Things to do in Hangzhou
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Hangzhou
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Spring peak and best overall: blossom, mild weather and the Longjing harvest.
Green and warming, then plum rain from mid June, with fewer crowds and lower prices.
Hot and humid, worst for sightseeing. Lotus in bloom, sightsee at dawn and after dark.
Autumn peak: clear air, osmanthus and the tidal bore, but Golden Week is the worst crowd week.
Late autumn, locals' favourite: golden trees, red maples, calm and softer hotel prices.
Quiet, cold and atmospheric, with an empty misty lake and a crowd spike at Chinese New Year.
What's on
- Longjing spring tea season late March to mid April
Pre Qingming tea picked before about 4 to 5 April is the year's most prized.
- West Lake spring flower shows March to April
Peach blossom on Su Causeway and cherry blossom at Taiziwan.
- Xixi Dragon Boat Festival races usually June
The wetland's biggest day of the year, at Duanwu.
- Mid-Autumn Festival 15 September in 2027
Three Pools Mirroring the Moon is designed for this night.
- Qiantang tidal bore peak around Mid-Autumn Festival
The bore is at its most violent around the 18th day of the 8th lunar month.
- Osmanthus season September to October
Manjuelong village is osmanthus central for tea and osmanthus cakes under the trees.
- Wuzhen Theatre Festival usually October
The water town's theatrical highlight, now a national cultural event.
- Hangzhou Marathon usually November
Closes lake roads for a morning, so check dates if driving that day.
- West Lake International Expo October
Autumn trade and culture expo season across the lake district.
- Spring Festival lanterns January or February, around Chinese New Year
Lantern displays at Wu Hill and Qinghefang.
Best things to do in Hangzhou
West Lake
A composed lake landscape of causeways, islands and pagoda views that the whole city orbits.
Su Causeway
A 2.8 km dawn walk over six bridges with willows, peach trees and locals doing tai chi.
Bai Causeway
A short walk to Broken Bridge with Baochu Pagoda behind, best before 9am or after 5pm.
Three Pools Mirroring the Moon
The island pictured on the one yuan note, reached by boat and worth doing once.
Lingyin Temple
Hangzhou's great Buddhist temple in a wooded valley, best at opening on a weekday.
Feilai Feng
A limestone peak carved with more than 340 Buddhist figures on the way into Lingyin.
Longjing Village
The closest and prettiest tea village for a first Longjing tasting and a short walk.
Meijiawu
A working tea farming valley with family tastings and farmhouse restaurants, quieter than Longjing.
Where to stay in Hangzhou
Hubin / Lakeside East Shore
first trip, all-round base
Metro on the doorstep, the lake across the road and restaurants at every price.
Beishan Road / North Shore
couples and repeat visitors
Plane trees, old villas and Broken Bridge at walking distance, quieter than Hubin.
Nanshan Road / South Shore
younger travellers and evenings out
Cafe bar streets by the art academy and Leifeng, with easy south hills access.
Lingyin / West Hills & Xixi
retreat nights on a longer trip
Temple valley seclusion or a wetland resort, superb for decompression but a taxi to dinner.
Wulin Square / Downtown
value base
The real commercial centre with better value hotels and excellent local eating, 15 minutes to the lake.
Think twice about
- Hangzhou East Station area
A rail hub of office towers and through traffic, dead at night and 25 to 30 minutes from the lake.
- Qianjiang New City / CBD
Gleaming and corporate with wide empty avenues, malls and a long commute across to West Lake.
- Xiaoshan
Airport side of the river, 45 plus minutes to the lake and a separate suburban city in feel.
- Inside the immediate Hefang Street tourist strip
Not dangerous, but noise, touting and inflated prices in the two most commercial blocks.
Best restaurants in Hangzhou
Jin Sha
The city's benchmark fine dining room and the one splurge meal to build a trip around.
Lou Wai Lou
The canonical address for West Lake vinegar fish and Beggar's chicken, best at weekday lunch.
Green Tea Restaurant
A beloved local flagship by the tea fields for lotus leaf chicken and Longjing shrimp.
