Hangzhou

West Lake causeways, Lingyin Temple and Longjing tea villages

Hangzhou takes two days, or one as a day trip from Shanghai. On day one, walk the Bai and Su causeways around West Lake to Leifeng Pagoda. On day two, visit Lingyin Temple or the quieter Tianzhu temples and cycle through the Longjing tea villages. Extra days suit the Grand Canal and Xixi Wetland.

The lake is the centre of gravity, but it is bigger than it looks: the full circuit is about 12 km. Skip chasing the classical Ten Scenes one by one, many of them seasonal anyway. Walk a long arc of the shore, cross the causeways and take a boat out to the islands. You will pass most of the scenes without trying.

• One day from Shanghai: Arrive at Hangzhou East and take the metro to Longxiangqiao on the east shore. Walk the Bai Causeway out to Solitary Hill, then head down the almost 3 km Su Causeway, laid out in 1189, and finish at Leifeng Pagoda.
• Two days: Give the second morning to the hills. Lingyin Temple is always crowded; the three Tianzhu temples on the hill nearby are calmer. From there, cycle through the Longjing tea villages towards the Six Harmonies Pagoda on the Qiantang River.
• Three or four days: Ride the water bus up the Grand Canal to Gongchen Bridge for the canal museum and the restored lanes of Xiaohe Street, spend a half day in Xixi Wetland on the far western edge, or take the 90-minute bus to the water town of Wuzhen.

Many visitors base themselves in Shanghai and come down for the day. Stay at least one night by the lake, though, because the shore is at its quietest early and late, after the tour coaches have gone.

Direct trains reach Beijing 12 times a day.

Tea harvest, plum rains and the Qiantang bore through Hangzhou's year

Visit Hangzhou in spring or autumn. The Longjing tea harvest runs from early March into May, with highs from 16 °C to 27 °C. June is the wettest month with the plum rains, July highs average 34 °C, the Qiantang tidal bore peaks in September or early October, and winters are cold and damp.

Spring is tea time. The Longjing harvest runs from about the first week of March until after the May holiday, and the early leaves are the prized ones; later pickings suffer from the rain.

The plum rains arrive in June, making it the wettest month at about 258 mm. Then comes the heat: July highs average 34 °C, and an all-time high of 41.9 °C was logged in August 2024. Typhoons usually make landfall farther south on the Zhejiang coast but still bring wind and heavy rain in August and September. The consolation is the summer lotus at the Crooked Courtyard on the lake's west side.

Around the 15th day of the eighth lunar month (September or early October on the Western calendar), the Qiantang tidal bore peaks. At Haining, downriver from the city, the wave can reach several metres and draws large crowds, as it has since the Ming dynasty.

Snow is occasional, but when it settles on the Broken Bridge it recreates one of the classical Ten Scenes, Lingering Snow on Broken Bridge.

Dongpo pork, West Lake fish and Longjing tea in Hangzhou

Hangzhou is the home of Zhejiang cooking, which leans fresh and sweet. Order dongpo rou braised pork, West Lake fish in vinegar sauce and river shrimp with Longjing tea leaves, have pian'er chuan noodles for lunch, eat street food on Zhongshan Nan Lu at night, and drink Longjing tea brewed with Hupao spring water.

Zhejiang cuisine, one of China's eight great schools, has its standard-bearer here. Locals sum it up as fresh, tender, soft and smooth. The flavours lean sweet. Pork and river fish take the place of northern beef and lamb.

The classics are dongpo rou, a slab of fatty pork braised in a syrupy sauce; xihu cuyu, West Lake fish in vinegar sauce; and longjing xiaren, river shrimp cooked with Dragon Well tea leaves. Beggar's chicken and pork steamed in lotus leaves are the other heavy hitters. Lighter plates include braised bamboo shoots and Sister Song's fish soup, and lotus-root pudding (oufen) makes a warm dessert.

For everyday eating, pian'er chuan noodles with preserved vegetables are the local lunch. Zhongshan Nan Lu, starting at the Drum Tower near Gaoyin Street, is one of China's great street-food strips at night, and Wushan Square has cheap, decent food. Grandma's Kitchen (Waipojia), with around 20 branches and a picture menu, is the easy sit-down option. Lou Wai Lou on Solitary Hill is the famous lakeside name, though locals often prefer the side streets east of Hubin Road.

Tea is the drink. Longjing comes in seven grades, and the classic pairing is leaves brewed with water from Hupao, the Tiger Run spring near the lake, where you buy tea on site and get a flask of hot water. In the evening, Nanshan Road is the bar strip, with live jazz at JZ Club. Wu dialect is the local tongue, though Mandarin works with almost everyone.