Hangzhou
West Lake by boat and causeway, Lingyin's cliff-carved Buddhas, Dragon Well tea in the hill villages and the Grand Canal's last stone bridge — an hour by bullet train from Shanghai.
A sample 2-day Hangzhou route
The 2-day core. Day 1 is booking-free and stays on the north and east shore — the island boat, Solitary Hill, the Bai Causeway and Baoshi Hill — so a late flight or train costs nothing. Day 2 is the west: Lingyin at opening (booked 1–7 days ahead), the Dragon Well tea village, the Su Causeway and Leifeng Pagoda for sunset, ending in the old town.
- Day 1West Lake — the island boat, Solitary Hill, the Bai Causeway and the lakefront at nightOn the lake · North Lake · Hubin
- Day 2Lingyin at opening, Dragon Well tea, the Su Causeway and Leifeng at sunsetLingyin · Longjing · South Lake · Hefang & Wushan
This is one of several routes in the guide — change the length, budget and dates yourself in the workspace.
Where to eat in Hangzhou
MICHELIN & Bib picks show the year awarded — selections are revised yearly, so confirm current status before you go. Every name links to a Google Maps search.
- Kui Yuan Guan (Jiefang Road) MICHELIN ’26
Shrimp and fried-eel noodles (虾爆鳝面)
- Wu Zi Mian Guan Bib Gourmand ’26
Pian'er chuan
- Shi Wei Xian (Shangcheng) Bib Gourmand ’26
River fish
- Fu Yuan Ju (Hefang Street) Bib Gourmand ’26
Scallion-oil chicken
- Fang Lao Da (Jiangcheng Road) Bib Gourmand ’26
Pian'er chuan with pork kidney (腰花片儿川)
- Wang Ri Shun Hao (Zhongshan South Road) Bib Gourmand ’26
Pork-and-scallion flatbread (葱肉烧饼)
When to go to Hangzhou
Weather, daylight, blossom dates and holiday crowds vary year to year. Treat this as general guidance and check a forecast, the daily AQI (english.mee.gov.cn, aqicn.org or IQAir) and official event calendars close to your dates.
Winter Dec, Jan, Feb
Cold and damp, roughly 1–10°C, with frosty mornings and occasional light snow; older buildings and farmhouse tea terraces are poorly heated.
Do the causeways and the boat around midday when it is warmest, and keep the Zhejiang Provincial Museum (closed Mondays), Hu Qing Yu Tang and Leifeng Pagoda's enclosed galleries for cold or wet spells. Boats stop in strong wind.
Look out for: 'Lingering snow on the Broken Bridge' — one of the Ten Scenes of West Lake, after a rare snowfall, Plum blossom at Solitary Hill (Gushan) and Lingfeng from late January into March, New Year prayers at Lingyin Temple (book early)
Spring Mar, Apr, May
Mild and changeable, roughly 9–26°C.
Spring is the best time for a farmhouse tea glass in Longjing or Meijiawu — but agree the price before you sit, and buy only tea weighed and priced in front of you. Carry an umbrella and keep the China National Tea Museum (closed Tuesdays) in reserve for showers.
Look out for: New-season West Lake Longjing tea (pre-Qingming 'Mingqian' leaves are the most prized), Peach and willow on the Su Causeway in late March, Tulips at Taiziwan and Huagang Park in March–April
Summer Jun, Jul, Aug
Hot and very humid — Hangzhou is one of the Yangtze delta's hottest cities, often 32–38°C in July and August.
Start at 07:30 with Lingyin or the causeways, spend midday in the Zhejiang Provincial Museum, the Grand Canal Museum or a teahouse, and return to the lake after 17:00. Thunderstorms cancel boats and the open-air show.
Look out for: Lotus in flower at Quyuan Fenghe and along the Bai Causeway (best in July), Longer West Lake Musical Fountain schedules on summer evenings, Shaded walks at Jiuxi and the Lingyin valley
Autumn Sep, Oct, Nov
The best season: roughly 12–28°C, drier and clearer, cooling to 8–18°C by late November.
Ideal walking weather — give the Su Causeway and the Nine Creeks walk more time. With sunset near 17:00 in November, be at Leifeng Pagoda or Baoshi Hill by about 16:00 for the light.
