Seven days is more than Hangzhou alone usually fills. This itinerary spends days 1-4 on the honest in-city core (West Lake, tea, Lingyin Temple, the Grand Canal, Xixi Wetland) and days 5-7 on the water towns, Suzhou, and Shanghai, since Hangzhou is most sensibly paired with those on a wider Yangtze-Delta circuit rather than stretched thin on its own. Before you fly: set up Alipay (link a foreign card while you still have a home phone number handy), install a VPN, since you can’t download one once you’re inside China, and book Lingyin Temple’s timed-entry reservation online.

Six days covers the full honest Hangzhou core plus two day trips: the Wuzhen/Xitang water towns and Suzhou. Honestly: Hangzhou alone rarely fills more than 4-5 days, so this itinerary leans on those day trips rather than inventing more in-city sights for days 5-6. Before you fly: set up Alipay (link a foreign card while you still have a home phone number handy), install a VPN, since you can’t download one once you’re inside China, and book Lingyin Temple’s timed-entry reservation online.

Five days covers the honest Hangzhou core (West Lake, tea, Lingyin Temple, the Grand Canal, Xixi Wetland) plus one day trip. Honestly: Hangzhou alone rarely fills more than 4-5 days, so this itinerary leans on nearby Suzhou for day 5 rather than inventing more in-city sights. Before you fly: set up Alipay (link a foreign card while you still have a home phone number handy), install a VPN, since you can’t download one once you’re inside China, and book Lingyin Temple’s timed-entry reservation online.

Four days covers the honest 3-day core (West Lake, a tea village, Lingyin Temple, the Grand Canal) plus Xixi Wetland Park. Hangzhou alone rarely fills much beyond this; if you have more time, pair it with Shanghai and Suzhou instead of stretching a Hangzhou-only week. Before you fly: set up Alipay (link a foreign card while you still have a home phone number handy), install a VPN, since you can’t download one once you’re inside China, and book Lingyin Temple’s timed-entry reservation online.

Three days is the sweet spot for Hangzhou: enough time for West Lake, a tea village, Lingyin Temple, and the Grand Canal without padding. Much beyond this, most travelers do better pairing Hangzhou with Shanghai and Suzhou rather than stretching a Hangzhou-only week. Before you fly: set up Alipay (link a foreign card while you still have a home phone number handy), install a VPN, since you can’t download one once you’re inside China, and book Lingyin Temple’s timed-entry reservation online.

Two days is enough to see the honest highlights of Hangzhou: West Lake and Lingyin Temple. It’s not enough time for tea villages, the Grand Canal, or Xixi Wetland, so if those matter to you, look at the 3-day plan instead. Before you fly: set up Alipay (link a foreign card while you still have a home phone number handy), install a VPN, since you can’t download one once you’re inside China, and if Lingyin Temple is on your list, book the timed-entry reservation online, since walk-ups aren’t accepted anymore.

Hangzhou is the capital of Zhejiang province, built around West Lake (Xi Hu), the former Southern Song capital known as Lin’an. It’s the home of Longjing (Dragon Well) green tea, Lingyin Temple, the southern terminus of the Grand Canal, and Alibaba. Here’s what to know before you go. Visa: two paths, not a blanket “visa-free” Two separate policies get travelers in without a full visa application, and they’re easy to mix up.