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! 💖
The boss provides great service and is very humorous. The location of the B&B is very good, right inside the Lingyin Temple scenic area. It's only 3 minutes' walk from the B&B to the entrance of Lingyin Temple, which is really convenient. It's also convenient to go to the West Lake. You can take bus 1314 directly to the West Lake 3-5 minutes away from the B&B. I'm going to Hangzhou again in a few days and will choose this B&B again. The hygiene in the B&B is clean and refreshing. It is indeed a good accommodation experience.
Lingyin Temple is worthy of being a thousand-year-old temple in Hangzhou. It has a quiet environment and profound Zen. Once you step into the gate, you will feel calm. The cliff carvings and grotto statues of Feilai Peak are exquisite and full of historical charm. The main hall is solemn and solemn, with strong incense but still quiet. The temple is surrounded by towering ancient trees and green shade. Walking through it is like traveling through time and space, and you can feel the strong Buddhist cultural atmosphere. The buildings such as Jigong Hall and Yaoshi Hall are simple and elegant, and the details reflect the ingenuity everywhere. Although there are many tourists, the overall order is in good order, and the sound of monks chanting scriptures adds a sense of transcendence. Whether it is praying, enjoying the scenery or meditating, Lingyin Temple is an excellent choice and worth visiting again and again!
Lingyin Temple is worthy of being a thousand-year-old temple in Hangzhou. It has a quiet environment and profound Zen. Once you step into the gate, you will feel calm. The cliff carvings and grotto statues of Feilai Peak are exquisite and full of historical charm. The main hall is solemn and solemn, with strong incense but still quiet. The temple is surrounded by towering ancient trees and green shade. Walking through it is like traveling through time and space, and you can feel the strong Buddhist cultural atmosphere. The buildings such as Jigong Hall and Yaoshi Hall are simple and elegant, and the details reflect the ingenuity everywhere. Although there are many tourists, the overall order is in good order, and the sound of monks chanting scriptures adds a sense of transcendence. Whether it is praying, enjoying the scenery or meditating, Lingyin Temple is an excellent choice and worth visiting again and again!
Today's arrangement was perfect👍 Take the train at 7:00 in the morning, less than an hour away, arrive at Hangzhou East Station, take Line 19 to Wensan Road Station, change to Line 10, Huanglong Sports Center Exit B, Lingyin Temple direct bus... very convenient! First went to Feilai Peak, Lingyin Temple, Yongfu Zen Temple, Taoguang Temple, and then climbed all the way to the God of Wealth Temple (since it is more than 300 meters high), a historical high! Then take the cable car down the mountain to Fajing Temple and Faxi Temple, and finally it was more than 6 pm✊I guess it was too difficult to call an online car-hailing car, or I changed the bus to the subway and caught the train back😀
Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou is indeed an unforgettable tourist destination. Entering Lingyin Temple, it feels like traveling through thousands of years. The towering ancient trees and the quiet and peaceful atmosphere make people forget the troubles of the world in an instant. The buildings such as the Heavenly King Hall and the Great Hall of the Buddha are magnificent, and the carved beams and painted buildings show the exquisite ancient architectural skills. The Buddha statues in the hall are solemn and majestic, especially the lotus-seated statue of Sakyamuni in the Great Hall of the Buddha, which is tall and majestic, and makes people feel awe. There are many cultural relics in the temple, and the stone pagodas and stone sutras from the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms carry a heavy history. The surrounding Feilai Peak, the fantastic caves and gullies, and the exquisite grotto statues are worthy of being the ancient grotto art treasures of Jiangnan. It is worth praising that the management and service of Lingyin Temple are very considerate, promoting civilized incense, the air in the temple is fresh, and a guided tour service is provided to help tourists understand the temple culture. In addition, the three free incense sticks also make the blessing more pure. The only drawback is that Lingyin Temple is too popular and there are many tourists on holidays, which may affect the tour experience. If you want to quietly experience the tranquility and sacredness, you might as well choose to go there on weekdays or in the early morning, and feel the unique charm of Lingyin Temple in the morning bells and evening drums, so that your soul can be baptized and purified.
As a famous historical temple in Hangzhou, Lingyin Temple has attracted countless tourists with its unique Buddhist culture and ancient architectural style. The main halls in the temple are particularly worth mentioning, and each one is worth savoring. In particular, the gilded Sakyamuni statue in the main hall is magnificent and lifelike, leaving a deep impression. In addition, the environment of Lingyin Temple is also very attractive, with green trees and lush flowers and plants, providing tourists with a quiet and peaceful resting place. Lingyin Temple has convenient transportation and is close to the central area of the West Lake Tourist Area, which is convenient for tourists to visit after visiting the West Lake. Although you may need to drive there by yourself, as long as you plan the parking location in advance, it will not affect the overall itinerary. In addition, Lingyin Temple also provides a variety of consecration objects for tourists to choose from, which increases the fun and commemorative significance of the trip. 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 general plan of Lingyin Temple is to form five layers along the central axis: Tianwangdian Hall - Daxiong Palace - Pharmacist Hall - Tibetan Jinglou (under Fatang) - Huayan Hall. At the same time, we have built five hundred Rohan Hall, Daoji Hall (now known as Jigong Hall), Liuhe Hall, Zutang Hall, Dabei Pavilion and Longgong Hall (collection display); and rebuilt five hundred Rohan Hall at the former Rohan Hall site, displaying five hundred bronze Rohan halls with an average height of 1.7 meters, and built four other famous mountain bronze halls (listed as Guinness records) in the center of the hall. The area is about 87,000 square meters. In addition, every temple has a spacious platform to beautify the ancient temple environment. In order to commemorate the early Qing Dynasty's success in revitalizing Lingyin, a large-scale wall of the Heart Sutra and 100 lions sculptures were built successively, and Xianquan Spring was built in the northwest of the Hall of Five Hundred Arhats.
The Lingyin Temple, which is coming to Jigong, needs to buy tickets together with Feilaifeng, because Lingyin Temple is built in Feilaifeng, but it's okay. The student ticket is only 22.5. Tourists and pilgrims come here every day, so there are self-help ticket machines. After entering the gate of Lingyin Temple, we can see a Lingyin stone tablet. Through the Chunsong Pavilion, the Buddha statues and stone carvings of Feilaifeng can be carved on the stone walls to experience the attainments of Buddhist art. Considering the large number of people in Lingyin Temple, we visited several caves, such as Longhong Cave and Yurudong Cave, and then went back to Lingyin Temple. Lingyin Temple's Daxiong Palace is surrounded by 500 Luohan Hall, Tibetan Sutra Building, Jigong Court, Pharmacist Hall and other buildings. After that, the road directly to the north peak arrived at Fayun Ancient Village, Yongfu Zen Temple, Puyuanjing Temple, Jialing Seminar, Guxiang Zen Temple, Taoguang Temple and so on. The north peak did not go up again. Then the tour returned, passing the Cuiwei Pavilion for a little rest. When I returned to Lingyin Temple, I bought a cup of Lingyin specialty tea, about 25 yuan, not much cup. The fragrance of tea still reveals the Buddha's flavor.