Hangzhou🇨🇳

The 6.5 km² lake at the city's western edge, ringed by 15 km of paved path and crossed by two famous causeways (the Bai Causeway built in the 9th century and the 2.8-km Su Causeway built by Su Dongpo, 11th-century poet-governor). The Ten Scenes of West Lake — Broken Bridge, Three Pools Mirroring the Moon, Leifeng Pagoda Sunset, Su Causeway in Spring Dawn, and so on — were canonised by Southern Song poets and have been the cultural template for every classical Chinese garden since. Walk or rent a bike (¥30/day from any of the lakeside stands); a complete circuit takes 4–5 hours on foot or 90 minutes by bike. Free, always open, but the lakeside is heaving on weekends and Chinese public holidays — go on a weekday morning if you can. The Three Pools Mirroring the Moon stone pagodas are the small islands you can see on the back of a ¥1 note.

Founded in 326 CE — making it one of the oldest functioning Buddhist temples in China — Lingyin sits in a wooded gorge 5 km west of West Lake. The temple itself is genuinely active (you will see monks at services, not props), with a 24.8-metre seated Buddha in the Mahavira Hall carved from 24 pieces of camphor. Across the stream is Feilai Feng (the Peak Flown From Afar), a 70-metre limestone outcrop carved with 380+ Buddhist rock reliefs from the 10th to 14th centuries — the laughing Maitreya from the Song Dynasty is the signature image. Combined entry ¥75 (Feilai Feng ¥45 plus temple ¥30). Allow 2.5–3 hours. Bus Y2 from Lingyin Road runs straight there from West Lake.

The five-storey octagonal pagoda on Sunset Hill on the lake's south shore — originally built in 975, collapsed in 1924 (the bricks were carried off as supposed tiger-charm cures), and rebuilt 2002 on the original foundation with a glass-and-steel core inside the wooden cladding. The current pagoda has escalators, an elevator, and excavated Song-era foundation ruins on display in the basement. The view from the top (175 metres above the lake) is the postcard West Lake panorama. ¥40 entry; pair with a sunset visit and stay for the lake illumination after dark. The Legend of the White Snake — China's most famous folk romance — is set here; the heroine Bai Suzhen was supposedly trapped beneath the original pagoda by a meddling monk.

The collection of villages — Longjing, Meijiawu, Manjuelong — terraced into the hills 4 km west of West Lake, where China's most prized green tea has been grown for 1,200 years. The pre-Qingming harvest (April 1–5) is the most coveted; the second harvest before Grain Rain (April 19–20) is still excellent. Walk between the tea fields on dirt paths, drink fresh-brewed Longjing at any of the family farmhouses (¥30–80 a pot, you keep refilling hot water), eat a tea-leaf egg (¥3) and a longjing shrimp lunch. The China National Tea Museum sits between the village and the lake; combined visit makes a half-day. Bus 27 runs from West Lake; a taxi from the lake costs ¥30–50.

A 460-metre pedestrian street of restored Qing-dynasty wooden shopfronts on the southeast side of West Lake — once the imperial-era commercial spine of Hangzhou and now the city's most concentrated tourist shopping zone. Hu Qing Yu Tang (the 1874 traditional Chinese medicine pharmacy that is also a free museum), the Wang Xingji silk-fan workshop, sugar painting and rice-cake stalls, the He Ji silk shop. Crowded and unapologetically commercial but visually rich. Open daily until late evening. The Qing-dynasty buildings are mostly genuine restoration rather than wholesale reconstruction. A 90-minute browse is enough.

A 5,000-year-old Neolithic walled city — UNESCO-listed in 2019 — sitting 20 km north of central Hangzhou and rewriting the textbooks on early Chinese civilisation. The Liangzhu people (3300–2300 BCE) built earthen city walls, irrigation infrastructure, and the most sophisticated jade-carving culture in the prehistoric world; the ritual jade cong cylinders here predate Egypt's Old Kingdom. The Liangzhu Museum (free, but pre-book on the official WeChat mini-program) is genuinely world-class architecture by David Chipperfield. The site park itself, ¥80, takes 2–3 hours. Metro Line 2 to Liangzhu, then 30 minutes by bus or taxi. Skipped by most tourists; do not skip it.

A 60-metre 13-storey octagonal pagoda overlooking the Qiantang River, originally built in 970 by the Wuyue Kingdom rulers as a watchtower for the Qiantang tidal bore (the largest river tide in the world, peaking around the autumn equinox). The current structure has Song-Dynasty bones (1153) and a Qing exterior. Climb to the seventh floor for the river view; the rest is a small temple complex with a curious miniature pagoda garden out back. ¥30. Bus K504 from West Lake runs along the river. Pair with a Qiantang riverside walk, especially if you are visiting around the September tidal bore.

A 1,300-year-old canal town 90 km north of Hangzhou on the Grand Canal, restored as a touristic but genuinely atmospheric historic settlement. The east scenic zone (Dongzha) is the daytrip-friendly half; the west scenic zone (Xizha), with hotel accommodation inside the town, is significantly better at night when the day-tour buses leave and the lanterns light up. ¥150 for east only, ¥260 combined ticket. Bus from Hangzhou Tourist Centre or Jiubao Bus Station, 90 minutes. Best done as an overnight if you can spare it; otherwise a long day. Crowds are heavy on weekends and Chinese holidays.

An 11.5 km² protected wetland 5 km west of West Lake — a network of reed-fringed canals, persimmon orchards, and small farming hamlets that has been quietly farmed and fished for 1,800 years and was designated China's first national wetland park in 2005. Rent an electric punt-style boat (¥60 per person on the regular route) or walk the wooden boardwalks; the pace is the opposite of the West Lake circuit. Best in October when the persimmons ripen and the reeds turn gold. ¥80 entry, plus boat extra. Bus 506 or metro Line 5 to Xixi Wetland.