November is the middle of China's autumn when you can see the most gorgeous fall colors in and around the cities. It is the best season to capture the fall foliage of nature and enjoy outdoor activities with your family and friends.
These five destinations are the most recommended because the natural scenery there is really fabulous and they are suitable for outdoor activities such as photography and trekking.
1. Beijing — Great Weather and Fall Colors
November is one of the best seasons to visit Beijing, followed by May and June. It is cool and comfortable, and sometimes breezy.
The whole city becomes more charming and elegant painted by the red walls of the ancient architectures and the golden foliage in the parks and Beijing's suburbs. It is a great time to explore Beijing's suburbs, where the ancient temples are covered with red leaves and golden ginkgoes.
Hiking along the Badaling and Mutianyu Great Wall or camping on the Great Wall to appreciate the spectacular autumn views and enjoy the fresh air is a good idea. We can take you to the wild parts of the Great Wall, which is a unique way to travel around Beijing.
- 2-Day Jiankou Wild Great Wall Camping Tour
- 4-Day Beijing Highlights and Great Wall Night Tour
- More Beijing tours
Discover real reviews of Highlights Travel Family's best-rated service across trusted platforms.
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The tour was of The Greta Wall of China
The tour was excellent. Selinda was very knowledgeable about all the aspects of our tour. Selinda was very interesting and knew so much Chinese history more
Mar 2024, Alice W
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Beautiful Beijing with Ethan & Mr. Chen
Ethan, our wonderful guide, whose praises we can not sing loudly enough, was compassionate, caring, and overall endearing! His sense of ease and familiarity with each sight, which were unfamiliar wonders to us, provided a sense of peacefulness that facilitated full enjoyment - helped too by his punctuality and attention to detail. more
Feb 2024, apisn2023
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The Highlights and High Life of Beijing with Ethan & Mr. Chen
Ethan, our wonderful tour guide, made our entire trip an absolute joy for us as he was extraordinarily caring, considerate, and generous. Having had the pleasure of taking in the sights of Beijing previously with another lovely guide, Angela, it was spectacular not only to show the family how fantastic the city is but also how high the quality of services provided by China Highlights are. Each day unveiled a new treasure, helpfully detailed by Ethan, and punctuated by delicious and varied local food. Our driver, Mr. Chen, was also a delight, and was equally as key to the overall experience as he was both attentive and almost mystically punctual! more
Feb 2024, Apis
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Great Time in Beijing
Our 4-day experience in Beijing was unforgettable. Our guide, Selinda, opened the doors to the city's millennia-old history and culture with her knowledge, kindness, and courtesy. We discovered magnificent places, tasted delicious food, and stayed in clean hotels, all accompanied by safe and reliable transportation service. We recommend traveling with China Highlights. more
Feb 2024, Nicola B
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3rd time the charm, is being charmed for the 3rd time.
This is my 3rd tour of Beijing in the last 18 months and I think that speaks a little to the quality of service you get with China Highlights. Each time the sites are the same but each tour guide managed to present them in new and wonderful ways. Also some attractions that were undergoing renovations have been completed, so there were new things to see as well.A big thanks to Mr. Michael, our tour this time around. He was very gregarious and knowledgeable about all the sites. more
Feb 2024, Jonathan Mueller
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3rd time the charm, is charmed for the 3rd time
The sites stay the same but each time we have done this tour, the tour guides manage to make it feel like it is the first time you are experiencing it. And, with the constant renovations, this time we were able to see previous areas that were unavailable the last time we came. more
Feb 2024, Jonathan M
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Great trip and experience!
From beginning to end, China Highlights was very courteous, responsive and attentive in planning and executing a great trip!Aspects and execution of the trip was as discussed and was an overall great experience. Our guide, Michael, was very kind and knowledgeable throughout the tour and would address all questions and help us take lots of photos. Would definitely travel with China Highlights again! more
Feb 2024, Karol
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3rd the charm is charmed for the 3rd time
This is my 3rd tour of Beijing in the last 18 months and I think that speaks a little to the quality of service you get with China Highlights. Each time the sites are the same but each tour guide managed to present them in new and wonderful ways. Also some attractions that were undergoing renovations have been completed, so there were new things to see as well.A big thanks to Mr. Michael, our tour this time around. He was very gregarious and knowledgeable about all the sites. more
Feb 2024, jkjmueller
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1 Day in Beijing
Nice views, Not too much people, Jessi (guide ) so friendly and she have a great service & she knows the answer of all your questions more
Feb 2024, Fernando J
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Fabulous day!
