杭州 / A connected city stay
An original-photo guide to West Lake, Lingyin, Faxi Temple, Longjing, Shili Langdang and Xixi, with a four-day core and a seven-day slower stay.
Start with the journey in
These photographs bring together several sides of Hangzhou: distant pagodas across the lake, temple roofs beneath wooded hills, tea-village markers and a bamboo-lined trail board. They are not one continuous walking route. Keep the four-day core for West Lake and Longjing, or use seven days to give the temples, a hill walk and Xixi their own time. Both versions include arrival and departure.
Match Hangzhou East (杭州东), Hangzhou (杭州) or Hangzhou West (杭州西) to your actual train. HGH airport is a separate arrival point.
Choose the actual departure and arrival stations, not only the city pair. Shanghai Hongqiao is one possible departure point; follow your ticket. After reaching Hangzhou, allow time to find the exit, transfer to the hotel and leave luggage. Save the full lake walk for a usable sightseeing day.
Hangzhou Xiaoshan Airport lists metro Lines 1, 7 and 19. Choose the line and interchange for your hotel rather than boarding the first available train. Check operating hours against your landing time; for a late arrival, use the airport's current staffed transport guidance.
For Beijing, Guangzhou or Shenzhen, compare rail with a domestic flight using the full hotel-to-hotel journey. Book a connection that leaves room for check-in. Your arrival day can include a short lakeside introduction if time allows, but it should not depend on making a boat departure or tea appointment.
Choose one useful base
A practical starting point for a first lake-focused stay. Compare the hotel entrance and nearest metro exit before booking. A lake-area address does not always mean a lake view, and the busiest frontage may be noisier than a nearby side street.
Consider a more urban base if transport, shopping and indoor alternatives matter as much as the lake. Plan the lake journey separately each morning. Staying beside a railway station can suit a very early train, but need not be the best base for the whole visit.
4 days · Arrival + 2 sightseeing + departure
Arrival and departure are part of this stay. Adjust sightseeing around confirmed admission slots and the weather. The planner opens this same route; changing its style or length changes the daily suggestions.
Check in and save the hotel address and nearest transit stop.
Take one short lakeside walk rather than attempting the full shore.
Choose dinner near the hotel.
Follow your actual arrival time. Leave luggage or check in when the hotel allows; a late arrival replaces the outing with a nearby meal and rest.
Choose a manageable West Lake walk around Bai Causeway (白堤) and Gushan (孤山), adjusting the distance to the weather.
Pause for a boat, museum, or long rest depending on current conditions.
Keep the evening unstructured.
Visit the Longjing village area (龙井村) with outward and return transport planned in advance.
Check tasting prices before ordering and leave time for a slow return.
Avoid claims about harvest or demonstrations without checking locally.
Enjoy a quiet breakfast and pack.
Confirm Hangzhou East or the relevant station and preserve transfer time.
Your ticket time takes priority. An early departure replaces the outing; collect luggage and leave time for the hotel-to-station or airport journey.
Give each place its own time
Use these notes for the daily route above, or swap in an alternative. This is a menu of places, not a list to finish in one day. Photographs record earlier visits; current access and services may differ. Original ChinaPass photos and credited external photos are identified below. Select a photograph for a larger view.
01 / 西湖 · 雷峰塔 · 保俶塔
The lake photograph keeps Leifeng Pagoda small on the far shore; the other frames Baochu Pagoda above a wooded hill. Use them as two ways to look at the landscape, rather than proof of a pagoda climb. For the core day, choose a connected north-lake walk around Bai Causeway and Gushan, then rest beside the water. A closer visit to Leifeng Pagoda belongs on a separate south-lake segment or replaces part of that walk.
Leifeng and Baochu are different pagodas. A view across the lake does not include admission, tower access or the walk between them.
02 / 灵隐 · 灵隐寺
The stele beneath the timber pavilion and the entrance plaque give the Lingyin visit a quieter focus than a long checklist of halls. Put this on the dedicated temple day in the seven-day plan. Check the current Lingyin–Feilai Peak reservation arrangements and the identity requirements for your visit. Once there, allow time for the grounds and the spaces you are permitted to enter.