Look out for: Sweet osmanthus (guihua) in flower from late September into October, especially at Manjuelong by the Hupao road, Autumn colour at Jiuxi, the Beishan Street plane trees and the Su Causeway metasequoias in late November to early December, Hairy crab and new-season chestnuts on menus
What Hangzhou costs
Per person, per day, excluding flights. A rough guide only — your costs depend on season, area and pace.
Budget
- Accommodation: Chain hotel (Hanting, Ji Hotel, Home Inn and similar) near Wushan Square or a Line 1 station (¥220–400 a room; hostel dorm beds from about ¥80).
- Meals: Pian'er chuan noodles at the MICHELIN-listed noodle shops, Zhi Wei Guan's snack hall, Hefang Street snacks and vegetarian noodles by Lingyin (¥15–60 a meal).
- Transport: Metro by Alipay or WeChat ride code (¥2–8 a ride), Bus 7 to Lingyin (¥2), walking on the causeways; a shared taxi to Lingyin or Longjing is only about ¥30.
- Attractions: Lingyin is free with a booking. The island boat (¥55, island entry included) and Leifeng Pagoda (¥40) are the two worth paying for; Yue Fei Temple (¥25) and Six Harmonies Pagoda (¥20) are cheap extras. For a free panorama, climb Baoshi Hill.
- Evening: The free Musical Fountain at Hubin, the lit Broken Bridge and Hefang Street's snack stalls.
Mid-range
- Accommodation: 4-star or boutique hotel in Hubin, around Wushan Square or at Wulin Square (¥550–1,100 a room).
- Meals: Hangzhou classics — Dongpo pork, Longjing shrimp, West Lake fish — at Lou Wai Lou or Hangzhou Restaurant, plus Bib Gourmand home cooking at Fu Yuan Ju or Ye Long Jing (¥60–250 a meal).
- Transport: Metro for the lake, Hangzhou East and the airport; DiDi or taxis for Lingyin, the tea villages and evenings.
- Attractions: The island boat, Leifeng Pagoda, a farmhouse glass of Longjing tea (about ¥30–60) and Xixi Wetland with the electric boat (¥80 + ¥60).
- Evening: A Hangzhou-cuisine dinner, the lit lake shore and Hefang Street; or the Impression West Lake show.
Comfortable
- Accommodation: 5-star lakeside hotel on Beishan Street or in Hubin, or a garden resort in the west hills (¥1,500–4,500 a room).
- Meals: MICHELIN-starred Zhejiang cooking — Jie Xiang Lou (two stars), Jin Sha or Longjing Manor (one star) — with lake-view lunches (¥300–1,500 a head).
- Transport: DiDi Premier or a hotel car between the lake, Lingyin and the tea hills; a private car and driver for Wuzhen.
- Attractions: Everything, plus a private hand-rowed boat on the lake, a private tea-farm visit and the VIP seats at the Impression West Lake show.
- Evening: A tasting menu, lake-view hotel bars, the Impression West Lake show.
Where to stay in Hangzhou
Stay on the east shore of West Lake — Hubin (Longxiangqiao, Line 1) or around Wushan Square and Hefang Street (Line 7 straight to the airport) — so the lake, the old town and a metro line are all on foot. Hotels register your passport with the police at check-in (required within 24 hours); most mid-range and international hotels take foreign guests, but some small guesthouses and tea-village homestays still cannot, so check that the listing accepts foreign passports. Prices are per room per night and jump at weekends, during Golden Week (1–7 Oct), Chinese New Year and the spring tea and autumn osmanthus seasons.
Hubin (Longxiangqiao)
First-timers, walking to the lake, food
Wushan Square / Hefang Street
Old-town lanes, the airport on Line 7
Beishan Street / west shore
Lake-view splurges, couples
Wulin Square
Value business hotels, shopping
Hangzhou East Station
Early trains, one-night stopovers
By budget
- Budget — S$42–76 · Chain hotels (Hanting, Ji Hotel, Home Inn and similar), Hostels near Hefang Street (dorm beds from about ¥80)
- Mid-range — S$105–210 · 4-star and international mid-scale hotels, Boutique and design hotels
- Comfortable — S$285–860 · 5-star lakeside hotels, Garden resorts in the west hills
- Pick a hotel within 5–10 minutes' walk of Longxiangqiao or Ding'an Road (Line 1) or Wushan Square (Line 7) — the lake is then on foot and the airport one ride away.
