Things to do in Wuhan
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Wuhan
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best spring window, with cherry blossom peak in the last ten days of March and mild temperatures.
Best autumn window, clear skies, East Lake foliage and the densest cultural calendar of the year.
Plum rain season, grey and humid, though crayfish are at their best and the lotus starts on East Lake.
Worst heat, furnace city conditions with high humidity and thunderstorms, so plan outdoor time for mornings and evenings.
Cold and damp Yangtze winter, with the city emptying over Spring Festival in January or February.
A shoulder month that improves week by week into the autumn season.
Warm and green before the rains, a reasonable second choice if spring blossom dates do not work.
What's on
- East Lake Cherry Blossom Season mid-March to early April, peak around 20 to 30 March
Ten thousand trees in the blossom garden with night illuminations, plus the Wuhan University avenues.
- Wuhan Marathon April, date varies by year
The big spring road race across bridges, the lake and the riverfront, a strong spectator weekend.
- Dragon Boat Festival 5th day of the 5th lunar month, May or June
Dragon boat races on East Lake for the Duanwu festival, with zongzi sold across the city.
- Yangtze River Crossing Festival mid-July, around 16 July
Wuhans historic mass swim across the Yangtze, best watched from the banks and bridges.
- Qintai Music Festival September to November autumn season, dates vary by year
A headline part of Wuhans autumn cultural season, alongside hundreds of programmed events.
- Wuhan International Acrobatic Art Festival September to November autumn season, dates vary by year
An international acrobatics festival staged within Wuhans autumn cultural season.
Best things to do in Wuhan
Yellow Crane Tower
Wuhans signature tower on Snake Hill, climbed for the Yangtze panorama, the first bridge and both skylines.
Hubei Provincial Museum
A free museum built around the Marquis Yi chime bells and the Sword of Goujian, worth a full half day.
East Lake Cherry Blossom Garden
Around ten thousand cherry trees and a pagoda on East Lake, with night illuminations at peak bloom in late March.
Wuhan University
A wooded hilltop campus of palatial old buildings above East Lake, famous across China for its cherry avenues.
Hankou Jiangtan
Kilometres of riverfront park on the Hankou bank, best at dusk for the light show and the Wuchang skyline.
Jianghan Customs House Museum
The 1924 customs house and bell tower, with a compact museum that makes treaty port Hankou make sense.
Gude Temple
A working Buddhist temple in a Burmese, Indian and European mix of forms, unlike any other temple in the city.
Guiyuan Temple
Hanyangs great temple, famous for its hall of five hundred gilded arhat statues, each with a different face.
Where to stay in Wuhan
Chu River Han Street and East Lake, Wuchang
first trips built around the museum, lake and tower
Modern dining boulevard and the Han Show, with quick access to the provincial museum, East Lake and the tower.
Hankou Bund and Jianghan Road, Hankou
all round first timers, food and evenings
Concession architecture, the customs house, late dinners and the Jiangtan riverfront as your evening park.
Hanyang Riverside
quieter river views and the Guiyuan Temple day
The slowest of the three towns, across the rivers from the others, with Guiyuan Temple and Qingchuan Pavilion nearby.
Wuchang Old Town, Yellow Crane Tower and Hubu Alley
early starts and budget travellers
Atmospheric lanes by the tower and Hubu Alley, a five minute walk to breakfast and the tower at opening.
Think twice about
- Optics Valley (Guanggu), Hongshan
A business and university district far east beyond the lake. Fine for work or campus visits, poor as a sightseeing base with long evening rides back from the riverfront.
- Tianhe Airport area
A transit zone about 40 minutes northwest of the centre with few hotels and little to eat or do at night. Use it only for an early flight.
- Wuhan Railway Station perimeter, Qingshan
A high speed rail hub area east of the lake with limited evening life. Good for trains, weak as a base for the tower, museum or riverfront days.
- Hanzheng Street wholesale district, Hankou
Fascinating wholesale streets by day that shutter into quiet, confusing lanes at night. Visit by day, sleep on the riverfront instead.
Best restaurants in Wuhan
Cai Lin Ji
The reference bowl of hot dry noodles in sesame paste, the first reganmian every visitor should try.
Lao Tongcheng
The old brand address for doupi, a crisp crepe skin filled with glutinous rice, egg and mushrooms.
Hubu Alley
A short breakfast alley by the tower covering the whole Wuhan canon in one grazing pass before nine.
Shanhaiguan Road
A residential Hankou breakfast street where the morning queues are local, cheaper and calmer than Hubu Alley.
