Mid-October to early December is best: dry, clear, warm, and the ferry almost always runs. March and April come second if you can live with showers and a foggy morning or two. July to September is hot and in typhoon season. Go then only with a loose plan.
The numbers
These are 1991–2020 climate normals for Xiamen, from China Meteorological Administration data as published in the city's climate table.
| Month | Avg high | Avg low | Rain | Rainy days | In a phrase |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 17.5 °C | 10.5 °C | 42 mm | 7 | Cool, dry, windy, empty |
| February | 17.9 °C | 10.8 °C | 70 mm | 9 | Grey; New Year crowds |
| March | 20.2 °C | 12.8 °C | 99 mm | 13 | Mild and changeable; fog |
| April | 24.3 °C | 16.8 °C | 120 mm | 12 | Warm, green, showery |
| May | 27.6 °C | 20.8 °C | 171 mm | 15 | The rains begin |
| June | 30.1 °C | 24.0 °C | 203 mm | 15 | Wet and very humid |
| July | 32.5 °C | 25.6 °C | 131 mm | 10 | Hot, bright, storm risk |
| August | 32.2 °C | 25.3 °C | 216 mm | 12 | Hot, with downpours |
| September | 30.8 °C | 24.1 °C | 122 mm | 9 | Still summer |
| October | 27.7 °C | 20.9 °C | 49 mm | 3 | The best weather of the year |
| November | 24.1 °C | 17.1 °C | 37 mm | 5 | Dry and mild |
| December | 19.5 °C | 12.6 °C | 43 mm | 6 | Cool, dry, quiet |
How locals divide the year
The Xiamen Meteorological Bureau does not use four seasons. It uses five, named for what the weather is doing, and they are a better guide than the calendar.
Autumn, October and November
About 80 mm of rain falls in these two months together. October averages three rainy days. The air is dry, visibility is long, and afternoons are in the mid-twenties. This is when the islands offshore show sharp against the horizon and you can sit outside all day.
The catch is the calendar. National Day, 1 to 7 October, is the busiest week of the Chinese year. In 2025 Gulangyu took more than 100,000 visits in the first three days. Arrive on the 9th or 10th and you get the same weather with a fraction of the people.
Winter, December to February
Highs of 17 to 20 °C, lows around 10 to 13. There is no frost. What there is, some days, is a hard wind off the strait that makes it feel a good deal colder than the thermometer says. Bring something windproof. Hotel rooms are warmed by the air conditioner, so check that yours has a heat setting.
Outside Chinese New Year this is the emptiest time. The festival day in 2027 is 6 February. The official holiday dates had not been published when we checked, but the week around it will be full.
Spring rains, March and April
Warm days, cool days, sun, drizzle, in no order. The hills go green and the Tulou terraces are at their best. The problem for visitors is fog. January to May is fog season in the strait, and when it is thick the Gulangyu boats stop. In March 2026 all routes were suspended from early morning on at least two days. It usually lifts by lunchtime. Tickets are refunded. Your morning is still gone.
Plum rains, May and June
From early May to late June about 350 mm falls, close to a third of the year's rain. June is the stickiest month. It rains in long grey spells with breaks, not all day every day. The consolation is the flame trees, Xiamen's official tree, which flower scarlet along the avenues around June.
The Labour Day break, 1 to 5 May in 2026, is the second crowd peak of the year.
Typhoon season, July to September
The bureau counts about three tropical storms or typhoons affecting Xiamen across these months, which is more than 70% of the year's total. Stragglers turn up in May, June and October.
Most pass at a distance. What you get is a day or two of wind and heavy rain during which the ferries stop, some flights and trains are cancelled and outdoor sights shut. On 3 September 2026, for instance, every ferry line in the city was suspended from five in the morning as a tropical storm came ashore in neighbouring Zhangzhou. During the 2024 National Day week a late storm shut the Gulangyu routes entirely for a day.