- Check that the hotel accepts foreign passports before you pay; Trip.com listings usually say so. Tea-village homestays often cannot register foreigners.
- Save the hotel's name and address in Chinese for taxis and DiDi.
Prices and foreign-guest acceptance change. Confirm the current rate and that the property can register a foreign passport before you pay.
Common Hangzhou mistakes to avoid
- Turning up at Lingyin Temple without a booking. Entry has been free since 1 Dec 2025 but needs a real-name slot in the '杭州灵隐飞来峰' mini-program (Alipay or WeChat), booked 1–7 days ahead — there is no same-day booking and no ticket window.
- Going to the China National Tea Museum on a Tuesday (both branches close on Tuesdays, not Mondays), or to the Zhejiang Provincial Museum or the Grand Canal Museum on a Monday.
- Buying 'Mingqian' Dragon Well tea from touts at the Longjing village bus stop or sitting down for tea without asking the price. Real top-grade West Lake Longjing costs thousands of yuan per 500 g — buy only where the tea is weighed and priced in front of you.
- Arriving without Alipay or WeChat Pay set up and tested — link your card, verify your passport and make a test payment in Singapore, and warn your bank. Hangzhou's metro takes the QR ride code, not foreign cards at the gates.
- Letting your Singapore SIM lapse: Alipay, WeChat, DiDi and your bank send one-time passwords to your +65 number.
- Relying on hotel Wi-Fi or a local SIM for Google, Instagram, WhatsApp or uploads — use roaming or an HK/SG-breakout eSIM.
- Assuming Changi Pay still works in China — its overseas QR payments ended on 1 Oct 2026. Use a card linked to Alipay/WeChat, DBS Remit to a Weixin Pay wallet, or OCBC's scan-and-pay.
- Pasting Google Maps coordinates into Amap or Baidu — China's maps use an offset datum, so pins land 100–700 m off (about 500 m around West Lake). Search by the Chinese name or address instead.
- Mixing up stations: Hangzhou East (high-speed hub), Hangzhou Railway Station (Chengzhan, central) and Hangzhou West (far west) are three different places; for Shanghai you almost always want Hangzhou East.
- Reaching Hangzhou East 15 minutes before departure — security queues are long and gates close a few minutes before the train (check the stop-boarding time in 12306).
- Doing West Lake at midday on a weekend or holiday. Walk the Broken Bridge and causeways early or after dark, and be at Lingyin for the 07:30 opening.
- Landing on the 22:50 SQ flight and expecting a train into town: the last Line 19 departure is 23:14 and Line 7 stops earlier — have DiDi or the taxi queue ready.
- Paying big hotel or mall bills through Alipay/WeChat with a foreign card (3% above ¥200) when the counter takes the card directly.
- Carrying only ¥100 notes — change can be short and counterfeit ¥100s circulate, even from ATMs.
- Accepting invitations to tea, a bar, a massage or an 'art student' gallery from friendly strangers in tourist areas.
- Staying in an Airbnb or private home without registering with the local police within 24 hours.
- Flying a drone over West Lake without CAAC real-name registration and activation (mandatory for new drones since 1 May 2026) — the scenic area is crowded and restricted.
- Miscounting the 30 visa-free days — they run from 00:00 the day after you arrive; keep a day in hand.
Good to know
Where to stay
Hubin (Longxiangqiao), Wushan Square / Hefang Street, Beishan Street / west shore, Wulin Square.
How long to go
2 days suits most visitors. Shorter and longer routes are built in, so you are never padding a trip to fill days.
Hangzhou travel guides
In-depth, free reads with real routes, Maps links, budgets and the mistakes to skip:
- Hangzhou in 2 Days: A Practical Itinerary
The island boat and the Bai Causeway, Lingyin Temple at opening, a glass of Dragon Well tea in the hills and Leifeng Pagoda at sunset — a practical two-day Hangzhou plan with Chinese names for taxi drivers, MICHELIN-listed noodles and Hangzhou classics, budgets and the China setup to do before you fly.
Plan a nearby trip
Easy to pair with Hangzhou on the same trip — tap through to a full guide.
Plan Hangzhou your way
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