Hangzhou: what to see, where to stay and how to get around

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Hangzhou was from 1138 the capital of the Southern Song dynasty and perhaps the largest city in the world; Marco Polo called it the finest city on earth. A Chinese saying puts it beside Suzhou: above is heaven, below are Suzhou and Hangzhou. Its West Lake, shaped by centuries of poets and governors, became a World Heritage site in 2011. China requires a visa; check the rules for Israeli passports. Half a day on foot or by rented bicycle.

A short history of Hangzhou

Hangzhou flourished after the Grand Canal was dug at the beginning of the 7th century, and the city became its southern end. In 1138 the Southern Song dynasty made it their capital, and in the 13th century it was perhaps the largest city in the world; Marco Polo described it with admiration. West Lake, in the heart of the city, shaped Chinese poetry and painting for centuries, and in 2011 it was declared a World Heritage Site. The company Alibaba was founded in the city in 1999. In 2016 Hangzhou hosted the G20 summit, and in 2023 the Asian Games.

The ten best sights in Hangzhou

1
Bai Causeway
The willow causeway to Solitary Hill
2
Solitary Hill
An island hill of gardens and pavilions
3
Zhejiang Provincial Museum
On Solitary Hill; free
4
Yue Fei Temple
The tomb of a betrayed general
5
Baochu Pagoda
A slender pagoda above the north shore
6
Su Causeway
Nearly three kilometres across the lake
7
Three Pools Mirroring the Moon
The island on the one-yuan note
8
Huagang Park
Carp pools and peonies
9
Leifeng Pagoda
The pagoda of the White Snake legend
10
Jingci Temple
The evening bell across the lake

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What is an audio walk?

Tours in Hangzhou →

A guide in your headphones: open the walk on our site, walk from stop to stop, and at each one your phone tells its story. No guide, no group, and free. This is the first walk in Hangzhou:

Free walking tours in Hangzhou

West Lake: the north shore

Baochu Pagoda · A slender pagoda on the hill above the north shore, first built in the tenth century and rebuilt in 1933, its thin spire the counterpart of the stout Leifeng pagoda across the water — the two were likened to a beauty and an old monk.
Bai Causeway · A causeway of willows and peach trees named after the poet Bai Juyi, governor of Hangzhou in the 820s. At its eastern end, the Broken Bridge is where, in the legend of the White Snake, the snake spirit in human form meets the young man she will marry.
Zhejiang Provincial Museum · On Solitary Hill, beside the Wenlan Pavilion, one of seven libraries built in the eighteenth century to house the Complete Library of the Four Treasuries, an imperial collection of some thirty-six thousand volumes.
Louwailou · A restaurant opened on the lake shore in 1848, famous for West Lake vinegar fish, a grass carp poached and covered in a sweet-and-sour glaze, and for Dongpo pork, slow-braised pork belly named after the poet-governor Su Dongpo.
Yue Fei Temple · The tomb of Yue Fei, the general who fought the invading Jurchen and was executed in 1142 on false charges by the chancellor Qin Hui. Before the tomb kneel iron statues of Qin Hui and his wife, at which visitors for centuries used to spit.
Su Causeway · Almost three kilometres long with six arched bridges, built around 1090 by the poet Su Dongpo, then governor, from the mud he had dredged from the silting lake. Spring dawn on the Su Causeway is the first of the classic Ten Scenes of West Lake.

Temples and tea

West of the lake, wooded hills hide one of China’s great Buddhist temples and the terraces of Longjing, the most famous green tea in China. Half a day by bus or taxi; go early to beat the crowds at Lingyin.

Feilai Feng · The peak that flew here: an Indian monk, Huili, said this limestone hill looked exactly like one in India and must have flown to China. Its caves and cliffs hold hundreds of Buddhist carvings from the tenth to the fourteenth centuries, among them a laughing Buddha.
Lingyin Temple · The temple of the soul’s retreat, founded by Huili in 328 and rebuilt many times, one of the largest in China. During the Cultural Revolution it was saved from the Red Guards on the order of Premier Zhou Enlai.
China National Tea Museum · A museum among tea gardens telling the history of tea, from the Tang dynasty, when the scholar Lu Yu wrote the first book about it, to the pottery, rituals and varieties of today.
Longjing Village · The village of Dragon Well tea, flat green leaves pressed by hand in hot woks. Legend says the Qianlong emperor picked tea here and made eighteen bushes by a temple imperial property; they are still shown to visitors.
Meijiawu · A valley of tea farms where families serve the new tea in glasses so you can watch the leaves unfold, especially in spring, when the first pre-rain harvest, picked before early April, fetches the highest price.
Six Harmonies Pagoda · A pagoda first built in 970 above the Qiantang River to calm its tidal bore, a wave that rushes up the river with the autumn tides, several metres high, and is watched by crowds every year.

