Hangzhou

Hangzhou stretches across the northern shore of West Lake, where willow-fringed causeways and Six Harmonies Pagoda frame a 6-square-kilometre expanse of water that inspired Song-dynasty poets and scroll painters a millennium ago. The city served as the Southern Song capital from 1127 to 1279, leaving behind Lingyin Temple's cave carvings and the ornate Leifeng Pagoda rebuilt in 2002 on its original Tang foundations.

Today Hangzhou blends imperial-era tea terraces in Longjing village with Alibaba's headquarters in Binjiang district and metro lines that whisk 12 million residents and weekend visitors from Shanghai's high-speed rail terminus to West Lake's lotus ponds in 25 minutes. The canals threading Xiaohe Street and Gongchen Bridge preserve wooden shophouses and stone arch bridges from the Grand Canal's Qing-dynasty heyday, while Hefang Street's night market serves West Lake vinegar fish and beggar's chicken under red lanterns.

Visit between late March and May when peach blossoms rim the lake's Su Causeway, or in September and October when osmanthus flowers scent the air and Dragon Well tea farms harvest their autumn crop on hillside terraces west of the city.

Most travellers need a Chinese L tourist visa to visit Hangzhou, obtained from a Chinese embassy or visa centre before departure. As of January 2025, China extended its unilateral visa-free entry to citizens of 54 countries including the UK, USA, Canada, Australia and most EU nations, allowing stays up to 30 days when arriving at Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport or other designated ports. This scheme runs indefinitely as of 2026. If you hold a valid visa for a third country and an onward ticket, the 240-hour visa-free transit policy covers Hangzhou when you enter through Shanghai Pudong, Shanghai Hongqiao, Nanjing Lukou or Hangzhou Xiaoshan airports and remain within Zhejiang province.

When to apply

If the visa-free schemes do not cover you, apply for an L tourist visa at least 3 weeks before departure. Processing takes 4 business days at most Chinese embassies or 3 days if you pay the express fee. Peak summer months see longer queues at visa centres, so apply 4 to 6 weeks ahead between June and August.

What you need

L tourist visas require a passport valid 6 months beyond your return date, one blank visa page, a completed application form, one passport photo, proof of round-trip flights, hotel bookings for your entire stay and travel insurance. The single-entry visa costs around USD 140 for most nationalities, double-entry USD 200, with an extra USD 30 to 50 rush fee if you need it in 2 days.

By air

Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport (HGH) sits 27 kilometres east of West Lake and handles direct flights from London Heathrow, Paris Charles de Gaulle, Los Angeles, Sydney and Bangkok, plus dozens of daily connections from Hong Kong, Seoul and Tokyo. Flight time from London runs 11 to 12 hours, 13 hours from New York via Shanghai or Beijing, and 4 hours from Bangkok. Travellers from North America typically connect through Shanghai Pudong, Beijing Capital or Hong Kong, then take a 1-hour domestic hop or the high-speed train. Budget carriers like Spring Airlines and China Eastern run hourly shuttles from Shanghai Hongqiao for ¥300-500 one-way.

By train

Hangzhou East Railway Station anchors the Shanghai-Kunming and Hangzhou-Shenzhen high-speed rail lines. Bullet trains from Shanghai Hongqiao Station reach Hangzhou East in 45 to 60 minutes every 10 to 15 minutes from 6am to 10pm, costing ¥73 second class, ¥117 first class. Beijing South to Hangzhou East takes 4 hours 30 minutes on the fastest G-trains for ¥538 second class, while Hong Kong West Kowloon to Hangzhou East runs 6 hours 30 minutes for ¥794. Book tickets up to 30 days ahead through Trip.com or at station windows.

Airport to city

Airport Express bus line 9 departs every 20 minutes from the arrivals hall to Wulinmen metro station on West Lake's north shore, taking 50 minutes for ¥20. Metro Line 19 opened in late 2022 and connects the airport to Jiubao station on Line 1 in 45 minutes for ¥5-8, then 3 stops west to Longxiangqiao station at West Lake's east edge. Taxis to central Hangzhou cost ¥100-130 and take 40 to 60 minutes depending on traffic.

West Lake and Su Causeway

West Lake's 6-square-kilometre surface reflects Leifeng Pagoda's five golden tiers and the arched Broken Bridge where legend says the White Snake met her scholar lover. Rent a public bike for ¥1 per hour at any of 80 stations ringing the lake using the Hangzhou Public Bike app, then cycle the 15-kilometre perimeter starting at Hubin Park near Longxiangqiao metro station on Line 1. The 2.8-kilometre Su Causeway built in 1089 by poet-governor Su Dongpo cuts across the western lake, lined with willow trees and six humpback bridges. Battery boats depart Hubin Pier every 30 minutes from 8am to 5pm for ¥55, stopping at Three Pools Mirroring the Moon island and Mid-Lake Pavilion. Visit at sunrise before 7am when tai chi groups gather along Bai Causeway, or late afternoon when the setting sun gilds Leifeng Pagoda.

