Things to do in Shaoxing
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Shaoxing
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best spring window, mild weather, gardens at their best and reliable water at Wuxie after spring rain.
Best autumn window, with the Rice Wine Festival in October and cooler walking weather into mid November.
Plum rain in June and early July, then heat, making sightseeing an early morning activity.
Hottest months, best handled with early starts, museums and Qiaobo indoor skiing at midday.
Cold and damp, but the Anchang Layue Festival before Chinese New Year is the compensating prize.
What's on
- Lanting International Calligraphy Festival third day of the third lunar month, usually April
Calligraphers gather at the Orchid Pavilion to honour the floating cups gathering.
- Shaoxing Rice Wine Festival October
A city festival of wine culture programmes, food streets, lantern shows and wine exhibitions.
- Anchang Layue Festival twelfth lunar month, usually January to February
The town hangs cured meats and sausages for the New Year, with heritage markets and performances.
- Houshan Peach Blossom Festival March
A local hillside blossom and hiking festival in the Shaoxing hills.
Best things to do in Shaoxing
Lu Xun Native Place
A free preserved district of Lu Xun houses, his Hundred Grass Garden and Three Flavour Study in the old city.
Shen Garden
A Song dynasty garden famous for the Lu You and Tang Wan love story and its night performance.
East Lake
A lake inside an ancient quarry, best seen from a black awning boat squeezing through its rock caves.
Orchid Pavilion
The calligraphy shrine where Wang Xizhi held the floating cups gathering beside the winding stream in AD 353.
Keyan Scenic Area
A full day quarry complex with a Sui dynasty Buddha, the Cloud Bone pillar, Jianhu Lake and Luzhen town.
China Huangjiu Museum
The structured way into Shaoxing yellow wine, with brewing history and tastings across its four main styles.
Guyuelongshan
A historic producer for a guided cellar tasting of aged Shaoxing wines paired with traditional snacks.
Cangqiao Street
A living canal street of white walls and black tiles where residents still live, shop and run teahouses.
Where to stay in Shaoxing
Yuecheng Old City
first trip, walkable sights and dining
Walk to Lu Xun Native Place, Shen Garden and Cangqiao, with the widest choice of Shaoxing restaurants.
Jianhu Keyan Resort, Keqiao
families, resort weekend, Keyan and Qiaobo
Lakeside resort hotels near Keyan and indoor skiing, with a taxi commute to the old city sights.
Dayu and Kuaiji Mountain
quiet second stay, families with a car
Green foothills by Dayu Mausoleum, village style stays and very little to do after dark by design.
Think twice about
- Shaoxing North Station and Keqiao textile district
A working wholesale and rail zone that is dead for visitors at night and turns every sight into a commute.
- Shangyu District
Administratively Shaoxing but about an hour away, so its luxury hotels are destination resorts, not a Shaoxing base.
- Anchang and Keyan for multiple nights
Both go quiet when day visitors leave, with thin evening dining beyond a few streets.
Best restaurants in Shaoxing
Xianheng Tavern
The famous Lu Xun tavern table: warmed yellow wine, fennel beans, drunken chicken and preserved vegetable pork.
Kong Yiji Jiudian
The themed Kong Yiji restaurant that locals still rate highly for the full Shaoxing spread in one sitting.
Lantingji Shaoxing Cai
The refined end of Shaoxing cooking, best in a private room with aged wine pairings for an occasion.
Xunbaoji
The home style Shaoxing restaurant on the Lu Xun street where a queue forms at meal times.
Tongxin Restaurant
A canteen priced local restaurant anchoring the cheap tier, with a real Shaoxing lunch for very little money.
Wang's Steamed Dumplings
The highest rated small bite in the current data, steamed dumplings best eaten in the morning where they are made.
Cangqiao Street
Street grazing for stinky tofu, cream xiaopan, radish cakes and yellow wine popsicles along the canal street.
Anchang Ancient Town
A living canal town famous for cured sausages, sauce duck and soy sauce foods hanging outside its shops.