The south shore and the old city

The south shore holds the lake’s islands and legends; behind it, the old streets of the Southern Song capital. Half a day; finish at Leifeng at sunset.

Hu Qing Yu Tang · A traditional Chinese pharmacy founded in 1874 by the merchant Hu Xueyan, in a carved wooden hall that still sells herbs. Over the inside of the door hangs his motto, facing the staff rather than the customers: no cheating.
Hefang Street · A restored street of the old city with shops of silk, fans and tea, and snack stalls of the Southern Song capital, among them dragon-beard candy pulled into thousands of threads.
Chenghuang Pavilion · A tower on Wu Hill, the hill of the city god, from which the lake spreads out on one side and the towers of the modern city — home of Alibaba — on the other.
Three Pools Mirroring the Moon · An island with ponds inside it, reached by boat, beside which stand three small stone pagodas in the water, first placed by Su Dongpo to mark where water plants must not grow. At the mid-autumn festival candles are lit inside them, and the view is printed on the one-yuan note.
Huagang Park · Viewing fish at Flower Harbour, one of the Ten Scenes: a garden of peonies and ponds of red and gold carp that crowd the bridges when visitors arrive.
Leifeng Pagoda · In the legend the White Snake was imprisoned beneath it. The original tower collapsed in 1924, weakened partly by people stealing its bricks, believed to bring healing; it was rebuilt in 2002 over the preserved ruins, which can be seen through the floor.

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Getting to Hangzhou and getting around

Hangzhou East Station · High-speed trains; Shanghai in about an hour
Hangzhou Station · The old central station near the lake

Cheap eats in Hangzhou

Hangzhou cooking is gentle and slightly sweet: Dongpo pork, braised pork belly; West Lake vinegar fish; Longjing shrimp, river shrimp stir-fried with tea leaves; beggar’s chicken baked in clay; and pian’erchuan, noodles with pickled greens, bamboo shoots and pork, a favourite of the morning. A bowl of noodles costs about three or four dollars.

Hefang Street · Snacks of the old city
Louwailou · Vinegar fish and Dongpo pork
Longjing Village · Tea-leaf shrimp at the farms

Museums in Hangzhou

Hangzhou has free national museums of silk and tea, and the provincial museum on the lake.

China National Silk Museum · Silk and looms
China National Tea Museum · The story of tea
Zhejiang Provincial Museum · The imperial library

Nature and day trips near Hangzhou

A lake ringed by wooded hills and tea terraces.

Su Causeway · Spring dawn
Meijiawu · Tea valley walks
Huagang Park · Peonies and carp

Things to do in Hangzhou with kids

With children: a boat to an island, carp to feed, bicycles on the causeways and a pagoda lift.

Three Pools Mirroring the Moon · The boat to the island
Huagang Park · The carp
Leifeng Pagoda · The snake legend

Holy places in Hangzhou

Buddhist temples of the hills, and the shrine of a hero.

Lingyin Temple · The great temple
Jingci Temple · The evening bell
Yue Fei Temple · The loyal general

Nightlife in Hangzhou

Hangzhou’s evenings are the musical fountain and lit causeways on the lake, and bars around Hubin.

Bai Causeway · The lake at night
Hefang Street · The night street

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Frequently asked questions about Hangzhou

What is there to see in Hangzhou?

The top sights in Hangzhou are Bai Causeway, Solitary Hill and Zhejiang Provincial Museum. The full list on this page has 10 sights, each with a photo and a short note.

How many days do you need in Hangzhou?

Three to four days are enough to see the best of Hangzhou without rushing, including at least one walking tour.

Is there a free walking tour in Hangzhou?

Yes. sleepntrip has 3 free audio walks in Hangzhou, with no guide and no group: your phone tells the story at every stop. The first one: West Lake: the north shore.

How do you get to Hangzhou and get around?

The main ways are Hangzhou East Station and Hangzhou Station. Full details are in the transport section on this page.

Where to stay in Hangzhou, and for how much?

sleepntrip shows only rooms in Hangzhou that meet nine conditions: a good location, high guest scores, cleanliness, and a price of up to $80 a night for two. Pick your dates and see what is free.

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