Spring Festival (Chinese New Year) is the world's largest annual human migration — and a surprisingly visitor-friendly time if you plan for it. This is the 2027 visitor briefing: when it lands, what stays open, how to move around, and whether to come.
Chinese New Year 2027 falls on 6 February 2027 (the Year of the Goat). The statutory public holiday is about a week; the travel surge known as 春运 (chunyun) runs roughly 40 days across late January to early March.
| Thing | During the festival |
|---|---|
| Malls & department stores | Open — often with holiday sales and festive displays. |
| Restaurants (cities / tourist areas) | Mostly open; some close on New Year's Eve for the reunion dinner. |
| Small shops & family businesses | Many close for several days to two weeks. |
| Banks | Limited hours, but ATMs work — carry some RMB. |
| Major attractions | Open; a few close on New Year's Day itself. Expect crowds, book ahead. |
| Airports, metro, rail | Running — but jammed and sold out around the holiday. |
| Parcel / delivery | Slowed during the peak weeks. |
The paradox: big cities like Beijing and Shanghai thin out as locals travel home (quieter streets, but some neighbourhood services shut), while hometowns and popular tourist towns get crowded.
Set up payments before you fly so you're not relying on closed cash desks: bind a foreign card in Alipay and WeChat Pay.
Pair the festival with a calmer, scenic base — Hangzhou is a favourite add-on to Shanghai via high-speed rail.
For the full set of entry cities and how they handle a foreign visitor, browse the city guides hub. New to China? Start with the China Arrival Guide 2026 for the border-to-checkout flow. Headline figures: China Haul by the Numbers 2026.
Largely yes for visitors. Malls, big shopping centres, major tourist sights and airport/rail transport keep running. What shuts are many small family businesses and some restaurants for a few days around New Year's Day. Big cities can actually feel quieter as locals travel home, while hometowns get packed.
Department stores and mall chains stay open (often with holiday sales). Restaurants in tourist areas and big cities mostly stay open, though some close on New Year's Eve for the family reunion dinner. Small corner shops, neighbourhood services and some markets may close for several days to two weeks. Carry a little cash as a fallback.
Yes, but transport is the hard part. Trains and flights around the holiday sell out days or weeks ahead — book as early as the 15-day window opens (see the high-speed rail guide). Roads and stations are crowded. Once you're in a city, the metro and DiDi work normally.
It depends on your goal. It's a fantastic time for atmosphere — lantern festivals, temple fairs, decorations — and big cities are less congested. It's a poor time if you need every small shop open, hate crowds at headline sights, or want to move between cities without booking transport early. Plan around it and it's a memorable trip.
Inter-city trains and flights first (they sell out), then hotels. Confirm attraction opening hours for New Year's Day itself, carry some RMB, and keep Alipay/WeChat topped via your bound foreign card so you're not dependent on closed cash desks.
Entry and transit rules change. Before you travel, confirm the current visa-free and 240-hour arrangements on the official English sources below; confirm exact 2027 Spring Festival holiday dates on official Chinese government channels.