12 Best Things to Do in Hangzhou
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Hangzhou’s list of things to do centers on one lake, but it splits into distinct halves once you dig in: the free walking and boating around West Lake itself, and the ticketed sights, temples, and tea villages layered around its edges. Here are the 12 worth planning a trip around.
12 things to do, at a glance
| Pick | Type | Price | Time needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walk the Su and Bai causeways | Lake walk | Free | 2-3h |
| Boat to Three Pools Mirroring the Moon | Lake boat | ~¥55-70 | 1-1.5h |
| Leifeng Pagoda | Pagoda | ~¥40 | 1h |
| Lingyin Temple and Feilai Feng | Temple and grottoes | Free (timed reservation) | 2-3h |
| Longjing or Meijiawu tea village | Tea village | Free to wander, tastings ¥10-80 | 2-3h |
| Yue Fei Temple | Song-dynasty temple | ~¥25 | 45min-1h |
| Six Harmonies Pagoda | Riverside pagoda | ~¥20, +¥10 to climb | 1-1.5h |
| Hefang (Qinghefang) Street | Old pedestrian street | Free | 1-2h |
| Grand Canal and Gongchen Bridge | UNESCO canal, night cruise | Free to walk, cruise ~¥100 | 1.5-2h |
| China National Tea and Silk Museums | Museums | Free | 2-3h combined |
| Xixi National Wetland Park | Wetland park | Free (central zone) | 2-4h |
| “Impression West Lake” night show | Outdoor performance | ¥360-960 | ~70min |
West Lake itself: the free half of the trip
Start with West Lake (Xi Hu). The lake, its causeways, and Solitary Hill are free to enter, no ticket required, which is unusual for a marquee Chinese scenic site. Walk or bike the Su Causeway, built in 1074 by the poet Su Dongpo, and the Bai Causeway, built roughly 250 years earlier, in 822, by the poet Bai Juyi; despite the similar names they were built by different people in different centuries. It’s a UNESCO Cultural Landscape, listed in 2011, and together with a handful of named views it makes up the classic “Ten Scenes of West Lake.” Book a West Lake boat tour if you want to go out on the water rather than just walk the shore.
A boat out to Three Pools Mirroring the Moon (¥55-70), the small island pictured on the ¥1 note, is the classic paid extra. Leifeng Pagoda (¥40) is a 2002 reconstruction, not the original, which collapsed in 1924 after decades of brick theft; it ties into the Legend of the White Snake and gives one of the better lake-and-skyline views from its upper floors.
Lingyin Temple and the Feilai Feng grottoes
As of 1 December 2025, Lingyin Temple and the Feilai Feng grottoes are free to visit, but entry now requires a mandatory real-name, timed reservation booked 1-7 days ahead through the temple’s mini-program in Alipay or WeChat, with daily visitor caps, so don’t plan on walking straight in. Lingyin was founded in 328 CE and is one of China’s most important Chan Buddhist temples; Feilai Feng has more than 300 rock carvings, including a well-known laughing Maitreya Buddha. Budget a full morning, the grounds are large and hilly.
Tea country: Longjing and Meijiawu
The Longjing and Meijiawu tea villages, in the hills just southwest of the lake, are free to wander, with tastings running ¥10-80 a cup. Longjing (Dragon Well) is Hangzhou’s signature green tea, and “West Lake Longjing” is a protected designation; the Mingqian grade, picked before the Qingming festival in early April, is the most prized. Even outside picking season the terraced hillsides are worth the short taxi or DiDi ride from Lingyin.
Hefang Street, the Grand Canal, and the museums
Hefang (Qinghefang) Street is a free, old pedestrian street lined with century-old shops, a holdover from the city’s days as the Southern Song capital, Lin’an. The Grand Canal is a separate UNESCO listing from West Lake, inscribed in 2014; Hangzhou marks its southern terminus, and the Gongchen Bridge area plus a night canal cruise (~¥100) are the way to see it. The China National Tea Museum and the China National Silk Museum, the world’s largest silk museum, are both free and worth an afternoon if you want the history behind what you’re tasting and buying elsewhere in the city.
Beyond the lake: Xixi Wetland and an evening show
Xixi National Wetland Park’s central zone is free; the quieter east and west zones cost about ¥80. It’s a slower, greener contrast to the lake, with canals and old villages rather than pagodas and crowds. In the evening, the “Impression West Lake” show, directed by Zhang Yimou, runs ¥360-960 and tickets are worth booking ahead in peak season.
Read more: our full Hangzhou guide covers how many days to budget for all of this, and the 3-day itinerary turns this list into a schedule.