Picturesque Hangzhou
Zhejiang Provincial capital Hangzhou has a history of more than 2,200 years since the establishment of the county under the Qin Dynasty and is one of the seven ancient capitals of China. Hailed as "paradise on earth", it's full of mountains, springs, lakes, bridges, towers, and temples, the colors in the scenery begin to diversify gradually over time.
There are a large number of natural and cultural relics in and around the West Lake, and there are no absolute boundaries between cities and parks. Surrounded by the greenery of nature everywhere, but without the sense of emptiness away from the city, this is what makes Hangzhou interesting. In the bustling downtown, the modern atmosphere and the ancient meaning are intertwined, giving tourists the most authentic and memorable Hangzhou.
Top things to do in Hangzhou
Ride and walk to touch the West Lake
The beauty of West Lake is diverse and dynamic. The lake water has infiltrated incomparable beauty and countless poems, songs, ancient and modern legends. In a quiet early morning, take a leisurely ride along the West Lake, or have a comfortable walk, to measure it inch by inch with your feet. Looking for flowers and enjoying willows, you can see through every bit of beauty in West Lake.
Infiltrate West Lake in the name of drinking tea
Hangzhou and Longjing, West Lake and the green tea are destined to forge an indissoluble bond. Bring a leisurely mood, find a teahouse by West Lake, look at the beautiful scenery, savor fragrant tea, meet the breeze, no worries and take it easy, maybe this is what the beautiful life is.
Explore the marketplace in the ancient streets
Hangzhou always combines modernity with tradition just right. At this moment, you are on Hubin Road, which is quite a petty bourgeoisie, but at the next moment, you have reached the antique Qinghefang street and Southern Song Imperial Street, where you can experience the vivid folklife in the ancient architectures. This kind of traversing always happens inadvertently in Hangzhou.
Night tour of the Grand Canal
The Grand Canal has a history of over 2,400 years, starting from Hangzhou in the south and reaching Beijing in the north, with a total length of 1,794KM. It is a great wonder in the history of Chinese water conservancy architecture and the longest man-made canal in the world. Some sections of the river are still navigable.
When touring the Grand Canal at night, you can see the scenery haunted by colorful lights at night, like a pretty lady in disguise. Riding the unique ancient canal boat, you can also feel up close to both sides of the Grand Canal that won the international "City, People, and Light" award, experience the unique charm of Jiangnan ink-and-green style, travel all the way through ancient and modern times, and understand the millennium.
Unusual experiences in secret Hangzhou
For those who would like to discover the unusual routes, the French plane trees, small alleys and old villas on Beishan Road, the red maple leaves around Lingyin Temple, and the ginkgo around Orioles Singing in the Willows park are all worth stopping.
To see a hidden West Lake, Maojiabu Scenic Area, Wuguitan Scenic Area, and Yuguwan Scenic Area in the YangGong Causeway are the ideal choices.
Mantoushan community is another place where you can experience the strong folk daily life of Hangzhou, with mountains, old houses, and railways.
The most literary and artistic experience is to take a ride on the few green-skinned trains at Nanxingqiao Railway Station (to Qiaosi). But be aware that it’s a commuter car for the staff, with strict management.
Top sights to visit in Hangzhou
West Lake
West Lake, one of China's top ten scenic spots, was included in the World Heritage List in 2011. With one mountain, two pagodas, three islands, three causeways, and five lakes as the basic layout, the famous ten views of the West Lake are dotted among them, nature and humanity contrast with each other, which is beautiful. To appreciate the beauty of West Lake, travelers can walk, drive, take a cruise, take a battery car, or ride a bicycle.
Lingyin Temple
Adjacent to the West Lake, founded in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, also known as Yunlin Temple, Lingyin Temple is the earliest Buddhist temple in China and one of the top ten ancient temples in China. Many exquisite cultural relics of various dynasties still remain. There are many fantastic and ever-changing caves on the mountain, which are rare ancient grotto art treasures in southern China.
Six Harmonies Pagoda
This ancient pagoda, which is nearly 60 meters high with a unique structure of "seven bright and six dark", has 13 floors from the outside, but actually only seven floors inside. It’s climbable and the stairs become narrower as you go up, visitors can go out to view the outside scenery on each floor. While ascending to its top, you will have a panoramic view of the billowing Qiantang River and the beautiful scenery of its banks.
Xixi Wetland Park
Xixi Wetland was once called the "Three West", together with West Lake and the Xiling Society of Seal Arts. Xixi Wetland, with a quiet environment and vertical and horizontal waterways, is a rare natural wetland in the city and is known as the "Kidney of Hangzhou". Traveling through the intricate waterways by boat is the best way to experience the natural ecology of Xixi Wetland.
Hefang Street
Located at the foot of Wushan Mountain, Hefang Street is part of Qinghefang, an ancient street with a long history and profound cultural heritage. Here is a place with a collection of specialty snacks, antiques, calligraphy and paintings, and shops. There are about a hundred time-honored and characteristic shops in Hangzhou.
China National Silk Museum
Located on the bank of West Lake, China National Silk Museum is the first national silk museum and the largest silk museum in the world. Here you can not only learn about the story of silk but also buy silk items.
The local specialty in Hangzhou
Hangzhou has rich local specialties, the famous ones include Longjing tea, Tianzhu chopsticks, Wang Xingji paper fans, Silk gauze, West Lake silk umbrella, Soochow brocade, Hangzhou embroidery, etc., which are very good souvenirs to bring back after your China tour.
Generally speaking, due to the large discounts, many people choose to go shopping in Hangzhou's most prosperous Wulin commercial district and Hubin commercial district. Yan'an Road-Jiefang Road around Wulin Square is the main commercial street in Hangzhou. In addition, the Hangpai women's clothing on Wulin Road, Sijiqing Clothing Market, Hangzhou Silk City, etc. are nice wholesale markets for shopping.