Lingyin Temple and Feilai Feng

Lingyin Temple, founded in AD 326, shelters a 24-metre gilded Buddha carved from 24 blocks of camphorwood inside the Hall of the Great Hero. Entry costs ¥30 to the Feilai Feng scenic area plus ¥30 for the temple itself, open 7am to 6pm daily. The limestone cliffs of Feilai Feng preserve 338 Buddhist carvings from the 10th to 14th centuries, including the laughing Maitreya Buddha chiselled in 1292. Take bus K7 or Y2 from Lingyin Road metro station on Line 2, running every 10 minutes for ¥2, journey time 15 minutes. Arrive before 9am to beat tour groups, and skip the overpriced vegetarian buffet at ¥88 per person in favour of noodle stalls outside the east gate charging ¥18-25.

Longjing Tea Village

Longjing village clings to hillside terraces 5 kilometres west of West Lake, where 800 tea-farming families grow Dragon Well tea picked by hand in late March and early April. Bus K27 departs from Lingyin Road every 20 minutes to Longjing village terminus for ¥2, taking 25 minutes. Walk uphill along Longjing Road past family-run tea farms that sell pre-Qingming grade leaves for ¥300-800 per 100 grams and offer free tastings in wooden courtyard houses. The China National Tea Museum 2 kilometres north at Shuangfeng village opens 8.30am to 4.30pm Tuesday to Sunday with free entry, displaying Ming-dynasty teapots and a working tea-roasting demonstration. Photographers hike the trail behind Longjing village to the Nine Creeks viewpoint for terraced tea fields and the lake beyond.

Hefang Street and Wushan Night Market

Hefang Street runs 460 metres from Wushan Square to the old Drum Tower site, lined with Qing-style shophouses selling silk scarves, carved fans and hangzhou xiaolongbao from ¥12 per steamer basket. The pedestrian street opens 8am to 10pm daily, busiest after 7pm when red lanterns light up and street performers gather near Huqingyutang Traditional Chinese Medicine Museum at number 95. Louwailou Restaurant at 30 Gushan Road serves West Lake vinegar fish for ¥98 and Dongpo pork for ¥68 in a lakeside building dating to 1848, a 10-minute walk north from Hefang Street. Take metro Line 1 to Dingan Road station, exit B, then walk 400 metres south.

Grand Canal and Gongchen Bridge

The 1.6-kilometre Xiaohe Street historic quarter flanks the Grand Canal's Hangzhou terminus, preserving wooden shophouses, stone quays and the 600-year-old Gongchen Bridge that once carried grain barges from Beijing. The Hangzhou China Grand Canal Museum opened in 2022 at Shengli River, 2 kilometres north, with free entry Tuesday to Sunday 9am to 5pm, last entry 4pm. Metro Line 5 to Gongchen Bridge station puts you at the north end of Xiaohe Street, where narrowboat tours depart at 10am, 2pm and 4pm for ¥100 per person, cruising 40 minutes south past Qing-dynasty warehouses. Visit on Saturday morning when the antique market spreads along the canal towpath.

• Leifeng Pagoda: ¥40 entry, climb the interior staircase for 360-degree lake views, metro Line 1 to Longxiangqiao then 15-minute walk or bus Y3
• China National Silk Museum: free entry, 10-minute bus ride south of West Lake on bus K42, live silkworm displays and Ming-dynasty looms
• Nine Creeks trail: forested riverside walk from Longjing village to Qiantang River, 5 kilometres, best in autumn when maple leaves turn
• Xixi Wetland Park: electric boat tours through reed marshes ¥60, 8 kilometres west, metro Line 2 to Wuchang Avenue then bus 506

Must-try dishes

• West Lake vinegar fish: fresh grass carp poached in sweet-and-sour sauce with ginger and fermented rice, ¥80-120 at lakeside restaurants, ¥40-60 in neighbourhood eateries
• Dongpo pork: palm-sized cubes of braised pork belly named after Song-dynasty poet Su Dongpo, served at Louwailou for ¥68 or Zhiweiguan for ¥48
• Beggar's chicken: whole chicken stuffed with herbs, wrapped in lotus leaf and clay then baked 4 hours, order a day ahead for ¥180-280, best at Tianwaitian near Lingyin Temple
• Hangzhou xiaolongbao: soup dumplings smaller and sweeter than Shanghai's version, ¥12-18 per bamboo steamer at Zhiweiguan on Renhe Road
• Longjing shrimp: freshwater shrimp stir-fried with Dragon Well tea leaves, ¥60-90, season runs March through May when tea is freshest

