Hangzhou
West Lake Private Day Tour
The causeways before the crowds, a boat to the island on the ¥1 note, and the hillside pagoda nobody climbs. The lake, done properly.
From US$109/per person
View tourWest Lake & tea hills day tours
One day in Hangzhou: the causeway at dawn, tea in the hills after
The capital of Zhejiang Province, where a 1,200-year-old lakeside garden is still the centre of town.
The short version
Hangzhou Xiaoshan (HGH) runs daily international flights to Seoul, Tokyo, Singapore and Doha, and West Lake is 40 minutes from the terminal. The capital of Zhejiang Province is also 45 minutes from Shanghai by train, so one day covers West Lake, a Longjing tea village in the hills, or Lingyin Temple — often two of the three.
- HGH runs daily international flights across Asia; West Lake is 40 minutes away by metro.
- West Lake is free and best walked — the Su and Bai causeways are the point, not the boat.
- Longjing, China's most famous green tea, grows in terraced hills 30 minutes from the lake.
- Shanghai is 45 minutes away by train, so Hangzhou works as a day trip or a base.
- Lingyin Temple and the Feilai Peak carvings together take about two hours.
Why take a day tour from Hangzhou
Marco Polo called Hangzhou the finest city in the world, and the customs records of Kublai Khan suggest he was not exaggerating. At the end of the Southern Song dynasty this was a capital of more than a million people, with paved roads and restaurants serving regional cuisines.
The asset that survived is West Lake. It was never built over. Its causeways, islands and hilltop pagodas still frame the view that Song painters composed, and the hills around it in Zhejiang grow Longjing, the country's most prized green tea.
For a day trip the shape is obvious: the lake early, before the crowds, and the tea hills or a temple in the afternoon. Everything is within 40 minutes of everything else.
- Walking the Su Causeway before 08:00 is the reason to stay near the lake rather than out by the station.
- Longjing villages still pan-fire tea by hand; you can watch, then drink what you just saw made.
- Lingyin Temple has been a working monastery for 1,700 years, with cliff carvings cut behind it.
- The Grand Canal's southern terminus is here, and the public ferry along it costs ¥3.
- Zhejiang is silk and tea country — the two souvenirs that are actually worth buying in China.
Choose your day
Day tours from Hangzhou
Private departures, hotel pickup, an English-speaking guide, and no shopping stops.
Hangzhou
Longjing Tea Village Day Tour
Thirty minutes uphill from West Lake, terraced bushes and families pan-firing the country's most famous green tea by hand.
From US$99/per person
View tour
Hangzhou
Lingyin Temple & Grand Canal Day Tour
A 1,700-year-old monastery with Buddhist carvings cut into the cliff behind it, then the working southern end of China's imperial canal.
From US$95/per person
View tourLonger trips that start or finish here
Shanghai Stopover Discovery
Designed around the 240-hour visa-free transit window: three days that actually work with your flight times rather than against them.
★★★★★4.8 143 reviews
From US$460/per person
View tour
Grand China Odyssey
Five regions, one journey: imperial north, panda country, the karst rivers of Guilin and the skyline of Shanghai, with Hangzhou's West Lake.
★★★★★4.8 132 reviews
From US$2,580/per person
View tourGetting there and away
Xiaoshan (HGH) connects to downtown by metro in about 40 minutes and handles daily international flights across Asia.
High-speed rail from Shanghai Hongqiao takes as little as 45 minutes to Hangzhou East, with trains every 20 minutes.
The lake is walkable from three metro stations; your guide handles taxis for the tea hills, which are beyond the network.
Frequently asked questions
Is Hangzhou worth a day trip from Shanghai?
Yes. Fastest trains take 45 minutes and Hangzhou East is on the metro. Take the 07:00 and you are at the lake before 09:00, with the whole day ahead.
How long does West Lake take?
Three hours to walk the causeways properly, four if you take a boat to the island. Most people underestimate it and run out of time for the tea hills, which is why we sequence the day.
Which is better: West Lake or a tea village?
Both, in one day, if you start early. The lake before 09:00, Longjing by late morning when the families are picking or firing, then lunch in the hills.
What province is Hangzhou in?
Zhejiang, on China's east coast south of Shanghai. Zhejiang is the country's tea and silk heartland, which is what the hills west of West Lake are planted with.
When is the best time to visit Hangzhou?
Late March to early May for blossom around the lake, and October to November for clear autumn light. July and August top 35°C and are humid.
Explore next
Other day-tour cities
Practical reading
- Do I Need a Visa for China? Requirements, Costs and How to Apply
- China's 240-Hour Visa-Free Transit: Who Qualifies and How It Works
- Paying in China: Alipay, WeChat Pay, Cards and Cash
- China's High-Speed Rail: How to Book, What It Costs, How Fast It Goes
- Is China Safe for Tourists? Honest Risks and How to Avoid Them
- Best Time to Visit China: Month by Month, Region by Region
Tell us your dates.
We'll do the rest.
Free itinerary design, a revised plan within one working day, and nothing charged until you approve the final version.