Yangzhou is best in spring (March–May) and autumn (September–November), when temperatures are mild and the gardens are at their most compelling. Spring cherry and peach blossom in Slender West Lake is particularly celebrated; the park runs a dedicated blossom festival in late March and April. Autumn brings comfortable temperatures and the harvest season.
Summer is hot and humid (July temperatures regularly exceed 35°C), but the lake and garden scenery retains its character. Winter is cold (January averages 3°C) but quiet, and the gardens look different stripped of foliage — the rockeries and bones of the composition become more visible. The city never gets extremely crowded, but Golden Week (early October) brings noticeably more domestic visitors to Slender West Lake.