Where to eat

Zhiweiguan at 83 Renhe Road, 5 minutes' walk from Wulinmen metro station on Line 1, has served breakfast dumplings, sweet osmanthus cake and scallion pancakes since 1913. The ground-floor dining hall seats 200 and fills by 8am on weekends, xiaolongbao ¥15 per basket, deep-fried dough sticks ¥8. Louwailou Restaurant occupies a lakeside mansion at 30 Gushan Road on the north shore, founded 1848, where a meal of West Lake vinegar fish, Dongpo pork and Longjing shrimp with rice runs ¥200-280 per person. The menu includes English translations and staff speak basic English. Hefang Street night market after 6pm offers barbecued squid skewers for ¥10, stinky tofu ¥8, and rice cakes stir-fried with preserved vegetables ¥15 at numbered stalls between Wushan Square and the Drum Tower site. Grandma's Home chain restaurant at 3 Hubin Road near West Lake's east edge serves generous portions of clay-pot rice ¥28, braised eggplant ¥32 and sizzling tofu ¥26 in a modern dining room that takes reservations through the Dianping app, meals average ¥60-80 per person.

Etiquette and ordering

Restaurants accept Alipay and WeChat Pay scanned from table QR codes, with cash backup at smaller noodle shops. Tipping is not customary in Hangzhou except at hotel restaurants catering to international guests, where 10 percent appears on the bill. Tea is free and refilled throughout the meal at neighbourhood restaurants, while tourist-zone venues near West Lake charge ¥5-10 per person for tea service.

Metro

Hangzhou metro runs 11 lines covering 516 kilometres as of 2026, with Line 1 connecting Xianghu station in the south to Wenze Road in the northwest via West Lake's east shore and Hangzhou East Railway Station. Trains run every 2 to 4 minutes during peak hours from 6am to 11pm, every 5 to 8 minutes off-peak. Fares cost ¥2-10 per ride depending on distance, paid by scanning Alipay or WeChat at the turnstile, buying single-journey tickets from machines, or tapping a Hangzhou Metro Card purchased at station service centres for ¥20 deposit plus top-up credit. Line 1 links Longxiangqiao station to Hangzhou East Railway Station in 25 minutes and to Xiaoshan International Airport via a Line 19 transfer at Jiubao in 55 minutes total. Line 2 runs east-west through Wulinmen, Fengqi Road and Qianjiang Road business districts, while Line 4 serves the northwest suburbs and Zijingang university area.

Taxis and DiDi

Metered taxis charge ¥11 flag fall for the first 3 kilometres, then ¥2.50 per kilometre, with a 20 percent night surcharge between 11pm and 5am. Hail cabs at designated ranks outside metro stations or hotels, as street hailing works poorly during rush hours. Download the DiDi app before arrival and link a Chinese mobile number to book rides, typically 10 to 20 percent cheaper than metered taxis and showing the driver's route in real time. A 15-minute ride from West Lake to Hangzhou East Railway Station costs ¥30-40 by taxi, ¥25-35 via DiDi. Drivers rarely speak English, so have your destination written in Chinese characters or show the address on your phone. Avoid unmarked black cars outside the airport and train stations that charge double or triple the metered rate.

By bike

Hangzhou operates 3,700 public bike stations with 84,000 bicycles, free for the first hour then ¥1 per hour thereafter. Download the Hangzhou Public Bike app, register with a Chinese mobile number and ¥200 deposit refunded when you return the bike, then scan the QR code on any bike to unlock it. Docking stations cluster every 200 to 300 metres around West Lake, along Hefang Street and near metro exits. Shared e-bikes from Hello and Meituan cost ¥2 per 30 minutes, left anywhere within designated parking zones marked on the app map, useful for longer rides to Longjing village or Xixi Wetland where public bikes have fewer stations. Bike lanes ring West Lake and run along Yan'an Road through the city centre, separated from traffic by white lines.

West Lake East Shore

The neighbourhoods around Hubin Road and Nanshan Road put you a 5-minute walk from West Lake's eastern promenade and Longxiangqiao metro station on Line 1, with night markets, silk shops and the Lakeside Music Fountain within 500 metres. Mid-range and luxury hotels dominate this zone, where room rates peak during spring and autumn weekends. The area fills with weekend tour groups from Shanghai, and lakeside restaurants charge 40 percent more than eateries two blocks inland. Metro Line 1 reaches Hangzhou East Railway Station in 20 minutes, the airport via Line 19 transfer in 55 minutes.