Grandma's Home
Homestyle Hangzhou dishes at low prices, with a queue at every branch for a decade.
Hangzhou Restaurant
An old guard local favourite for Dongpo pork, smoked fish and generous solo friendly portions.
Shan Wai Shan
A century old name for fish head and freshwater cooking, the smart lunch after Lingyin.
1921 Hujing Restaurant
The lake view independent singled out for doing the city's best Longjing prawns.
Zhiweiguan
Hangzhou's snack institution since 1913 for xiaolongbao, noodles, wontons and Dingsheng cake.
Outdoor things to do in Hangzhou
Jiuxi Shibajian
Hangzhou's beloved shaded valley walk where nine creeks cross the path eighteen times.
Shili Langdang
A ridge traverse over tea terraces from Longjing Village down into Meijiawu for lunch.
Yunqi Bamboo Path
A short, cathedral quiet bamboo forest walk along a stream, cool even in summer.
Six Harmonies Pagoda
A 115 metre Song pagoda by the Qiantang River with painted ceilings on every level.
Xixi National Wetland Park
As an outdoors trip, take an early boat deep into the waterways then walk the village boardwalks.
Fuchun Golf Resort
An 18 hole championship course across tea gardens and hills along the Fuchun River.
West Lake International Golf & Country Club
A Jack Nicklaus designed 18 holes through tea fields and bamboo, the closer prestige club.
Wuzhen Water Town
The best preserved Jiangnan water town, transformed after dark when you stay inside Xizha.
Best hotels in Hangzhou
Four Seasons Hotel Hangzhou at West Lake
The default best hotel answer, in its own gardens on the lake's quiet north west shore.
Amanfayun
A converted tea farmers' village below Lingyin offering total seclusion for decompression.
Grand Hyatt Hangzhou
The luxury pick in the best base, with direct lake views and the metro outside.
West Lake State Guest House
A historic state retreat on the water whose sprawling gardens no commercial hotel can match.
Banyan Tree Hangzhou
A villa resort inside Xixi Wetland with private boat landings, the retreat base option.
Sofitel Hangzhou Westlake
The most consistently recommended mid tier lake hotel, steps from the south east shore.
Shangri-La Hotel, Hangzhou
The historic north shore grande dame in big gardens by Bai Causeway.
Midtown Shangri-La, Hangzhou
A full service downtown hotel a metro stop from the lake at business district prices.
Is Hangzhou expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | CN¥350 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | CN¥850 a person |
| Splurge | CN¥2,500 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Lingyin Temple: a few days ahead
- Feilai Feng: a few days ahead
- Impression West Lake: a few days ahead
- China National Tea Museum: a few days ahead
- China National Silk Museum: a few days ahead
- Jin Sha: a few days ahead
- Liangzhu Culture Archaeological Site: a few days ahead
- Liangzhu Museum: a few days ahead
- Lingyin and Feilai Feng need real name online reservation, at least the day before in peak season.
- Jin Sha needs days ahead at weekends. Free museums are reservation based and weekend slots go.
- Enduring Memories tickets should be bought 1 to 2 days ahead through a hotel or major platform.
Is Hangzhou safe?
- Hangzhou is very safe and late night walking by the lake and canal is normal.
- Watch for silent e-bikes on shared paths, slippery causeway stone after rain, and summer heat on tea hill walks.
- Obey Qiantang bore barriers absolutely. Emergency numbers are 110 for police and 120 for ambulance.
Hangzhou travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- The Longjing hard sell: unsolicited tea ceremonies and tour bus plantation stops with health claims. Taste first, set a budget, buy nothing under pressure.
- Hefang Street shopping prices are tourist prices and its antiques are not antiques.
- Black cars at stations and the airport. Use the taxi rank, DiDi or a hotel car.
Getting around Hangzhou: public transport and more
- Walk, use shared bikes, the canal water bus and occasional DiDi. The scenic west is bus, taxi and bike territory.
- Do not drive around the lake: weekend plate rationing, traffic controls and parking make cars the worst option.
Who Hangzhou suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Hangzhou your trip
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