Outdoor things to do in Shaoxing
Fushan Park
A free in city hill climb to the Yue King Terrace for the panorama over old city roofs and canals.
Dayu Mausoleum
The mausoleum of Yu the Great at the foot of Kuaiji Mountain, with wooded hillside paths above it.
Jianhu Lake
Shaoxing mother lake crossed by wupeng boat to wine islands, then walked back along the ancient towpath.
Wuxie Scenic Area
One stream falling in five cascades through a forested canyon, climbed from the fifth waterfall to the first.
Qiaobo Ice and Snow World
A large indoor ski hall inside the Keyan resort, the best hot day or rainy day active reset in Shaoxing.
Jianhu Golf Club
Shaoxing golf by Jianhu Lake, but visitor access must be confirmed through a hotel concierge before planning a round.
Jinghu National Wetland Park
A flat, free wetland and lake park for easy cycling and walking, with egrets and big sky reflections.
Best hotels in Shaoxing
Mumian Shaoxing, In The Unbound Collection by Hyatt
The design hotel splurge in a converted industrial heritage property, with large suites and a tatami tea room.
Xianheng Hotel
The classic Shaoxing stay directly by Lu Xun former residence and Shen Garden, with courtyard rooms.
Shaoxing Hotel
A large, calm grand hotel in the downtown area with a strong breakfast, the traditional alternative to Xianheng.
Holiday Inn Shaoxing
The value chain pick with predictable systems, a wide breakfast and 24 hour laundry at local premium undercutting prices.
Pokkei Shaoxing Hotel
The resort splurge by Jianhu Lake, design led and family friendly, marketed with an adjacent golf course.
Hyatt Place Shaoxing Keqiao
A newer midscale hotel near the Keyan resort, a sensible family base for Keyan, Qiaobo and Anchang.
Grand House Shaoxing
New Jiangnan style village houses with modern heating and cooling under Kuaiji Mountain, loved by families.
Is Shaoxing expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | CN¥280 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | CN¥600 a person |
| Splurge | CN¥1,400 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Lu Xun Native Place: a few days ahead
- Orchid Pavilion: a few days ahead
- Keyan Scenic Area: a few days ahead
- Guyuelongshan: weeks ahead
- Dayu Mausoleum: a few days ahead
- Wuxie Scenic Area: a few days ahead
- Qiaobo Ice and Snow World: a few days ahead
- Jianhu Golf Club: weeks ahead
- Reserve Lu Xun Native Place free entry a day ahead by real name on the Shaoxing Culture and Tourism WeChat account, with your passport.
- Check Shen Garden night shows, Keyan joint tickets and Lanting tickets online before peak season visits.
- Confirm Jianhu Golf visitor access and any private brewery tasting through a concierge before building a day on them.
Is Shaoxing safe?
- Wet bluestone and quarry paths are slippery, especially at East Lake and after rain at Wuxie.
- Keep hands inside wupeng boats and take care when boarding, especially with children.
- Huangjiu drinks easier than its strength suggests, especially when warmed. Emergency numbers are 110 and 120.
Shaoxing travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Luzhen inside Keyan is a replica town, so do not let it replace Anchang or the real old city lanes.
- Buy aged huangjiu at a producer shop or city supermarket, not at scenic lane gift prices.
- Ask the price before ordering in Anchang, where some restaurants quote by dish.
- Do not buy the ancient city pass unless Shen Garden, East Lake and Lanting are all firmly in your plan.
Getting around Shaoxing: public transport and more
- Metro Line 1 links Keqiao and Keyan through the old city, with Lu Xun Guli station about 300 m from the Native Place.
- Walk the old city web of Lu Xun, Shen Garden, Cangqiao, Bazi Bridge and the Huangjiu Museum.
- Use DiDi for East Lake, Lanting, Dayu and Anchang, rather than hailing taxis at a hotel door.
- High speed trains reach Hangzhou in about 20 to 30 minutes, and Shaoxingbei is the main high speed station.
Who Shaoxing suits
| Solo travellers | Great |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Shaoxing your trip
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