• Sofitel Hangzhou Westlake: ¥900-1,400 per night, Pinghai Road, Longxiangqiao station exit C, 200 metres to West Lake
• Landison Plaza Hotel Hangzhou: ¥650-950 per night, Yan'an Road, Fengqi Road station on Lines 1 and 2, shopping mall attached
• Mingtown Youth Hostel Hangzhou: ¥80-150 dorm bed, ¥280-380 private double, Nanshan Road near China Academy of Art, bus K4 to Suyuanqiao stop

Wulinmen and Hushu North Road

Wulinmen metro station at the intersection of Lines 1 and 2 anchors a mid-range hotel and business district 2 kilometres north of West Lake, where international chains and local three-star hotels line Hushu North Road and Huancheng North Road. Rooms cost ¥400-700, 30 percent less than lakeside equivalents, with bakeries, hotpot restaurants and convenience stores within a 5-minute walk. The Intime Department Store and Hangzhou Tower shopping centres flank Wulinmen station exits. This neighbourhood suits travellers prioritising metro access over lake views, with trains every 3 minutes to West Lake in one stop south or Hangzhou East Railway Station in 15 minutes east.

• Holiday Inn Express Hangzhou Wulin: ¥450-650 per night, Huancheng North Road, Wulinmen station exit B
• Ibis Hangzhou Wulin: ¥380-520 per night, Tiyuchang Road, 8-minute walk to Wulinmen station
• Hanting Hotel Hangzhou Wulin Square: ¥280-420 per night, Fengqi Road, Fengqi Road station on Lines 1 and 2

Xiaohe Street and Grand Canal Area

The historic quarter along Xiaohe Street and Gongchen Bridge offers boutique guesthouses in restored Qing-dynasty courtyard buildings, canal-side cafes and lower prices than central Hangzhou. Metro Line 5 to Gongchen Bridge station puts you 3 kilometres north of West Lake, a 15-minute metro ride on Line 5 to Wulinmen then one stop south on Line 1 to Longxiangqiao. The area attracts fewer foreign tourists and more domestic weekenders exploring the canal museums and antique markets. Evenings are quiet after 9pm when restaurants close, and English signage is sparse.

• Blossom Hill Inn Hangzhou Grand Canal: ¥500-750 per night, Xiaohe Street, Gongchen Bridge station exit A, wooden courtyard rooms
• Hangzhou Canal Youth Hostel: ¥65-120 dorm, ¥240-350 double, Xiaohe Street near the bridge, canal views
• Atour Hotel Hangzhou Grand Canal: ¥420-600 per night, Hushu Road near Gongchen Bridge station, rooftop terrace

Best months

March through May brings 15 to 25 degrees Celsius and blooming peach and cherry trees along West Lake's Su Causeway, with Dragon Well tea farms harvesting the year's most prized pre-Qingming leaves in late March. April sees occasional spring rain that clears quickly, leaving misty mornings over the lake ideal for photography. September through November offers 18 to 26 degrees and clear skies, with osmanthus flowers scenting the air around Mid-Autumn Festival in late September and maple leaves turning red along the Nine Creeks trail in November. West Lake's lotus flowers bloom June through August, though temperatures climb to 35 degrees with 80 percent humidity and afternoon thunderstorms, and hotel prices drop 20 to 30 percent. December through February sees 2 to 10 degrees, rare snow dusting Leifeng Pagoda, and the fewest tourists, though tea terraces lie dormant and boat services reduce to weekends only.

Avoid

Chinese New Year in late January or early February shuts most restaurants and shops for a week, while domestic tourists triple hotel prices and pack West Lake's causeways shoulder to shoulder. The week-long Golden Week holiday starting October 1st brings similar crowds and rates ¥200-400 higher per night than surrounding weeks. Summer typhoon season from July through September brings heavy rain and occasional flooding to low-lying areas near Qiantang River, with ferry and boat services suspended during storm warnings. Late June through early August sees plum rain season with 15 to 20 rainy days per month and high humidity that fogs camera lenses.

Festivals worth timing

The Qiantang River Tidal Bore peaks around the 18th day of the eighth lunar month, usually mid-September, when spring tides funnel into the river mouth creating waves up to 9 metres high that roar upstream. Viewing platforms along Qiantang River in Yanguan town 50 kilometres east fill with spectators, accessible by bus K868 from Hangzhou East Railway Station for ¥15, journey time 90 minutes. The West Lake Lotus Festival runs July through August when lotuses bloom across the lake's northern shore, with evening lantern displays and traditional music performances at Quyuan Garden, free entry. Mid-Autumn Festival in late September sees families gathering at West Lake's pavilions to eat mooncakes and watch the full moon reflected in the water, with special dragon boat races and tea ceremonies at Longjing village.