China National Day Golden Week: What Travelers Should Know

Published on Sep 23, 2025, 10:02 am CDT

7 min read

China's eight day National Day Golden Week, October 1 to October 8, will drive one of the year's biggest surges in domestic travel, with spillover on short haul international routes. Demand is strongest into major hubs including Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, and Chengdu, and hotel rates typically rise during the peak. China Railway has opened presales and is scheduling additional high speed services, while many top attractions continue to require advance, real name reservations. Travelers should secure rail and air early, build airport buffers, and plan museum or park entries several days ahead.

Key Points

Why it matters: Golden Week concentrates months of demand into eight days, straining transport and lodging.
Travel impact: Expect crowded high speed rail, fuller flights, and higher hotel prices in Tier 1 cities.
What's next: Extra overnight high speed trains and timed entry at marquee sites will shape daily plans.
219 million rail trips projected over the 12 day holiday transport window.
Outbound bookings show earlier lead times and strong short haul demand.
Real name reservations remain standard at the Palace Museum and Chengdu Panda Base.

Snapshot

Golden Week 2025 combines National Day with the Mid Autumn Festival, creating an eight day break from October 1 to October 8. Trip.com notes heavier booking lead times this year, triple digit growth in outbound accommodation, and strong regional interest where Japan's Silver Week and Korea's Chuseok overlap. On the ground, China Railway expects concentrated peaks at the start and end of the holiday, with high speed extras and overnight services. Scenic areas and museums in Beijing, Shanghai, and Chengdu are operating timed entry, often with real name ticketing and no same day sales. Build buffers at Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG), Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport (SHA), Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK), Beijing Daxing International Airport (PKX), Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport (SZX), Chengdu Tianfu International Airport (TFU), and Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport (CTU).

Background on China National Day Golden Week

Last year's National Day holiday set modern records, with 765 million domestic visits and spending of about ¥700.8 billion, roughly $99.00 billion. Air traffic also hit new highs, with about 16.1 million airline passengers over the week and more than 115,000 flights scheduled. The 2025 edition is longer than usual, and presales opened on a 15 day window, matching current policy. Expect hotel price pressure in Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, and Chengdu, particularly around October 1 to October 3 and October 7 to October 8. For airfare dynamics that may influence shoulder dates and connections, see Airfare 2025: why prices may rise and trips take longer. Health wise, travelers headed to Guangdong should review current guidance in CDC Issues Travel Alert as Chikungunya Spreads in China.

Latest Developments

Rail demand, presale timing, and added capacity

Shenzhen authorities confirm the 2025 holiday rail plan runs September 29 to October 10, with tickets released 15 days in advance. The network is projecting 219 million passenger trips across the 12 day window, with October 1 as the peak. China Railway is scheduling roughly 13,000 daily passenger trains and adding overnight high speed services during September 29 to October 2 and October 7 to October 9. Expect long distance flows at the bookends, with medium and short distance trips clustering mid week. Use 12306's waitlist, seat selection, and presale alerts, and consider same train transfers if directs sell out. Student discounts remain available through the dedicated 12306 channel; standard concessions apply for children and eligible travelers.

Flights, short haul spillover, and airport buffers

Civil aviation volume set records during last year's Golden Week, and 2025 demand indicators remain firm. Operators and analysts report solid bookings and cost conscious behavior, with travelers favoring value and nearby options. Trip.com data shows triple digit growth in outbound accommodations and earlier purchase windows, while overlapping holidays in Japan and South Korea push short haul routes to the forefront. Build extra time at Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG), Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport (SHA), Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK), Beijing Daxing International Airport (PKX), Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport (SZX), Chengdu Tianfu International Airport (TFU), and Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport (CTU). Schedule morning departures where possible, and lock return legs before the late week surge.

Timed entry, real name ticketing, and park operations

Timed entry remains the rule at headline attractions. The Palace Museum requires advance, real name reservations and does not sell same day tickets. The Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding requires online, real name reservations, with recent practice limiting booking windows to about seven days. Shanghai Disney Resort is operating real name ticketing and will stage added nighttime entertainment October 1 to October 3, which can intensify evening exit crowds. Plan museum and park entries several days ahead, align time slots with transit, and choose early morning windows to avoid peak queues. Bring the original ID used for booking, and confirm closure exceptions tied to statutory holidays.

Analysis

Golden Week remains a logistics exercise as much as a vacation. The 15 day rail presale window, combined with 12306's digital tools, rewards organized travelers who track release times, set alerts, and pounce on returns. If your target nonstop sells out, the same train transfer strategy is a practical safety valve that keeps travel time predictable. In the air, the overlap with Japan's and Korea's autumn holidays continues to divert demand into regional short haul, where schedules are dense and competitive. That helps value seekers, although popular departure banks will still compress security and taxi queues at PVG, SHA, PEK, PKX, SZX, TFU, and CTU. On the ground, the move toward timed entry has improved safety and crowd control at the Palace Museum, Chengdu Panda Base, and big theme parks, but it requires discipline. Book entries alongside rail or flight tickets, carry the same ID to scan in, and aim for the earliest slots to reduce wait times. Hotels in Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, and Chengdu typically price to demand during Golden Week, so flexible travelers can shift a night to satellite districts or pair a Tier 1 base with a mid week Tier 2 or Tier 3 side trip. The net result, a well planned Golden Week trip is very possible if you front load bookings, sequence timed entries, and accept a value over luxe approach where crowds peak.

Final Thoughts

China National Day Golden Week is busy by design, but with early rail and air tickets, timed entry reservations, and realistic airport buffers, the week can run smoothly. Prioritize morning trains and flights, book marquee sites as soon as calendars open, and consider neighborhood or secondary district hotels to balance price and access. If you are eyeing short haul getaways, expect stronger demand where regional holidays align, and purchase early. With a plan, you can still find breathing room during China National Day Golden Week.