I've been to Hangzhou 5 times, here's my itinerary
Friends! Who gets it?! 😭 Hangzhou in May is criminally beautiful! The lotus flowers beginning to bloom at West Lake, the incense-filled air at Lingyin Temple, the fragrant Longjing tea in every alley... each spot feels like stepping into a Chinese ink painting! This painstakingly compiled guide will walk you through "heaven on earth," so save it now!
📍 Hangzhou, a city praised since ancient times as "paradise on earth" 🌆, is synonymous with the water towns of Jiangnan! The Ten Scenes of West Lake are world-renowned, the thousand-year-old Lingyin Temple echoes with bell sounds, and reeds sway at Xixi Wetland. In May, Hangzhou has comfortable temperatures and lush greenery, making it the perfect time to stroll along Su Causeway and enjoy tea with a view~
✈️ Transportation Guide
✈️ By air: After landing at Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport, take Metro Line 7 or an airport shuttle to downtown, or a taxi which takes about 40 minutes 🚖.
🚄 By high-speed rail: Hangzhou East Station and Hangzhou Station offer numerous trains! It only takes 30-60 minutes 🚄 from Shanghai or Nanjing, with seamless connections to metro, bus, and shared bikes after arrival~
🚗 By car: Very convenient to drive from nearby cities, but parking is difficult downtown and many scenic areas have traffic restrictions, so public transportation is recommended!
🗺 Recommended Itineraries
Day 1: Classic West Lake Tour
Broken Bridge → Bai Causeway → Solitary Hill → Three Pools Mirroring the Moon → Leifeng Pagoda
Take a morning stroll on Broken Bridge to see the misty West Lake 🌫️! Enjoy Hangzhou cuisine at Hubin Intime for lunch, take a boat to Three Pools Mirroring the Moon in the afternoon, and climb Leifeng Pagoda in the evening to watch the sunset turn the lake red—breathtaking!
Day 2: Lingyin Temple and Tea Culture
Lingyin Temple → Faxisi Temple → Longjing Village
Visit Lingyin Temple in the morning for blessings and experience the Zen atmosphere 🙏! Enjoy vegetarian cuisine for lunch, visit Faxisi Temple in the afternoon to pray for love, then head to Longjing Village for tea tasting 🍵 and views of the terraced tea mountains~
Day 3: Art and Local Life
Xiaohe Straight Street → Xiaohe Park → Xiaohe Night Market
Check out artistic boutiques and visit the retro Xiaohe Park ⛲️! In the evening, try all the Hangzhou snacks at the night market, and finally buy some silk and West Lake lotus root starch as souvenirs~
📌 Practical Tips
🎫 Tickets: West Lake is free! Lingyin Temple's Flying Peak is 45 yuan (plus 30 yuan for temple entry), Leifeng Pagoda is 40 yuan. Book in advance on travel platforms~
⏰ Timing: For West Lake boat tours, choose the 3:00 PM slot to enjoy both daytime scenery and sunset; Lingyin Temple opens at 7 AM—go early to avoid crowds!
📸 Photos: Wearing Hanfu at West Lake creates a great atmosphere, and light-colored clothes look beautiful against the tea mountains in Longjing Village!
🍜 Food Recommendations
1️⃣ Vinegar Fish: Tender fish with sweet and sour sauce, absolutely delicious! Lou Wai Lou serves the most authentic version~
2️⃣ Longjing Shrimp: Springy shrimp with a subtle tea fragrance, fresh and light! A must-order at Xin Bai Lu Restaurant~
3️⃣ Dingsheng Cake: Soft, glutinous rice cake that's sweet but not cloying, with osmanthus fragrance, available at street-side shops~
4️⃣ Pian'er Chuan: Soup with preserved vegetables, bamboo shoots, and shredded meat, served with chewy noodles—a breakfast favorite for locals 🍜! Must try at the time-honored Kuiyuan Restaurant~
5️⃣ Cong Bao Hui: Fried dough stick wrapped in thin pancake with sweet sauce, perfect with soy milk! Youbu Soy Milk is super popular~
6️⃣ West Lake Lotus Root Starch: Thick and sweet, topped with nuts and dried fruits, perfect to enjoy while walking~
⚠️ Tips
1️⃣ May in Hangzhou has frequent rain 🌧️, so bring an umbrella! Don't forget sun protection—sunscreen and sun hats are essential~
2️⃣ For Lingyin Temple, you need to buy the Flying Peak ticket first. Wear comfortable shoes, and photography of Buddha statues is prohibited 🙅!
3️⃣ Popular restaurants (like Grandma's Home) get crowded during meal times, so get a number in advance through their WeChat account!
4️⃣ West Lake is packed on weekends—weekdays are better, and riding shared bikes around the lake is amazing~
Friends, Hangzhou's romance and delicious food must be experienced in person! Save this guide and get going! 💖
Member points deducted more than 20 yuan, it is a good deal, but Guanyin Chengdao Day is really super many believers. The weather is still quite hot. I bought a queue for about 20 minutes. I finally came in. If I entered Lingyin, I need more tickets to go to the others. No fee will be charged. All fragrances are free. Fei took it by himself. The environment here is really good. The lake sky is a color. I saw the Jinlian Pool water. I ate plain noodles. I ate compassionate coffee. It was too hot. The North Peak will fight again next time. In fact, it will be very good to experience it when there are few people. This religious holiday Hangzhou will organize special buses and shuttle buses for five yuan. The special line is not good to swipe the old card. The 7-way car for two yuan is really convenient for tourists.
