Xidi is busiest during national holidays (particularly Golden Week in October and early May) and on weekends when day-trippers arrive from Huang Shan. If you have flexibility, weekday visits in spring (April–May) or autumn (September–October) offer the best combination of weather and manageable crowds. The village does not close in winter, and the whitewashed architecture looks particularly good against the bare hillside trees and occasional snow.
The village is at its most atmospheric at opening time (around 8am) before the coach tours arrive, and again from late afternoon when the day visitors leave. An overnight stay in one of the courtyard guesthouses gives access to both windows. Early morning mist in the surrounding fields, common in autumn, provides the landscape conditions that appear in historical paintings of southern Anhui.