Hangzhou Travel Tips

Hangzhou Travel FAQs and Tips introduce the city and zip codes, post offices, useful numbers, hospitals, banks for foreign exchange, Government and famous universities. When plan your trip to Hangzhou, view our answers to questions about Hangzhou travel to get better understanding of Hangzhou.

Hangzhou is considered one of China’s most famous and beautiful destinations. Home to the legendary West Lake, which resembles a traditional Chinese garden on the grandest scale, the city is a must-see for anyone interested in the Far East. Known as one of China’s most prosperous business centers, Hangzhou has many top authentic and historic attractions that epitomize Hangzhou’s dynamic culture.  

Useful Numbers

• China International country code number: 0086
• Hangzhou city code number: 0571
• Ambulance: 120
• Fire: 119
• Police: 110
• Check Telephone Number: 114
• Weather Report: 12121, 96121
• Tourism Complaint: 0571-96123
• Public Bus Complaint: 0571-12328
• Taxi Complaint: 0571-95128

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Best Time to Visit Hangzhou

Although each season in Hangzhou offers its unique scenery, spring and autumn are the best season to visit Hangzhou, 
specially late March-May and September-mid November. In these seasons, temperature is warm but not hot. Daytime temperature ranges from mid 10s to mid 20s centigrade, and night time temperature ranges from low 10s to low 20s
Spring is the best season to visit the West Lake because all kinds of flowers are blossoming that time, such as plum blossom, peach blossom, and cherry blossom.  Autumn is also very nice because of the yellow and red leaves.

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What to Wear in Hangzhou

Summer in Hangzhou is quite hot, humid so that it is known as one of the four new “stoves” in China. On the contrary, it’s cold and dry in winter. In spring and autumn, the weather is pleasant which makes them golden seasons for sightseeing.

Spring (March through May)

• Weather:Humidity and temperatures combine to make this season feel moderate. Highs range from 82.4°F (28°C) and 54.1°F (12.3°C) with warmer temperatures in the later months. Rain is somewhat common with 8 to 12 days of significant precipitation per month. 
  What to Wear: Spring and autumn there enjoys pleasant weather like other places so you just bring normal spring and autumn dressing such as long pants, sweater, coat and jacket, ect.
  Things to Do: Spring is the best time to walk on the Su Causeway and appreciate the cherry blossom.

Summer (June through August)

• Weather:The middle-year months have very comfortable weather with high temperatures that are quite warm. These months see the most precipitation with 7 to 12 days of precipitation per month. 
  What to Wear: In summer, it is quite hot there. People are hard to sleep at night if there is no fan or air-condition, so you would realize how hot it is. Thus, tourists may need to carry sun scream, hat, and thin clothes.
  Things to Do: Summer is the right time to watch the lotus flowers on the West Lake.

Autumn (September through November)

• Weather: Fall daily highs range from 85.8°F (29.9°C) and 58.6°F (14.8°C), which will feel very nice given the humidity and wind. It rains or snows a significant amount: 6 to 8 days per month.
  What to Wear: long pants, sweater, coat and down jacket is needed in late autumn.
  Things to Do: If you travel to Hangzhou around the Mid-autumn Day, watching the tide of Qiantang River is a good choice.

Winter (December through February)

• Weather:Weather is too cold this time of year in Hangzhou to be enjoyable for warm weather travelers. The average high during this season is between 55.6°F (13.1°C) and 46.2°F (7.9°C). On average, it rains or snows a fair amount: 6 to 10 times per month.
  What to Wear: Winter in Hangzhou is chilly and sometimes it encounters snowy weather, so you’d better prepare more warm clothes with you during this period.
  Things to Do: In the severe winter season, wintersweet is in full blossom, and the three main sites to appreciate the wintersweet can't be missed. Besides, the famous scene of Lingering Snow on the Broken Bridge is the highlight of your winter tour in Hangzhou.

How Many Days Are Needed for Hangzhou Travel

2 - 3 days are suggested for touring Hangzhou. Hangzhou's scenic spots are relatively concentrated and are distributed around the West Lake scenic spot. You can travel through these scenic spots in 1-2 days. Moreover, if you have free time, you can visit nearby Wuzhen and Qiandaohu Lake. Here we have 1 or 2 days Hangzhou city tours, 3 or 4 days Hangzhou and nearby cities' Highlight tours and 5 days or more Hangzhou China full around tours, please check our Hangzhou Tours.

