Hangzhou
Hangzhou is the lake and the hills around it. Two days lets you walk the lake, cycle to the tea villages and drink a lot of Longjing.
- Region
- Zhejiang, East
- Best
- Mar–May, Sep–Nov
- Airports
- HGH
- Stay
- 2–3 days
Overview
West Lake has been the model for Chinese gardens for a thousand years, and it still works. Walk the causeways early, before the tour groups, and again at dusk. The rest of the day belongs to the hills: tea plantations at Longjing, the temple at Lingyin, the wetlands at Xixi.
The city beyond the lake is a modern tech hub, home to Alibaba, and very comfortable. Bikes are everywhere and the lake loop is flat.
Weekends and holidays bring crowds from Shanghai. Come midweek if you can.
Getting there
Xiaoshan (HGH) is about 45 minutes from the centre by metro. High-speed trains from Shanghai Hongqiao take 45 to 60 minutes to Hangzhou East, which is on the metro. Suzhou is about 1.5 hours.
Rail tip. Your passport is your ticket. Book on 12306 or Trip.com, then go straight to the gate. See Getting around. The Trip.com link earns us a small commission at no cost to you (how that works).
Stay online. Google, WhatsApp and Instagram are blocked on Chinese networks; a travel eSIM that roams gets around it. Install one before you fly — Saily takes US$5 off a first plan with the code CHINA. See Staying online. The code earns us the same amount in Saily credits, at no cost to you (how that works).
Where to stay
Book on Trip.comWest Lake, east shore
西湖东岸Walk to the lake in minutes. Busy, central, worth it.
Around Hubin and Nanshan Road. The most convenient base, with the lake at the end of the street and the metro nearby.
Longjing and the hills
龙井Tea village guesthouses. Quiet nights, early mornings.
Family-run places among the tea terraces. You will need taxis or bikes to get around, and you will not want to leave.
Wulin
武林The commercial centre. Malls, metro, business hotels.
North of the lake around Wulin Square. Convenient for the station and the shops; a short ride to the water.
Booking. Compare hotels in Hangzhou on Trip.com, filtered to its China travel essentials list: English-speaking staff, foreign cards, guest rating 8 or higher. See Where to stay. Booking through this link earns us a small commission at no cost to you (how that works).
Things to do
West Lake
西湖Walk the Su and Bai causeways at dawn; take a boat to the island in the afternoon.
Longjing tea village
龙井村Terraces, tea tasting, and the walk over the hill to Nine Creeks.
Lingyin Temple
灵隐寺One of China's great Buddhist temples, with carved grottoes in the cliff opposite.
Xixi Wetland
西溪湿地Boats through reed channels and persimmon groves in the west of the city.
Eat
Longjing shrimp, dongpo pork, beggar's chicken and the West Lake vinegar fish are the classic set; Lou Wai Lou by the lake serves them all. For everyday food, the noodle shops around Hefang Street and the small places in the old lanes near Wushan are better value.
From travellers in Hangzhou
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