The capital of Zhejiang province, one of China's seven ancient capitals and the seat of the Southern Song dynasty. Marco Polo is said to have called it 'the most graceful and splendid city of the world' in the 13th century. It has three UNESCO World Heritage sites: West Lake, the Grand Canal and the Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City. Ideal for lakeside walks, Longjing tea and Hangzhou dishes such as Dongpo pork.
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Spring (April-May, average highs about 22-27°C) and autumn (October-November, about 24°C and 18°C) are best for walking, and October-November are among the least rainy months, with about 74-75 mm a month. June is the wettest month (about 258 mm), and July-August are hot, with average highs of about 33-34°C. January's average low is about 2°C. Tea is picked in spring and lotus blooms on West Lake in summer. Check official weather and typhoon forecasts before you go.
Warmest: Jul (avg high 34.0°C) · Coolest: Jan (avg low 2.2°C) · Wettest: Jun (258.2 mm)
| High °C | Low °C | Rain mm | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 8.6° | 2.2° | 93.3 |
| Feb | 11.1° | 4.0° | 89.9 |
| Mar | 15.9° | 7.6° | 135.7 |
| Apr | 22.1° | 13.0° | 116.8 |
| May | 26.9° | 18.0° | 126.8 |
| Jun | 29.2° | 21.8° | 258.2 |
| Jul | 34.0° | 25.6° | 167.5 |
| Aug | 33.4° | 25.4° | 176.8 |
| Sep | 28.7° | 21.4° | 113.3 |
| Oct | 23.6° | 15.8° | 74.1 |
| Nov | 17.7° | 10.0° | 75.2 |
| Dec | 11.3° | 4.3° | 64.2 |
Monthly averages of daily highs and lows, and average monthly rainfall. Any given year can differ.
Source: China Meteorological Administration submission · WMO normals collection (NOAA NCEI) · Hangzhou station · 1991–2020 normals —View source
Xiaoshan International Airport station at Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport (HGH) is served by Metro Lines 1, 7 and 19. Line 19 runs towards Hangzhou West Railway Station and Yongsheng Road, Line 7 towards Wushan Square and Jiangdong 2nd Road, and Line 1 towards Xianghu and Linping. The station opens at 05:50 and closes at 00:27, and you may not be able to enter the gates in the last 5 minutes before the final train. Metro hotline 96600.
After the metro closes, airport buses run. Buses to Wulinmen leave between 23:30 and 01:30, and after 01:30 departures follow flight arrivals (about 60 minutes, CNY 20). The Hangzhou East Railway Station line leaves at 23:50, 00:30, 01:10 and 01:50, calling at Hangzhou Railway Station and Hangzhou East Railway Station (about 80 minutes, CNY 28). Board at the airport bus station on the north-west side of the Transport Centre, level 1; tickets are sold under your real name, so you need your passport.
The airport bus station runs more than 20 routes to major cities and counties in Zhejiang, for example Shaoxing CNY 40 (about 90 minutes), Wuzhen CNY 60 (about 90 minutes) and Yiwu CNY 72 (about 100 minutes). Tickets are sold under your real name, and routes and times change with weather and road conditions, so check official information on the day (enquiries 0571-86662519).
Taxi ranks are outside Door 14 on the T3 arrivals level and at the level-1 link between T4 and the Transport Centre. Standard taxis charge CNY 13 for the first 3 km, CNY 2.5 per km from 3 to 10 km and CNY 3.75 per km beyond 10 km. Pay what the meter shows, don't bargain, and ask for a receipt. Report refusals or fare haggling to the staff on site.
Fares are distance-based, and the rule is one person, one ticket, entering and exiting with the same ticket. Electronic 1-, 3-, 5- and 7-day travel passes are sold in the Hangzhou Metro app, and children under 1.3 m ride free with an adult. You can get a metro QR ride code in the Hangzhou Metro app or through Alipay and WeChat mini programs, among others.
Buses 51 and 52 circle West Lake clockwise and anticlockwise, handy for hopping on and off. There are also air-conditioned inner and outer loop routes, and Routes 7 and 87 run through the West Lake and Lingyin areas. You can get off near spots such as Leifeng Pagoda or the Broken Bridge.
From Wulinmen Wharf (ticket office at 208 North Huancheng Road, Gongshu district), at the southern end of the Grand Canal, boats head north along the canal past the Gongchen Bridge area. Check official information for times and fares.
Taxis are metered. Showing your destination in Chinese helps.
Good for: First visit, lakeside walks, museums
West Lake, with 'hills on three sides and the city on the fourth', is lined with sights such as the West Lake Museum, Su Causeway, Leifeng Pagoda and the Tang Yun Art Museum. Loop buses circle the lake so you can get off wherever you like.
