Hangzhou has been China's most poetic city for a thousand years, built around the mirror-still West Lake where willows dip to the water. It is the home of Longjing tea, silk craft and the southern end of the Grand Canal.
Why visit Hangzhou
Hangzhou has been China's most poetic city for a thousand years, built around the mirror-still West Lake where willows dip to the water. It is the home of Longjing tea, silk craft and the southern end of the Grand Canal.
Top highlights
West Lake — Cycle or boat the UNESCO lake, pausing at Leifeng Pagoda and the Broken Bridge among weeping willows.
Lingyin Temple — Walk past forest grottoes of carved Buddhas to one of China's oldest and wealthiest Buddhist monasteries.
Longjing tea hills — Sip the famous pan-fired green tea in the terraced plantations of Meijiawu village.
Grand Canal & silk — Stroll the historic waterway and the silk workshops that dressed imperial China.
The willow-lined shore of West Lake.Leifeng Pagoda reflected at dusk.Terraced Longjing tea bushes.Silk weaving at a Hangzhou workshop.
Rent a bike and circle West Lake at sunrise before the crowds; spring (March-May) is peak season for blooming peach and the tea harvest.
Suggested itinerary
Day 1 — sunrise ride around West Lake, boat to Three Pools Mirroring the Moon, climb Leifeng Pagoda. Day 2 — Lingyin Temple and Feilai Peak carvings, then Meijiawu for Longjing tea. Day 3 — Grand Canal museums and a silk factory before leaving.