Follow signs about photography inside religious buildings and give worshippers space. Save 灵隐寺 for navigation; do not assume an old ticket price or walk-up entry still applies.
03 / 法喜寺 · 上天竺
The cover photograph looks through temple roofs toward green hills; the stone marker names Faxi Temple. It is a separate stop from Lingyin. After lunch on the temple day, continue only if your confirmed entry arrangements and energy allow, using local transport or a suitable valley walk. A second temple is optional: staying longer at one is better than hurrying through both.
The temple setting includes steps. Keep this day separate from the Shili Langdang ridge walk, and check access for your group's needs.
04 / 龙井问茶 · 龙井村
Two markers anchor the tea-country photographs: Longjing Wencha and Longjing Village. Make this a relaxed outing with the return journey planned in advance. Walk the village area, pause for tea if you wish, and ask what the tasting includes before agreeing to a price. The original place-marker photos are paired with a credited view of the tea fields. These show the setting, not a particular harvest, tea grade or organized picking experience.
The four-day core includes this tea day. Temple lovers can swap it for Lingyin and Faxi; the seven-day plan makes room for both.
05 / 十里琅珰
The trail board beside the bamboo is a useful reminder that tea-country sightseeing can turn into a hill walk. For the longer stay, choose a manageable signed section after checking current local conditions, an exit point and return transport. Carry water, use suitable footwear and turn back before fatigue or daylight becomes a problem. There is no requirement to complete a full ridge circuit.
Skip the exposed hill route in poor weather or when the terrain does not suit your group. The photo records a sign at the time of the visit; use a current map and on-site guidance for navigation.
06 / 西溪国家湿地公园
The entrance-wall photograph identifies Xixi National Wetland Park, a different destination from West Lake. Give it a separate day in the seven-day version so there is time for a chosen walking area and, if operating and suitable, an optional boat trip. Confirm the entrance, admission coverage and return route before leaving the hotel; the park name alone does not identify the product you need.
Keep boats optional and check current services. In a shorter trip, replace a city day with Xixi rather than adding it after the temples and tea hills.
The next city starts at hotel checkout
The five-day combination has one full sightseeing day in each city, plus arrival, transfer and departure. Hangzhou gets a dedicated West Lake day. Choose the standalone four-day stay for tea country as well, or the seven-day version for temples, a hill walk and Xixi. Add the necessary nights to your real booking rather than treating these routes as equivalent.
Shanghai → Hangzhou · 5 days →Check whether your onward flight departs from HGH or a Shanghai airport. A train back to Shanghai does not itself complete an airport transfer. For a return flight from Shanghai, add the rail and airport journey, consider an overnight buffer, and follow the actual flight check-in deadline.
Shanghai arrival and departure guide →Plan from current information
The route and neighborhood choices are ChinaPass editorial suggestions. Official venue, city and transport sources below support the place and access details. Recheck admission, opening calendars, terminal arrangements and dated services before booking; this guide does not quote live fares or guarantee availability.
Official Lingyin–Feilai Peak booking-channel context; confirm current identity and admission arrangements.
Lingyin and Faxi as distinct stops in the temple area.
Longjing Village and Shili Langdang geography; no current trail-access guarantee.
Wetland setting west of the city; current admission and boat services require a separate check.
Lake landscape, gardens, causeways and cultural context.
Airport metro lines; check current operating times before travel.
Lake geography and the Bai Causeway / Gushan landscape.
Tea-growing location and seasonal context; no tasting or price guarantee.
Place context for Hefang Street and Gongchen Bridge; the event-specific tours are not offered by this guide.
Before, during & after your city stay
Match your arrival airport or station to your booking, save the hotel address in Chinese and leave time for luggage and check-in. A late arrival means a nearby meal and rest.
The city planner includes arrival on Day 1 and a departure buffer on the final day. Those days allow short local outings, not full sightseeing schedules.
Confirm your next hotel or departure ticket before adding another city. Returning to your first city requires its own transport and time; it is not automatically included.
These complete routes show how Hangzhou connects with other stops. Choose a route to open its full itinerary; incoming routes are not suggestions to travel in reverse.
5 days · Finishes here
The final day includes a departure buffer. Return travel to the first city is additional.
View Shanghai → Hangzhou plan →