Hangzhou: West Lake, tea hills and the Grand Canal
Two days for the West Lake circuit, the Lingyin temple and Feilaifeng carvings, the Longjing tea hills and the southern end of the Grand Canal.
The short answer
Hangzhou needs two days. Day one is the free 15 km (9.3-mile) West Lake loop and Leifeng Pagoda; day two the Lingyin temple and Feilaifeng grottoes, the Longjing tea hills and the Grand Canal. Shanghai is 45 minutes away by rail.
- West Lake is free and the full circuit is 15 km (9.3 miles); a bike is ¥20–30 a day.
- Lingyin temple and Feilaifeng are free from 1 December 2025, but need a timed reservation a day ahead.
- Shanghai Hongqiao to Hangzhou East is 45 minutes by high-speed rail, from ¥73.
- The Songcheng show runs nightly and costs ¥249–320 including the park.
The lake the city is built around
Hangzhou has grown to nine million people around a single sheet of water, and West Lake still sets the city's shape. The lake is free and open all day, and the classic circuit is 15 km (9.3 miles) — two to four hours on foot, less by bike. The Su Causeway runs 2.8 km (1.7 miles) across the water; the Yanggong Causeway, on the western side, is quieter and is the stretch most locals walk.
Temples and tea
West of the lake, the Feilaifeng grottoes hold more than 300 Buddhist carvings cut between the 10th and 14th centuries, and the Lingyin temple behind them is one of China's largest working monasteries. From 1 December 2025 the site is free, replacing the old ¥75 combined ticket, but entry runs on a real-name timed reservation capped at 35,000 a day on weekdays, 50,000 at weekends and 65,000 in holidays. Further out, the Longjing tea village grows China's best-known green tea; a tasting flight runs ¥50–100.
The canal and the Song capital
Hangzhou was the southern terminus of the Grand Canal, the 1,794 km (1,115-mile) waterway that carried grain north to Beijing from the 7th century, and the quarter around Gongchen Bridge is now restored, with a night cruise of about an hour for ¥100. Under the Southern Song, from 1138 to 1276, the city was the imperial capital Lin'an, and the lanes near the Drum Tower still follow that medieval grid. The Songcheng park stages a nightly show, ¥249–320 including entry.
West Lake
A free 15 km (9.3-mile) circuit. A bike is ¥20–30 a day.
Feilaifeng and Lingyin
300+ cliff carvings and a working monastery. Free from 1 December 2025, timed reservation.
Longjing tea hills
Terraces at Longjing and Meijiawu. A tasting flight is ¥50–100.
Grand Canal at Gongchen Bridge
The restored southern terminus of the Beijing–Hangzhou canal. Night cruise about ¥100.
Songcheng
The nightly 'Romance Show'. ¥249–320 including the park.
Practical
| Province | Zhejiang |
|---|---|
| Airport code | HGH (Hangzhou Xiaoshan International) |
| Direct flights from the UK | None to Hangzhou — fly into Shanghai or Beijing, or one stop via a hub |
| Rail connections | Shanghai 45min · Suzhou 1h30 · Huangshan 1h30 · Beijing South 4h30 |
| Days needed | 2 |
| Best months | March–April for blossom, October for clear air |
| Local food to try | West Lake fish in vinegar, Dongpo pork, Longjing shrimp |
| West Lake | Free, open all day, 15 km (9.3 miles) around |
| Lingyin and Feilaifeng | Free from Dec 2025; timed reservation, daily cap 35,000–65,000 |
| Summer / winter temperature | 35°C (95°F) July · 4°C (39°F) January |
Getting there from the UK
Hangzhou Xiaoshan International (HGH) sits 27 km (17 miles) east, with metro Line 19 to Hangzhou East in about 30 minutes for ¥9. The easier arrival from the UK is through Shanghai: Shanghai Hongqiao to Hangzhou East is the busiest high-speed line in the country, a 45-minute ride from ¥73, with departures through the day. Hangzhou East connects onward to Suzhou and Huangshan in 1 hour 30 each.
How many days
Two days covers the essentials. Give the first to the lake — the causeways, Leifeng Pagoda and a boat — and the second to the temples, the tea hills and the canal quarter. A third day adds the Xixi wetlands or the water town of Wuzhen, an hour away.
Worth knowing if you're travelling from the UK
Two practical points. West Lake is free, so the cost of a day here is a bike, a teahouse and lunch, perhaps ¥200 all in. And the Lingyin reservation is now the constraint: since the ticket was dropped, the site fills to its daily cap at weekends and in the late-March blossom weeks, so book a slot a day or two ahead.