Good for: Old-street walks, breakfast
Qinghefang, a few hundred metres from West Lake, has been a commercial centre since the Southern Song. Zhongshan Road has many traditional snack bars serving breakfasts such as fried dumplings, wontons, egg cakes and shumai.
Good for: Canal views, night views, museums
Home to Gongchen Bridge, the landmark at the southern end of the Grand Canal, and the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal Museum on its east bank. The district's name comes from the bridge. A cruise from Wulinmen Wharf is a nice way to arrive.
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A shallow lake 3.3 km north to south and 2.8 km east to west, 15 km around and 5.6 sq km in area, with an average depth of about 2.5 m. Shaped by more than a thousand years of dredging and landscaping as a work of people and nature together, the West Lake Cultural Landscape of Hangzhou, with its 'Two Causeways and Three Isles', Ten Scenes and Longjing tea plantations, was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2011.
The Northern Song writer Su Dongpo (Su Shi) served in Hangzhou twice (1071 and 1089), dredging West Lake and building a causeway. The Su Dongpo Memorial Hall at the southern end of Su Causeway opened in 1989; the ground floor covers his work in Hangzhou and the upper floor his writing. The stele corridor behind shows his calligraphy from different periods carved in stone.
Perched on Xizhao Hill on the southern shore of West Lake. It was first built in 977 during the Northern Song; the original collapsed in 1924, and the present pagoda was rebuilt on the same site in 2002. West Lake loop buses stop nearby.
China's first lake-themed museum, opened on 1 October 2005. Its 22,480 sq m site is mostly underground so it blends into the lake scenery. The permanent exhibition 'West Lake: Scenery Under Heaven' covers how the lake formed, centuries of dredging and the lake in poetry and painting. Check official information for opening hours.
China's only national first-class museum dedicated to tea and tea culture. The Shuangfeng site (88 Longjing Road, opened 1991) has the 'Chinese Tea Culture' and 'West Lake Longjing Tea' exhibitions, and the Longjing site (268 Wengjiashan, opened 2015), surrounded by tea gardens near Longjing village, offers exhibits and hands-on experiences. Check official information for hours and booking.
In use for more than 2,500 years, the Grand Canal is the world's oldest and longest artificial canal; its Hangzhou section is 39 km long. Gongchen Bridge, built in the late Ming, is the highest and longest stone arch bridge among Hangzhou's ancient bridges and the landmark at the canal's southern end. The Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal Museum on its east bank (opened 2006) was China's first museum on the canal's history.
A 13-hectare pedestrian area that has been a commercial centre since the Southern Song, when Hangzhou, then called Lin'an, was the capital. Among its long-standing shops is a traditional Chinese medicine museum in a pharmacy opened in 1874. Nearby, Yu Qian's Former Residence at 42 Citang Lane is open free of charge.
A site of a rice-growing civilisation from about 3300 to 2300 BC, seen as evidence of 5,000 years of Chinese civilisation. It was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in July 2019 and covers about 14.34 sq km. Relics found here are shown at the Liangzhu Museum. Check official information for opening hours and booking.
Half-fat, half-lean pork cut into cubes and slow-stewed with vinegar, scallion, ginger and sugar in a sealed pot. It is named after Su Dongpo, who dredged West Lake.
A Zhejiang classic, usually made with grass carp and a sweet-and-sour sugar and vinegar sauce. A Song-dynasty story behind it says 'do not forget the sour amid the sweet'.
A thick fish soup dating back to the Southern Song; glossy and creamy, it is said to taste like crab meat.
Chicken wrapped in lotus leaves, coated in clay and roasted for hours; the dish has a history of more than 300 years.
Soup of West Lake water shield with chicken and ham, as colourful as it is light: green, red and white.
A Hangzhou dessert: lotus root stuffed with glutinous rice, boiled, then steamed with sweet osmanthus and sugar.
Amounts are rough figures in local currency. Check exchange rates before you go.
West Lake Museum in the morning, then by loop bus or on foot to Su Causeway and the Su Dongpo Memorial Hall, Leifeng Pagoda in the afternoon, and an evening stroll on Qinghefang with Dongpo pork and West Lake fish in vinegar gravy.
China National Tea Museum (Longjing or Shuangfeng site) among the tea gardens in the morning, a Grand Canal cruise from Wulinmen Wharf in the afternoon, then Gongchen Bridge and the Grand Canal Museum, and the bridge lit up at night.
Prices and times are approximate as of 2026-09 and may change. Always re-check visa and entry rules with official sources before you travel.