Hangzhou 杭州

A lakeside city with West Lake, tea-growing hills, temples and old shopping streets.

How long: 2–3 days
Best time: Mar–May · Oct–Nov
This week

Top sights

The 6 places most first visits are built on

All Hangzhou places →

West Lake

Lakeside gardens, causeways and pagoda views.

No booking

Our takeChoose one stretch of shore and enjoy its changing views rather than trying to circle every scene.

Lingyin Temple

A monastery in a forested valley beside Feilai Peak's grottoes.

2–3 hours
Book ahead

Our takeLeave room for both the temple courtyards and the separate carved-stone grottoes.

China National Tea Museum: Shuangfeng

Displays explaining tea cultivation, preparation and drinking culture.

1.5–2.5 hours
No booking
Closed Tue

Our takeStart at Shuangfeng for tea culture; choose a separate tasting or tea-field visit afterwards.

Xixi Wetland

Water channels and ponds offering a different landscape from West Lake.

Half a day

Our takeDecide whether you want to walk or take a boat before choosing tickets.

Liangzhu Archaeological Ruins Park

The outdoor scale and setting of an early city.

Our takeRead a little context first; come for the city layout rather than expecting a reconstructed palace.

Liangzhu Museum

Objects that help explain Liangzhu's archaeological landscape.

Closed Mon

Our takeVisit before the ruins park, or keep just the museum if your group prefers indoor history.

Things to do

Thing to doSee Hangzhou’s stories on stage at Songcheng

1–2 hoursStart West Lake with Broken Bridge and Bai Causeway

1.5–2.5 hoursCross West Lake on Su Causeway

3–4 hoursFollow the creek into tea country

2–3 hoursDrift beneath West Lake’s little bridges

2–3 hoursTrade the lake panorama for a working canal

8 hoursWuzhen East: canals, indigo cloth and folk museums

10–11 hoursShaoxing: literary homes, gardens and black-awning boats

4–5 hoursXitang: water-town dinner and evening lights

Itineraries

Ways to spend your days

All 1 itineraries →

In HangzhouOnly this city

Hangzhou + moreItineraries that include Hangzhou

7 days · 3 citiesShanghai → Hangzhou → SuzhouRiver lights, tea hills and Suzhou canals

Where to stay

4 areas, 4 different trips

Map of the 4 areas to stay in Hangzhou, with the Forbidden City and other landmarks

The first-visit pick

Hubin / East West Lake

Metro: Longxiangqiao 1

Lake walks with city conveniences

Walks beside West Lake
Shopping and restaurants
Central metro access

Trade-off: The eastern shore gets crowded; lakeside rooms often cost more.

The practical pick

Wulin Square

Metro: Wulin Square 1 · 3

Modern city hotels and metro-based sightseeing

Shopping malls
Established city hotels
Useful metro connections

Trade-off: Less lake atmosphere; reaching the shore is a separate walk or ride.

The old-street pick

Wushan / Hefang Street

Metro: Wushan Square 7

Old streets, food and southeast-lake walks

Traditional shopping streets
Local food choices
Wushan Hill nearby

Trade-off: Tourist streets get busy; lane hotels vary in car access.

The tea-hill pick

Manjuelong

Village stays, tea hills and quieter evenings

Hillside guesthouses
Tea-growing surroundings
Village cafés

Trade-off: Less convenient for metro travel and late meals; plan the road transfer.

Our takeOne check before you book: Choose between a metro base and a tea-hill stay, then check the route from the hotel door.

Getting there & around

Landing in Hangzhou, and moving around

Routes from Hangzhou's airports into the city centre

Xiaoshan Airport (HGH)

Metro Line 19 to Hangzhou East in about 26 minutes (¥7); to West Lake change to Line 1 for Longxiangqiao, about 53 minutes in total.

For a taxi, use T3 arrivals Gate 14 or the T4–Ground Transportation Centre corridor on Level 1. App-booked cars collect on B2 at lift lobbies 2, 3 or 4: from T3, leave arrivals Gate 14 and go down; from T4, descend from the transport centre on Level 2. Choose the matching pickup zone in your app.

Hangzhou East (杭州东)

Line 1 runs direct to downtown and West Lake (Longxiangqiao). Line 19 boards from a separate East Plaza station outside the main concourse.

Use the Hangzhou Metro ride code in Alipay, or a WeChat ride code if your account can activate it. A cash-topped Hangzhou transit card is a backup; plan on a code or transit card rather than foreign-card tapping.
The metro does not reach Lingyin Temple, the western hills or the Longjing tea villages; plan a taxi or bus for those.

Our takeOne move after you land: keep your hotel's address in Chinese to show the driver. Make an address card →

Hangzhou practical card →

When to go

Best: Mar–May · Oct–Nov

Check your exact dates →

Spring flowers and tea season or cooler autumn weather make lake and hill walks more pleasant.

Jan8°2°33% wet

Feb11°4°36% wet

Mar15°8°43% wet

Apr21°13°37% wet

May26°18°37% wet

Jun29°22°50% wet

Jul34°25°40% wet

Aug33°25°43% wet

Sep28°21°35% wet

Oct23°16°22% wet

Nov17°10°29% wet

Dec11°4°23% wet

Typical daytime high, night low and share of wet days (1991–2020 averages, not a forecast). Golden Week (1–7 Oct 2026): expect crowds; check the official dates for other years.

What’s on