West Lake by rowing boat
Glide past the Su Causeway and Three Pools Mirroring the Moon, then cycle the lakeshore at sunset.
Paradise on Earth · 西湖
Hangzhou 杭州
West Lake, Longjing tea terraces and temples hidden in the hills.
Marco Polo called Hangzhou "the finest and most splendid city in the world". Its heart is West Lake — a UNESCO-listed landscape of causeways, pagodas and willows that has inspired Chinese poets and painters for centuries.
Climb into the hills and you reach the villages where Longjing (Dragon Well), China's most famous green tea, is still picked by hand. Hangzhou is green, slow and wonderfully walkable — the perfect contrast to Shanghai.
Getting there
Hangzhou East station is 45–60 minutes from Shanghai by high-speed train. Hangzhou Xiaoshan airport (HGH) also has direct flights to Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok and other Asian hubs.
Don't miss
Top experiences in Hangzhou
Longjing tea village
Walk the terraces, try picking leaves in spring and learn to brew tea with a farming family.
Lingyin Temple
One of China's largest Buddhist temples, with hundreds of rock carvings on the Feilai Feng cliffs.
Tours
Private tours including Hangzhou
Best value
7 days
✈ Arrive in Shanghai
Hu Shang Jiangnan: Shanghai & the Water Towns
Dreamy Jiangnan meets the Magic City: Suzhou gardens, the Three Kingdoms on Taihu Lake, a lantern-lit night in Puyuan, West Lake tea and Shanghai from the 58th floor — with five free experiences along the way.
from US$299 pp
4 days
✈ Arrive in Shanghai
Hangzhou Tea & West Lake
A slow, green escape for tea lovers: tea fields at dawn, a tea ceremony with a master and a lake that changes colour with every hour.
from US$860 pp
Halal meals
7 days
✈ Arrive in Shanghai
Muslim-Friendly Shanghai, Suzhou & Hangzhou
The classic Jiangnan route, planned around halal restaurants, prayer times and family pacing — with visits to historic mosques along the way.
from US$1,390 pp
Plan ahead
Useful guides
Best Time to Visit Shanghai, Suzhou & Hangzhou (Month by Month)
Spring blossoms, summer plum rains, golden autumn and quiet winters — when to go to East China and when to avoid the crowds.
Halal Food & Mosques in Shanghai and Hangzhou: A Muslim Traveller's Guide
Where to find halal food, how to spot Muslim restaurants and which historic mosques to visit in East China.
Ready to see Hangzhou?
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