How Many Days in Hangzhou? A 3-Day Route and Tips

How many days? The 3-day plan and where to stay

The guide suggests 3 to 4 days for Hangzhou. This post uses 3 days: Day 1 is arrival and an evening on Qinghefang, Day 2 the China National Tea Museum, a Grand Canal cruise and Gongchen Bridge at night, and Day 3 the West Lake Museum, Su Causeway and Leifeng Pagoda before heading to the airport. If you have one more day, there is a separate option for the Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City.

Pick your base to match the route. For a first visit focused on lakeside walks and museums, stay around West Lake (Nanshan Road and Beishan Road). Sights such as the West Lake Museum, Su Causeway and Leifeng Pagoda line the lake, and loop buses circle it so you can get off wherever you like.

For old-street walks and breakfast, Qinghefang and Zhongshan Road (old town) work well. Qinghefang is a few hundred metres from West Lake, and Zhongshan Road has many traditional snack bars serving breakfasts such as fried dumplings, wontons, egg cakes and shumai. For canal views and night views, there is also the Grand Canal and Gongchen Bridge area (Gongshu), home to the bridge and the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal Museum.

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Day 1: Xiaoshan Airport, your hotel, then Qinghefang

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. Fares are distance-based; check official information. 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.

If you arrive late at night after the metro has closed, take a late-night airport bus. 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. Taxi ranks are outside Door 14 on the T3 arrivals level and at the level-1 link between T4 and the Transport Centre. Pay what the meter shows, don't bargain, and ask for a receipt.

If you have time after check-in, spend the evening on Qinghefang historic street. This 13-hectare pedestrian area has been a commercial centre since the Southern Song, when Hangzhou, then called Lin'an, was the capital, and it includes 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. For dinner, try Dongpo pork and West Lake fish in vinegar gravy.

• Metro Lines 1, 7 and 19: Xiaoshan International Airport station 05:50-00:27, distance-based fare (check official info)
• Late-night airport bus to Wulinmen: departures between 23:30 and 01:30 (after 01:30 they follow flight arrivals), about 60 minutes, CNY 20
• Late-night airport bus, Hangzhou East Railway Station line: departs 23:50, 00:30, 01:10 and 01:50, calling at Hangzhou Railway Station and Hangzhou East Railway Station, about 80 minutes, CNY 28
• Taxi: CNY 13 for the first 3 km, CNY 2.5 per km from 3 to 10 km, CNY 3.75 per km beyond 10 km

Day 2: Tea museum, Grand Canal cruise, Gongchen Bridge at night

Start the morning among the tea gardens at the China National Tea Museum, China's only national first-class museum dedicated to tea and tea culture. It has two sites: the Longjing site (268 Wengjiashan), surrounded by tea gardens near Longjing village, offers exhibits and hands-on experiences, and the Shuangfeng site (88 Longjing Road) has the 'Chinese Tea Culture' and 'West Lake Longjing Tea' exhibitions. Check official information for hours and booking.

In the afternoon, board a cruise at Wulinmen Wharf (ticket office at 208 North Huancheng Road, Gongshu district), at the southern end of the Grand Canal, and head north along the canal past the Gongchen Bridge area. Check official information for times and fares. 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 Gongshu district takes its name from it. Visit the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal Museum on its east bank (opened 2006) for the canal's history, then end the day with the bridge lit up at night.

Day 3: West Lake Museum, Su Causeway, Leifeng Pagoda, airport

The last day is for West Lake, a shallow lake 15 km around and 5.6 sq km in area. 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. Begin at the West Lake Museum, China's first lake-themed museum, opened in 2005; it is mostly underground so it blends into the lake scenery. Check official information for opening hours.

From the museum, take a loop bus or walk to Su Causeway and the Su Dongpo Memorial Hall. The Northern Song writer Su Dongpo served in Hangzhou twice (1071 and 1089), dredging West Lake and building a causeway. The memorial hall at the southern end of the causeway covers his work in Hangzhou on the ground floor and his writing upstairs, and the stele corridor behind shows his calligraphy carved in stone.

In the afternoon, head to Leifeng Pagoda on Xizhao Hill on the southern shore. First built in 977, it collapsed in 1924 and was rebuilt on the same site in 2002. Buses 51 and 52, which circle West Lake, let you get off nearby. Then collect your bags and go to the airport by metro (Lines 1, 7 and 19 serve the airport station) or taxi. If your flight leaves early, shorten the day, for example by skipping Leifeng Pagoda.

One more day: the Liangzhu ruins

With a fourth day, add the Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City, a site of a rice-growing civilisation from about 3300 to 2300 BC that is 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.

Under the 'Hangzhou World Heritage Guardian' campaign launched on 11 June 2026, you can collect stamps at West Lake, the Grand Canal and Liangzhu to earn a limited-edition World Heritage passport and commemorative seals. With the extra day you visit all three. Check official information for details before you go.

Before you go: transport, payment, budget and timing

The metro and the West Lake loop buses do most of the work. Metro 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 you can get a metro QR ride code in the Hangzhou Metro app or through Alipay and WeChat mini programs, among others. You must exit within 240 minutes of entering, or you pay the maximum single fare. Children under 1.3 m ride free with an adult.

Buses 51 and 52 circle West Lake clockwise and anticlockwise, and Routes 7 and 87 run through the West Lake and Lingyin areas. Taxis are metered, and showing your destination in Chinese helps. In 2026 Hangzhou was chosen as a pilot city for digital services for inbound visitors, including arrival help at the airport, instant SIM and eSIM activation, cross-border payment options and tax refunds, so set up a payment method before you travel. Visa rules, including visa-free entry, change often; check official information before you go.

Accommodation is most of the budget, and hotel and food costs vary a lot by date, so check booking sites. Getting around by metro and loop bus keeps transport costs low; with taxis, expect CNY 13 for the first 3 km plus distance. Yu Qian's Former Residence is free, and you should check official prices for museums and Grand Canal cruises.

• Best time: spring (April-May) and autumn (October-November) are best for walking. Tea is picked in spring and lotus blooms on West Lake in summer
• Normals (Hangzhou station, 1991–2020, China Meteorological Administration submission · WMO normals collection, NOAA NCEI) day high/night low: April about 22/13°C, May about 27/18°C, October about 24/16°C, November about 18/10°C
• Monthly rainfall normals: October about 74 mm and November about 75 mm, among the months with less rain; June is the wettest month of the year (about 258 mm)
• July-August are hot, with average highs of about 33-34°C, and January's average low is about 2°C. Check official weather and typhoon forecasts before you go

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