 mm |
| Humidity | dew pt -3° | dew pt 7° |
| PM2.5 | 14 µg/m³ | 9 µg/m³ |
Typical-month data: NASA POWER (MERRA-2 reanalysis) 2015–2024 (modelled, not a forecast). Temperatures: Lijiang weather-station normals. Rainfall: Lijiang weather-station normals (national met service).
Holidays & crowdsJanuary 2027
Long weekendThere's at least one long weekend. Domestic travel picks up and popular spots get busier over those days.
- New Year 1–3 Jan · 3 days off in a row
National holidays only; regional holidays and school breaks aren't included. Source: holidays (open-source public-holiday calendar).
Explore LijiangEvents, sights, food & souvenirs
Check event dates locallyA city in northwestern Yunnan with a UNESCO-listed old town of Naxi wooden houses and canals, set beneath Jade Dragon Snow Mountain.
Spring Festival (Chinese New Year)Date variesLunar calendar — late Jan to mid-Feb, date moves each year
China's most important holiday, with family reunions, lanterns, temple fairs and fireworks where permitted.
Why go: It is the peak domestic travel period; trains and flights sell out and popular sights are crowded.
Where: Lijiang Old Town
Coming up later
Torch FestivalDate variesLunar calendar — around the 24th day of the 6th lunar month, usually July or August
A festival of the Yi and Naxi peoples with bonfires, torches, music and dancing.
Why go: Celebrations are lively in the evening; dates move each year.
Where: Villages and town squares around Lijiang
National Day Golden WeekEvery year1–7 October every year
China's week-long national holiday starting on National Day, 1 October.
Why go: One of the busiest travel weeks of the year in China; expect large crowds and higher hotel demand at scenic areas.
Where: Lijiang Old Town and Jade Dragon Snow Mountain
Lijiang Old Town (Dayan)
A maze of cobbled lanes, canals and wooden houses, now very commercial but still atmospheric.
💡 Early morning is the quietest time to walk the lanes.
Black Dragon Pool
A park with a pond and pavilions offering a classic view of Jade Dragon Snow Mountain.
Jade Dragon Snow Mountain
A high glaciated peak reached partly by cable car to viewing platforms above 4,500 metres.
💡 Altitude sickness is a real risk; go slowly and do not overexert.
Shuhe Ancient Town
A smaller old town north of Lijiang, generally quieter than Dayan.
Baisha Village
A Naxi village known for its Ming-dynasty frescoes.
Tiger Leaping Gorge
One of the world's deepest river gorges, with a well-known high trail, on the road between Lijiang and Shangri-La.
💡 Avoid the trail during heavy summer rain because of landslide risk.
Naxi baba
A layered, flaky flatbread, sweet or savoury.
💡 Old town snack shops
Jidou liangfen
Chickpea jelly served cold in summer or fried with chilli.
💡 Street stalls and local restaurants
Yak hotpot
Hotpot made with yak meat from the Tibetan highlands.
💡 Restaurants in and around the old town
Yunnan rice noodles
Rice noodles served in many local styles.
💡 Breakfast shops
Pu'er tea
Fermented tea pressed into cakes, Yunnan's best-known tea.
💡 Tea shops in the old town
Dongba script crafts
Items printed or carved with the pictographic Dongba script of the Naxi.
💡 Shops in the old town
Silver jewellery
Handmade silver jewellery and tableware.
💡 Silver shops in the old town
Airport transfer Kiwitaxi
Partner links: we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It never affects scores.