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China travel and tour destination Hangzhou

China Destination Guide - Hangzhou 杭州

At first glance Hangzhou looks like a huge modern urban expanse like so many east coast Chinese cities but it has one trump card, the stunning West Lake, the legendary beauty of which has been praised and written about for centuries. A few days exploring the West Lake area and National Park are highly rewarding taking time to relax in the many gardens and pavillions. A relative stone's thrown from Shanghai and at the southern end of the Grand Canal finding time to fit in Hangzhou's ancient pagodas and misty lake views is unlikely to disappoint.

➤ TCTC Tip: With the new bullet train service from Shanghai a day trip to Hangzhou is now feasible.

What there is to see in Hangzhou:

The serenity of West Lake ideally explored by foot or bicycle over a day or two.
Lingyin Temple dating from AD326 but rebuilt 16 times since is famous for its Buddhist carvings.
Leifeng Pagoda or 'Thunder Peak Pagoda' which you can climb up for views over the lake.
Gu Hill is an island which was once the site of Emperor Qianlong's 18th-century holiday palace and gardens.
Baopu Taoist Compound is an active temple where you can here early morning and late afternoon chanting as well as have magnificent views from Sunrise Terrace.

Best time to visit Hangzhou

April and May as well as September and October are the best months but it is a popular destination year round with the gardens and vistas changing with the seasons. We recently visited in late November and the mists and stunning acia leaves and relative lack of tourists made it very special.

Best reason to visit Hangzhou

The stunning West Lake is the reason people come to Hangzhou. There is so much scope to enjoy this large area that there is something to keep everyone happy. It is very easy to get around with the whole experiencing being considerably more relaxing than a lot of travel in China.

Our last word on Hangzhou

This a destination well worth fitting into a trip, especially if your trip visits Shanghai. Enjoyable no matter what time of year you visit, a relaxing day or two here is well spent. Make sure you stay at a hotel close to the lake (a location we always arrange).