Now and then one arrives head on. Typhoon Meranti made landfall in Xiamen on 15 September 2016, and Gulangyu stayed closed to visitors for days.
Between storms, July has the most sunshine of any month and the light is superb. It is also 32 °C, humid, and the school holidays, so every sight is full of families.
What stops the ferry
| Cause | When | Usual length |
|---|---|---|
| Fog | January to May, mornings | A few hours |
| Typhoons and tropical storms | July to September; sometimes May, June, October | One to two days |
| Strong wind with cold air | Winter | Short, occasional |
The defence is the same all year. Put Gulangyu at the start of your stay, never on the last day, so there is somewhere to move it. Our ferry guide covers refunds and rebooking.
When it is crowded
- National Day week, 1 to 7 October
- Chinese New Year, late January or February
- The first days of May
- School summer holidays, early July to the end of August
- The three-day breaks: Qingming (5 April 2027), Dragon Boat (9 June 2027), Mid-Autumn (15 September 2027)
- The Xiamen Marathon in early January, on 10 January in 2027, when roads along the seafront close for the morning
Gulangyu has had a daily cap of 50,000 people since 2017, and on peak days the ferry tickets go within minutes of release.
Our pick, by kind of trip
| If you want | Go in |
|---|---|
| The best weather | Mid-October to November |
| The fewest people | December and early January |
| Green hills at the Tulou | April to early May, with an umbrella |
| Heat and long evenings | Late May, June or September, watching the forecast |
| Comfort for older travellers | October to December, or March |
| School-holiday travel | Easter or an October half-term, not midsummer |
About swimming
The sea runs from about 15 to 17 °C in midwinter to about 28 from July to September. Three beaches, Huangcuo, Zengcuo'an and Gulangyu, are in the national bathing-water programme and were rated “excellent” in June 2026. Even so, Xiamen police tell visitors not to swim casually. Tides and undercurrents catch people every year, and Baicheng Beach, the one beside the university, has more emergency calls than any other. Walk on the sand, watch the sunset, and swim in a pool.
Quick answers
What is the best month to visit Xiamen?
October and November. They are the driest months of the year, with average highs of about 24 to 28 °C and only three to five rainy days a month. Avoid 1 to 7 October, which is the National Day holiday week.
When is typhoon season in Xiamen?
The Xiamen Meteorological Bureau defines July to September as typhoon season, with about three storms affecting the city in that period on average. Storms occasionally arrive as early as May or as late as October.
Is Xiamen cold in winter?
Not by northern standards. January averages a high of about 17.5 °C and a low of about 10.5 °C, and frost is very rare. It can feel cooler than the numbers suggest because of sea wind, so bring a windproof layer.
Does it rain a lot in Xiamen?
It depends on the month. May, June and August each average 170 to 215 mm of rain. October to January average under 50 mm a month.
When is Xiamen most crowded?
The National Day week (1 to 7 October), Spring Festival, the Labour Day holiday in early May, and the school summer holiday from early July to the end of August.
Can you swim in Xiamen?
The sea is warm enough from roughly June to October. Local police advise visitors not to swim casually because of tides and currents, and rank Baicheng Beach first for incidents. Treat the beaches as places for walking and sunsets, and swim only at supervised bathing beaches.
Keep planning
Sources we checked
- Xiamen Meteorological Bureau: Xiamen climate overview (Chinese)
- State Council: 2026 public holiday schedule (Chinese)
- Xiamen Ferry Co.: notice on fog-season suspensions (Chinese)
- Ministry of Ecology and Environment: bathing-beach water quality report, June 2026 (Chinese)
- Xiamen Municipal Government: city flower, tree and bird (Chinese)
- Hong Kong Government: general holidays for 2027 (festival dates)
Last checked: October 2026. Tickets, ferries, opening hours and entry rules change; we confirm the current arrangement for your dates before you travel.
Not sure which dates to pick?
Tell us your possible travel windows. We will tell you plainly what the weather and crowds are usually like for each, and plan a private route with room to move things if a ferry is cancelled.