Hujin Restaurant
A neighbourhood Hubei kitchen for steamed Wuchang fish and pork rib soup with lotus root.
Kanglong Taizi Restaurant
The best known name for a smarter Hubei dinner, built around steamed Wuchang fish and lotus root dishes.
Big Crawfish House (Shipailing Main Branch)
Trays of braised crayfish with gloves and beer until late, the definitive Wuhan summer dinner.
Jiqing Street
Wuhans classic night eating street, open fronted restaurants, street musicians and Hubei home cooking.
Outdoor things to do in Wuhan
East Lake Greenway
Car free lakeside cycling past lotus ponds and metasequoia avenues, the best active half day in Wuhan.
East Lake Tingtao Scenic Area
The shady old shore of East Lake, with pavilions, lotus ponds and boats for hire from the piers.
Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge
Walk the first bridge across the Yangtze, then ride the commuter ferry back at river level for a few yuan.
Wuhan Botanical Garden
A research garden on a green East Lake peninsula, with lotus displays, greenhouses and a spring tulip show.
Mulan Mountain
A temple wrapped granite peak tied to the Mulan legend, climbed by stone steps about an hour north of the city.
Mulan Tianchi
A gorge walk up to a clear upland lake that runs cooler than downtown, with a long slide for the way down.
Mulan Grassland
Open grassland in Huangpi for horse riding, archery and bonfire evenings, an easy family day out of the city.
Wuhan International Country Club
Wuhans championship 18 hole course, a par 72 of about 7180 yards set through lakeside terrain.
Best hotels in Wuhan
Wanda Reign Wuhan
The city flagship luxury hotel by Han Street and the lake district, with large rooms, spa and pool.
Wuhan Marriott Hotel Wuchang
A dependable international hotel near Han Street, the museum and the lake at upper mid prices.
East Lake Hotel
A historic lakeside estate hotel in gardens inside the East Lake scenic area, calm and low rise.
Hanting Hotel Wuhan Chuhe Hanjie Metro Station
A clean budget chain branch by the Hanjie metro station, minutes from Han Street dining.
The Ritz-Carlton, Wuhan
Hankous newest international luxury flag by MixC, with club level polish and skyline views.
Marco Polo Wuhan
A riverfront hotel facing the Yangtze by the Jiangtan and ferry piers, the Hankou value pick.
Dorsett Wuhan
A modern hotel directly on Jianghan Road pedestrian street, stepping out into shopping and snacks.
Hilton Wuhan Riverside
A full service riverside Hilton in Hanyang with gardens, a pool and wide Yangtze views.
Is Wuhan expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | CN¥260 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | CN¥600 a person |
| Splurge | CN¥1,100 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Hubei Provincial Museum: weeks ahead
- East Lake Cherry Blossom Garden: a few days ahead
- Wuhan University: a few days ahead
- The Han Show Theatre: a few days ahead
- Wuhan International Country Club: weeks ahead
- Hubin Keshe · Hubei Cuisine: a few days ahead
- XISHE RESTAURANT: a few days ahead
- Book the free Hubei Provincial Museum timed slot with ID as soon as dates are fixed, and note it closes on Mondays.
- In blossom season Wuhan University entry is reservation only with capped numbers, announced close to the season.
- Ticket the Han Show and night cruises a few days ahead in season, and book Huangpi day trips as a car or small tour.
Is Wuhan safe?
- Watch for fast e bikes and scooters on pavements and at crossings, the main everyday hazard.
- Ignore unofficial tour and car offers around the three stations and the tower, and book through a hotel or platform.
- In summer, sightsee early and late, hydrate, and treat midday heat as a health risk, not a discomfort.
Wuhan travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Do Hubu Alley once and early, then graduate to Shanhaiguan Road or Liangdao Street for local prices.
- The paid night cruise is comfortable, but the two yuan ferry and the free Jiangtan promenade deliver most of the same view.
- Chu River Han Street is a modern development in historic costume, not an old street.
- Never schedule outdoor sights between noon and four in summer in this furnace city.
Getting around Wuhan: public transport and more
- Use the metro for almost everything and cross the river once a day on purpose, not three times by accident.
- Wuhan Station, Hankou Station and Wuchang Station are three different stations in three districts, so read your ticket twice.
- Ride the Zhonghua Road to Wuhan Guan commuter ferry for a couple of yuan and the best low angle bridge views.
- Set up Alipay or WeChat Pay before arrival and keep the hotel name and address in Chinese characters on your phone.
Who Wuhan suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Great |
| Couples | Good |
| Bachelor parties | OK |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Wuhan your trip
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