Lingyin Temple is a bit crowded, and the day it rained again, and the misty rain was lingering. I prayed for all the best. The family and children were healthy and learning and progressing.
It was said that it was free on the day, but it was still charged at the scene. Although the preferential policy was mentioned, the whole feeling was not very good. There were too many people and parking was difficult. If you want to receive tickets for Feilaifeng, it is recommended that there are two entrances.
Today's arrangement is perfect 👍 More than 7 am train less than 1 hour, to Hangzhou East Railway Station, take Line 19 to Wensan Road Station to change Line 10 Huanglong Sports Center Exit B, Lingyin Temple direct train... very convenient! First to Feilaifeng, Lingyin Temple, Yongfu Temple, Shuguang Temple, and then climb all the way to the Temple of Wealth (since more than 300 meters high), the record is new! Then the ropeway went down the mountain to Fajing Temple and Faxi Temple. Finally, it was more than 6 pm. ✊ It is estimated that the online car appointment is too difficult to call, or the public exchange subway catches up with the train back 😀
Hangzhou Lingyin Temple is really an unforgettable tourist attraction. Stepping into Lingyin Temple, as if crossing the millennium, the ancient trees are towering, quiet and peaceful, making people instantly forget the troubles of the world. The temple of the heavens and the temple of the great kings are magnificent, and the carved beams and paintings show the exquisite skills of ancient architecture. The Buddha statue in the temple is solemn, especially the statue of Sakyamuni Lotus in the temple. It is tall and majestic and awe-inspiring. There are many cultural relics in the temple, including stone towers and stone Jingzhu in five generations and ten countries, carrying a heavy history. The surrounding Feilai Peak, the caves are fantastic, and the grottoes are exquisitely made. It is worthy of being the ancient grotto art treasure of Jiangnan. It is commendable that the management and service of Lingyin Temple are very intimate, promoting civilization incense, the air in the temple is fresh, and also providing guided services to help tourists understand the temple culture. In addition, the three fragrances given away for free also make prayer more pure. The only downside is that Lingyin Temple is too popular and there are many tourists on holidays, which may affect the tour experience. If you want to feel this tranquility and sacredness quietly, you may wish to choose to go on weekdays or early mornings, in the morning bells and drums, feel the unique charm of Lingyin Temple, so that the soul can be baptized and purified.
As a historical temple in Hangzhou, Lingyin Temple has attracted countless tourists to visit its unique Buddhist culture and ancient architectural style. The temples in the temple are especially worth mentioning, and each one is worth savoring. Especially the statue of Sakyamuni in the main hall is magnificent and lifelike, which is impressive. In addition, the environment of Lingyin Temple is also very attractive, with trees and flowers, providing a peaceful place for tourists to relax. The transportation of Lingyin Temple is convenient, close to the central area of the West Lake Tourism Area, which is convenient for tourists to take a trip after visiting the West Lake. Although it is possible to drive by yourself, as long as the parking location is planned in advance, it will not affect the overall itinerary. In addition, Lingyin Temple also provides a variety of open light for tourists to choose, increasing the fun and memorial significance of travel. In general, Lingyin Temple is not only a good place to enjoy the beautiful scenery, but also a place where the soul is baptized.
The overall plan of Lingyin Temple is to form a five-story pattern along the central axis: Temple of Heavenly Kings - Daxiong Palace - Yaoshi Palace - Tibetan Jinglou (under the way) - Huayan Palace. At the same time, the layout of the two wings has been built, and the line is carved into 500 Luohan Hall, Daoji Hall (now known as Jigong Hall), the guest hall (Liuhe Hall), the ancestor hall, the Great Pavilion, and the Dragon Palace Haizang (collection display); And the original Luohantang site to rebuild the 500 Luohantang, display the average height of 1.7 meters of 500 bronze Luohan, the center of the building another 12.6 meters high four famous mountain bronze hall (listed as Guinness record), covering an area of about 87,000 square meters. In addition, each hall has a spacious platform to beautify the ancient temple environment. A large-scale "Heart Sutra" wall, 100 lions carvings, etc., and built a spring in the northwest of Luohantang in 500, using rockery to form a natural waterfall into Ajuda Pool, and there is a "Gude Pavilion" built by the pool to commemorate the achievements of the German ZTE in the early Qing Dynasty.
Lingyin Temple, which came to Jigong, but bought tickets to even Feilaifeng, because Lingyin Temple was built on Feilaifeng, but it was fine, and student tickets only needed 22.5. The tourists and pilgrims who come here every day are always endless, so there are self-service ticket machines. After entering from the gate of Lingyin Temple, you can see a Lingyin stone monument. Through the Chunhui Pavilion, you can see the stone carving of the Buddha statue of Feilai Peak, chiselled on the stone wall, and you can feel the creation of Buddhist art. Considering that there are many people in Lingyin Temple, I went directly to the caves represented by Longqidong and Yurudong, and then went back to Lingyin Temple. There are 500 Luohan Hall, Tibetan Jinglou, Jigongyuan, and Yaoshi Hall around the Daxiong Temple of Lingyin Temple. After that, the road to the north peak, I went straight to Fayun Ancient Village, Yongfu Temple, Puyuanjingyuan, Jialing Lecturer, Guxiang Temple, Shuguang Temple, etc., and then went back to the north peak and passed by Cuiwei Pavilion to rest. When returning to Lingyin Temple, I bought a cup of Lingyin specialty tea, about 25 yuan, not big cup, the tea fragrance still reveals the breath of Buddha.