Best time to visit Hangzhou
Located in the subtropical monsoon zone, Hangzhou enjoys a subtropical monsoon climate, with four distinct seasons and abundant rainfall. Hangzhou has a hot and humid summer, cold and dry winter, but pleasant spring and autumn, hence spring and autumn, particularly March to April and September to October, become the most popular seasons to travel to Hangzhou. However, to taste Hangzhou, it doesn't matter the season or the weather, it is because that West Lake is like a magician, regardless of spring, summer, autumn, winter, cloudy, sunny, rainy, or snowy, she can transform into a beautiful appearance.
- March-May: The breeze is warm and the water is intoxicating, the most suitable for strolling Sudi and enjoying the flowers.
- June-August: Summer season, the weather is hot, and the lotus in the West Lake is blooming in full swing under the scorching sun.
- September-November: The weather is high and fresh in autumn, and the sweet-scented osmanthus scented ten miles. It is especially worth seeing around the Mid-Autumn Festival, watching the Qiantang tide during the day, and swim the lake to see the moon at night.
- December-February: Winter plums are flowering, the three sacred sites for plum appreciation in Gushan, Lingfeng plum, and Chaoshan plum are indispensable. The famous scenic "Broken Bridge and Remnant Snow'' is also here. The most moving season.
How to get to Hangzhou
Flight to Hangzhou
Located in the east of Hangzhou, 27KM away from the city center (about 1 hour's drive by bus or taxi), Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport is the first air gateway in Zhejiang Province. As of the end of 2017, it had a total of 62 airlines in operation (31 domestic, 6 regionals, and 25 international), connecting 113 domestic cities (Beijing, Chengdu, Xi'an, Guangzhou, etc.) and 49 international cities (Amsterdam, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Sydney, Madrid, Rome, etc.).
Train to Hangzhou
As one of the main cities in prosperous eastern China, Hangzhou has a mature railway network. The three main railway stations (Hangzhou Railway Station, Hangzhou East Railway Station, and Yuhang Railway Station) operating high-speed trains and regular trains to connect almost all important cities and main travel destinations of China, such as Beijing, Shanghai, Suzhou, Huangshan, Nanjing, Guilin, Xiamen, Guangzhou, Chengdu, Chongqing, Xi’an, Kunming, Guiyang, Lanzhou, Lhasa, Urumqi, etc.
Bus to Hangzhou
The 4 main long-distance bus stations in Hangzhou (the Passenger Transport Center, West Station, South Station, North Station) bring the passengers to different directions, such as Chun'an (Qiandao Lake), Tunxi, Huangshan, Jingdezhen, Shangrao, Jiujiang, Beijing, Shanghai, Suzhou, Nanjing, etc. In addition, there are 2 Tourist Distribution Centers mainly sending buses to popular tourist destinations near Hangzhou such as Wuzhen, Xitang, Fuyang, Jiande, Hengdian, Tongli, Anji, and other places.
Travel around Hangzhou
With a complete public transport network, tourists can easily travel around Hangzhou by taking public buses, metros, taxies, or bicycles. For budget travelers, taking the metro (with English directions) is the easiest and most convenient way to travel around the city, and costs CN¥ 2-9. The shared bikes are a good choice to explore West Lake, with a fare of CN¥ 1-8 per bike. For those preferring to have more privacy and travel easier, catching a taxi seems to be a good option, with the starting price of CN¥ 13. And hiring a private car through a local China travel agency would be perfect for family travel with kids or seniors.
Lodging and dining in Hangzhou
Lodging in Hangzhou
Accommodation in Hangzhou is very complete and convenient, ranging from local guesthouses or youth hostels to international 5-star or even higher standard hotels. High-end hotels such as Four Seasons Hotel Hangzhou at West Lake and Hangzhou West Lake Golden Plaza Hotel are mainly concentrated in Wulin Square and West Lake Scenic Area; express hotels are mostly located in the cultural and educational district and Wushan Square; the backpackers’ favorite youth hostels are mainly concentrated in Nanshan Road, Wushan Square, Hupao Road. In short, the hotels around West Lake Scenic Area are the first choice for accommodation in Hangzhou.
Food in Hangzhou
In addition to the world-famous scenery of West Lake, Hangzhou cuisine also makes people linger. It naturally follows the usual "lightness" of Jiangsu and Zhejiang, focusing on the original flavor, light greasy and light seasoning when cooking, but less sweet than Shanghai Suzhou Wuxi cuisine. Generally, the Lajijie Food Street, Wushan Night Market by Hefang Street, and Zhongshan Road are the most popular place for tourists to taste the authentic snacks and dishes of Hangzhou, particularly the Zhongshan Road which is favored by the locals.
Here is the must-try food in Hangzhou for your inspiration:
- The old duck stewed with bamboo root and ham of Zhangshengji Restaurant;
- The dongpo pork and beggar's chicken of Hubin 28 Restaurant;
- Drunken shrimp and West Lake Fish in Vinegar Gravy of Xihu State Guesthouse Lagerstroemia Office;
- Stir-fried prawns with Longjing tea of Jinsha Restaurant in Four Seasons Hotel Hangzhou At West Lake;
- Fried shrimp of Xinzhouji Homely Restaurant;
- Sister song's fish broth of Zhi Wei Guan Weizhuang Restaurant (Yanggongdi Shop);
- West Lake Water Shield Soup of Louwailou, cat ear noodles, and Zhiwei Xiaolongbao of Zhi Wei Guan Restaurant;
- Pian'er Chuan noodles and sautéed eel and prawns noodles and in Kui Yuan Guan Restaurant.