Hangzhou Tours & Travel Guide
West Lake's willow causeways, a great temple in the wooded hills and Longjing tea in the villages that grow it — China's "heaven on earth" near Shanghai.
Why visit Hangzhou
Chinese has an old compliment for this city: "Above there is heaven; below, Suzhou and Hangzhou." West Lake has been landscaped, painted and poem-ed for a thousand years, and it still stops people mid-sentence. Hangzhou is also the easiest beauty in China to reach — an hour from Shanghai — which makes it the add-on we suggest most often.
Top sights
West Lake
Take a boat to the island in the middle, then walk the Su Causeway in the late afternoon as the light goes gold. The lake is free, ringed by parkland, and best at its early and late hours.
Leifeng Pagoda
The five-storey pagoda on the lake's south shore — ride up for the classic postcard view back across the water to the city.
Lingyin Temple
One of China's great Buddhist temples, in a wooded valley west of the lake, with centuries of rock carvings in the cliff grottoes on the walk in.
Longjing tea villages
Meijiawu and Longjing village, in the hills behind the lake: terraced tea rows, farmers pan-firing leaves by hand in spring, and a glass of the new season's Dragon Well at the source.
Sample itinerary — 2 days in Hangzhou
This is a sample itinerary, so you can see what each day actually looks like — the scenery, the meals and where you sleep. On a private trip the order and pace are adjusted to your dates; your confirmed day-by-day plan, with named hotels, comes with your quote.
- Day 1
West Lake — the classic circuit
The lake done properly: a boat out to the island in the middle, then the Su Causeway on foot in the late afternoon as the light goes gold, finishing below Leifeng Pagoda on the south shore for the postcard view back across the water. Dongpo pork for dinner — named for the man who built the causeway.
- Day 2
Lingyin Temple & the Longjing tea villages — then departure
Into the wooded hills west of the lake: centuries of Buddhist rock carvings in the grottoes on the walk in, then Lingyin, one of China's great temples. Up into Meijiawu and Longjing village afterwards — terraced tea rows, leaves pan-fired by hand in spring, and a glass of the new season's Dragon Well at the source. Transfer out.
How many days?
Two days covers the lake properly, Lingyin and a tea village. One long day works as a Shanghai day trip, but the lake at dawn is worth the overnight. Hangzhou appears in the 30-Day One Month in China route and pairs with Shanghai and Suzhou on any custom trip via the inquiry form.
Getting there & around
High-speed trains from Shanghai take about an hour, and Hangzhou's own airport takes flights from across China. The lake area is walkable and cyclable; a car and driver covers Lingyin and the tea hills without the bus queues.
Best time to visit
March–May — blossom on the causeways and the spring Longjing picking — and September–November for clear, golden lake days. Summer is hot and humid; go early and take the boat breeze.
What to eat in Hangzhou
Dongpo pork, slow-braised until it barely holds together (named for the same Su Dongpo who built the causeway); West Lake vinegar fish, the city's sweet-sour signature; Longjing shrimp, tea leaves and river shrimp stir-fried together; and beggar's chicken, baked in clay, if the table is feeling ceremonial. Your guide orders the lake fish from a kitchen that treats it properly — it varies more than it should.
Hangzhou FAQ
Hangzhou or Suzhou, if I only have one day?
Hangzhou for landscape — the lake and tea hills; Suzhou for gardens and canals at a smaller scale. With two spare days from Shanghai, do both: they're on the same train line. See the Shanghai guide for how the three fit together.
Is West Lake crowded?
Around the Broken Bridge at midday on a holiday, yes. At 7am on the Su Causeway, you'll share it with photographers and tai chi groups. We time it that way.