Hangzhou
Hangzhou is a large city near Shanghai. The city is well known in China for its scenic sights and historical heritage. It attracts millions of tourists every year. The West Lake is the most popular attraction. At the East side of the West Lake are pedestrian zones with restaurants, terraces and other leisure activities. (Lakeside Pedestrian Street and Huancheng Road).
Airport
Xiaoshan International Airport is located 30 km from Hangzhou. It has flights to Singapore, Bangkok, Seoul, Tokyo, and Osaka and to the main cities in China. With the airport shuttle bus it’s about 45 minutes to Hangzhou. Fare is 15 Yuan. A taxi to the city centre cost about 125 Yuan.
West Lake
The West Lake is the top tourist attraction in Hangzhou. Visitors can walk around the lake. If you don’t want to walk all the way: little boats sail to the small islands on the lake or to the other side. On one side of the lake are terraces and restaurants.
Other Hangzhou attractions
– Leifeng Pagoda: beautiful views of the West Lake
– National Silk Museum
– Grand Canal: 1,764 km man-made waterway
– Six Harmonies Pagoda
– Lingyin Temple
Leifeng Pagoda Hangzhou
Popular hotels in Hangzhou
– Huachen International Hotel (4 stars, 1060 reviews, 7.7)
– The East Hotel Hangzhou (5 stars, 957 reviews, 8.8)
– Holiday Inn Express Hangzhou Huanglong (3 stars, 276 reviews, 8.2)
Shopping & leisure
Yanan Road: city’s commercial center, shopping street
Carrefour Supermarket: No.135 Yanan Road
China Silk City: large outdoor silk market, 253 Xinhua Road
Wushan Road market: souvenirs
Train
Hangzhou is directly connected with many other cities in China. Hangzhou Railway Station is in the center of the city. To Shanghai (180km) are many trains daily. The fast train to Shanghai South Station takes less than 1 hour and 30 minutes. Fare for a soft seat first class is 64 Yuan. A soft seat second class is 53 Yuan. To obtain the first class soft seat ticket in the fast train, buy a ticket online.
Taxi
Start rate for the first 3 kms is 10 Yuan. For each kilometer more, about 2 Yuan will be added. A taxi from the airport to Hangzhou is about 125 Yuan. There are many tourists in Hangzhou so getting a taxi can sometimes be hard.
Bus
Air conditioning city buses cost 2 Yuan, non air-con 1 Yuan. In Hangzhou are many buses with tour groups.
Bicycle
Renting a bike is easy in Hangzhou. Many bicycle rental spots are located around the West Lake. A deposit is required (200/300 Yuan). Rate is about 10 Yuan/hour. Walking around the West Lake takes only a couple of hours. A bicycle is very handy if you want to visit temples or/and scenic sights more far away from the lake. Another good thing of the bike rental is that you don’t have to return the bike to the same place as where you hired it.