With the 70th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the National Day “holiday” this year runs from October 1 to 7. Nearly 800 million trips are expected during the period. Due to concerns over overcrowding, many scenic spots will impose visitor caps and only allow online reservations. Among free attractions, Hangzhou’s West Lake is the most popular, followed by Beijing’s Forbidden City for history buffs, and Shanghai Disneyland for families.
According to Ctrip, the most popular free attractions during the 2019 National Day holiday are, in order: Hangzhou West Lake, Beijing Tiananmen Square, Shanghai Bund, Chongqing Hongyadong, Nanjing Confucius Temple, Chengdu Kuanzhai Alley, Dali Ancient Town in Yunnan, Fuzhou Three Lanes and Seven Alleys, Beijing Shichahai, and Wuhan East Lake.
Top 10 attractions: online booking only
Among historical sites, Beijing’s Forbidden City remains the undisputed favorite, followed closely by the Terracotta Army Museum in Xi’an, Nanjing Presidential Palace, Xi’an City Wall, the Three Confucian Sites in Qufu (Shandong), Badaling Great Wall in Beijing, Suzhou Humble Administrator’s Garden, Wuhan Yellow Crane Tower, Beijing Summer Palace, and Huaqing Palace in Xi’an.
For family-friendly attractions, Shanghai Disneyland is expected to be the most popular, followed by Chimelong Safari Park in Panyu (Guangzhou), Shanghai Haichang Ocean Park, Songcheng Theme Park in Hangzhou, Chimelong Ocean Kingdom in Zhuhai, Huayi Brothers Film World in Suzhou, Beijing Wildlife Park, Chengdu Zoo, Changzhou Dinosaur Park, and Shenzhen Safari Park.
It’s worth noting that some popular attractions are only available for booking online. According to Ctrip, the top 10 attractions that require online reservations include the Forbidden City in Beijing, Yunshang Grassland in Anji (Zhejiang), Suzhou Humble Administrator’s Garden, Suzhou Lion Grove Garden, Huangguoshu Scenic Area in Guizhou, Dujiangyan in Chengdu (Sichuan), Mount Emei in Leshan (Sichuan), Qingcheng Mountain in Chengdu, and Yellow Crane Tower in Wuhan.
In addition, attractions such as the Chongqing Yangtze River Cableway, the Terracotta Army Museum in Xi’an, and Mount Hua in Shaanxi have announced visitor limits for the Golden Week. If daily visitor numbers reach the cap, ticket sales will be immediately suspended. Jiuzhaigou Valley in Sichuan, known as a “fairy-tale world,” reopened on September 27 and has become an unexpected hit for the holiday season, with tickets now hard to come by on some travel platforms.
High-speed rail tickets for popular routes nearly sold out
In terms of city destinations, Ctrip reports that the top 10 most popular cities for travelers during this year’s National Day holiday are expected to be: Chongqing, Wuhan, Hangzhou, Xi’an, Chengdu, Guangzhou, Beijing, Shanghai, Nanjing, and Tianjin. Chongqing welcomed over 30 million visitors during last year’s holiday and is expected to remain the most visited city this year.
Many people opt for road trips during the holiday. Big data analysis by Amap indicates that Shanxi routes top the list for self-driving tours, followed by Qinghai-Gansu and Jiangsu-Zhejiang routes. Hunan, Henan, Yunnan, Guizhou, Sichuan, Hubei, and Liaoning routes also rank among the top ten nationwide.
These self-driving routes cover well-known natural and cultural attractions, such as Pingyao Ancient City on the Shanxi route, Zhangjiajie National Forest Park on the Hunan route, and Erhai Lake Park on the Yunnan route.
Aside from driving, many choose trains or flights. Checking the 12306 website reveals that high-speed rail tickets for some popular routes are almost sold out. For example, there are no high-speed rail tickets left for Beijing to Qingdao on September 30 or October 1.
Soaring prices for Japan flights and tour packages
Airfares for outbound travel are also rising sharply. For example, Japan tour packages offered by multiple travel agencies have increased from 5,000–6,000 yuan (RMB, the same below) to over 8,000 yuan. The cost of a one-way flight to Japan has reached over 2,000 yuan, comparable to the price of a cruise ticket to Japan.
From 00:00 on October 1 to 24:00 on October 7, small passenger vehicles with seven seats or fewer can travel on highways for free. Amap predicts that due to factors such as free highway access and early departures for long-distance road trips, national highway traffic is expected to increase gradually starting from September 30. The highest traffic pressure on highways is expected on October 1, followed by October 5 and 6, with conditions returning to normal after October 8.