Summer (June to August) is the primary tourist season, driven by grassland travel. The Xilamuren and Gegentela grasslands are at their most dramatic in July when the rain has turned the steppe green and temperatures in the city are warm but not extreme (typically 20–28°C). The Naadam festival takes place across Inner Mongolia in late July and early August — horse racing, wrestling, and archery competitions are held in towns and villages throughout the region.
Spring (April to May) is drier and often windy; the grasslands are not yet green but the city is pleasant. Autumn (September to October) is excellent — clear skies, good light for photography, and the first cold snaps that drive the steppe grasses gold. Winter is cold (January averages well below minus 10°C) and grassland travel is impossible, but the city functions normally and the lamaseries and museum can be visited year-round. Hohhot's cultural sites, unlike its grasslands, are not season-dependent.