Jesse He ,she is a nice tourist guide patience and take good care for us. We had a wonderful time in Beijing,we did the forbidden city and greatwall We love everything ! more
Feb 2024, Charon R
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Private trip in Beijing and Luoyang
We spent 3 days in Beijing with Helen as our guide. We went to TianAnMen, Forbidden City and MuTianYu Great Wall to name a few. Helen took great care of us and is very attentive as I travel with my 60+ years old parents, from asking whether we need restroom breaks to making sure that our lunch were all according to our dietary needs more
Jan 2024, Iriana Iriana
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An excellent day with Linda
Linda (Ling ling)is a great tour guide,provide a lot of knowledge and history of the great wall,and took us to taste very delicious food too,we had a very good time with her!highly recommend her! more
Jan 2024, Angeline Lim
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Great time in Beijing with Bruce
We stayed in Beijing for three days altogether. We went to the summer palace. the Tian'an'men square, the Forbidden City,the Temple of heaven and the Great Wall. Our tour guide Bruce is very friendly and speaks English fluently. He explained every scenic spot to us patiently and humorously. my family are very satisfied with his service. more
Jan 2024, Mayra C
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Bucket List Trip to China
My first stop in China was Beijing. Ethan was my guide there. Daily, they would pick me up and take me to the spots on the itinerary. He helped me plan outside activities like a Chinese acrobat show. He even walked me to my seat in my theater so I could easily find my correct chair. What was most helpful was Ethan waiting with me at the train station and even helping me on to my seat and giving the train attendant my meal order. Very little English was spoken by the train attendant. more
Jan 2024, Megan Sandbothe
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Great Wall at Jinshanling
We went to the Great Wall at Jinshanling which is a very beautiful place which is not that busy. In fact most of the time it felt like we were alone on the wall.The tourguide (Jack) was very knowledgeable and very friendly.A big thumbs up more
Jan 2024, Onno
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Private trip in Beijing and Luoyang
We spent 3 days in Beijing with Helen as our guide. We went to TianAnMen, Forbidden City and MuTianYu Great Wall to name a few. Helen took great care of us and is very attentive as I travel with my 60+ years old parents, from asking whether we need restroom breaks to making sure that our lunch were all according to our dietary needs. We had great 3 days in Beijing.We also visited Luoyang. Our travel advisor arranged a Business class seat for our high speed train to Luoyang. We were picked up at the station by our guide in Luoyang, Lisa. We then visited Dengfeng to see Songyang academy, shaolin temple, Luoyang grottoes. She also took care of us very well and very knowledgeable about the history. more
Jan 2024, lriana lriana
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Beijing 2024
We traveled to Beijing with China Highlights in January 2024. Our tour guide Ethan was organized and knowledgeable which made our trip seamless and very interesting!! He helpfully suggested additional activities if we had time in the evenings and assisted us in booking tickets for them. Visiting the Mutianyu Great wall of China was a big highlight of our time in Beijing! more
Jan 2024, Lydia
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Beijing 2024
We traveled to Beijing with China Highlights in January 2024. Our tour guide Ethan was organized and knowledgeable which made our trip seamless and very interesting!! He helpfully suggested additional activities if we had time in the evenings and assisted us in booking tickets for them. Visiting the Mutianyu Great wall of China was a big highlight of our time in Beijing more
Jan 2024, Explore49612084715
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Beijing
Fantastic couple days in Beijing. Thank you to my guide Mark who eloquently relayed stories about China history and culture. more
Jan 2024, Steve P
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Jack is an excellent guide
Jack is an excellent guide, very patient, punctual, wonderful command of english. I recommend him any day. more
Jan 2024, Brahma
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2. The Yellow Mountains
The Yellow Mountains are colorful in autumn. The mountains are magnificent covered by red maples and interspersed with yellow fruits under the white clouds and blue sky. November is an ideal season to climb the Yellow Mountains due to the weather being neither hot nor cold.
If you are keen on outdoor activities, you can bring a tent to spend the night at the back of the mountain. Wake up in the early morning (about half past four) to appreciate the fabulous sunrise. Apart from the natural scenery of the Yellow Mountains, the human culture and ancient architectures in the folk villages near the Yellow Mountains can also make you feel deeply impressed, such as the famous Hongcun Village and Tunxi Ancient Street. Read more on the Yellow Mountains
Location: the Yellow Mountain area is located in Eastern China's Anhui Province, about 300 km (200 miles) west of Hangzhou, and 500 km (300 miles southwest of Shanghai).
3. Zhangjiajie
In November, Zhangjiajie turns into a romantic and poetic world veiled by fog. The steep cliffs and plants in the mountains are more beautiful. The mountains in Zhangjiajie are quite different from other mountains in China, which are separated into small cliffs. Why not take a side trip to visit Fenghuang Ancient Town to be intoxicated and feel relaxed in the tranquil and peaceful environment?
Also read How to Plan a Tour of Zhangjiajie.
Location: Zhangjiajie is located in South China's Hunan Province, about 336 km (208 miles) from Changsha, the capital of Hunan Province.
4. The Western Sichuan
Planning a hiking tour in Western Sichuan Province in autumn is much more exciting! It is one of the most popular hiking routes in China, starting from Chengdu, passing through Xinduqiao, Yading, Daocheng, and arriving at Luding Bridge. This route can really deeply explore nature in the south-west of China. You can see the stunning fall scenery throughout the trip, combined with the blue sky and pure snow covered mountains.
The Tibetan culture is a highlight in the Western Sichuan Province. Visiting the ancient monasteries and Tibetan houses is very meaningful and interesting.
5. Jiuzhaigou
The different colors of the four seasons in Jiuzhaigou are fantastic. Jiuzhaigou's spring is grassy and full of vitality, and summer is verdant and exuberant. In autumn, Jiuzhaigou is splendid. The colorful plants reflect on the sparkling and translucent lakes under the bright blue sky.
Trekking along the little path into the dense forest in Jiuzhaigou, you may meet with some rare animals and plants. At the end of November, you may witness the beginning of winter in Jiuzhaigou. Don't forget to take pictures of the memorable moments.
Location: Jiuzhaigou National Park is in the west of Sichuan Province, 415 kilometers west of Chengdu (257 miles).
Tour China with Us
Please feel free to contact us if you have any questions. All our tours can be customized. We will create a trip for your vacation according to your group size, time, budget, interests, and other requirements.
If you have a preferred place to visit in addition to the above, please contact us and we could also make an itinerary for you.