How to Get to Hangzhou

As a popular tourist destination, Hangzhou has convenient modern transportation facilities, tourists can travel to Hangzhou by air, by train and by long-distance bus.  Hangzhou transportation by air is served by Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport, which is located in the east of Hangzhou, about 30 miles away from the city center. With more than 35 regular domestic flights, daily flights to major cities and bigger tourist cities in China, and 2 international flights to Korean and Bangkok, Thailand and 4 joint flights, now there are 8million passengers taking planes from this airport every year. It cooperates with Hong Kong International Airport since 2006. You can also take planes to and from Hong Kong and Singapore. Hangzhou railway is quite developed so that you can travel to Hangzhou by train conveniently. There are 2 major railway stations in Hangzhou which you may most likely to choose for high speed train travel : Hangzhou East Railway Station and Hangzhou Railway Station. Hangzhou is a city with perfect transportation system, with well built highway networks. Travel to Hangzhou by long-distance bus is also available if you depart from mainland cities such as Anhui, Jiangsu, Shanghai, Beijing, Henan, Shandong, Hubei and other places.

• How to Get to Hangzhou from Shanghai
• How to get to Hangzhou from Huangshan
• How to Get to The West Lake in Hangzhou
• How to Get to Mount Putuo from Hangzhou
• How to Get to Xitang Water Town from Hangzhou
• How to get to Wuzhen Water Town from Hangzhou?
• How to Get to Nanxun Water Town from Hangzhou
• How to Get to Huangshan Mountain from Hangzhou
• How to Get to Yunhe Rice Terrace from Hangzhou?

Tips:

• Remember to ask the prices before you tell drivers to start going.
• Subway in Hangzhou is a little complex so that need to be much careful when you choose subway as you transportation tool in case you take the wrong directions.
• Remember to take some charges with you if you want to take buses because buses in Hangzhou are all self-service buses.

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Where to Stay in Hangzhou

As for accommodation areas in Hangzhou, if you want to enjoy convenient shopping and transportation to urban attractions, it is better to stay in the center area like Wulin Square; hotels near West Lake is also highly recommended as you can have easy access to the place where can mostly display the beauty of Hangzhou; Wushan Square Area is best for experiencing the cultural atmosphere of the city, as well as tasting local snacks and enjoying the bird view of West Lake.  As a famous tourism destination, Hangzhou is abundant in a variety of tourism materials so that you can have many choices of accommodation there. Accommodation isn't a problem nowadays because you can see all kinds of hotels everywhere, especially for a popular tourism destination. It’s quite convenient for visitors to book or know something about their hotels before they start to go to new places 

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What and Where to Shop in Hangzhou

As a famous tourist city in China, Hangzhou is also a shopping paradise for tourist from around the world. Hangzhou is well known for producing excellent silks, including satins. Beside, it's also a great place for freshwater pearls, local crafts, fans, antiques and souvenirs. Things recommended for Hangzhou shopping include Longjing Tea (龙井茶), West Lake Lotus Root Powder (西湖藕粉), Hangzhou Silk (杭州丝绸), Hangzhou Embroidery (杭绣) and Wang Xing Ji Fans (王星记扇), etc. 

Claimed as a shopping paradise, Hangzhou boasts lots of shopping malls. You will agree that it deserves this honor when you see the shops of different levels during your travels in Hangzhou. Yan’an Road is a cluster of shopping malls, and nearly all the world’s brands can be found here. Some of the more renowned shopping centers are Hangzhou Tower Shopping Mall, a store selling deluxe products, and Intime, a high-level department store with all-inclusive product lines related to daily life. 

Tips:

• Be reasonable when you want to buy some specialties in tourist areas for prices there are may be more expensive sometimes.
• When you meet some enthusiastic pushers, make right decisions according to your need.
• If you want to buy some tea or silk products, do find some regular shops in case you buy them in unreasonable price or with low quality.

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Hangzhou Dining Tips

As a place prosperous in its fertile lands and outstanding talents, there are special and historical stories behind the names of Hangzhou dishes so that you are able to find it interesting to see those names at the first time, such as Braised Dongpo Pork, Fried Shrimps with Long Jing Tea Leaves, West Lake Fish in Vinegar Gravy, etc. Because of its fresh ingredients, brightness of color and varieties, Hangzhou cuisine is deeply appreciated by guests from home and abroad, which was proved during the period of G20 Summit. You shouldn't miss the famous snacks in Hangzhou like DingSheng Cake (南宋定胜糕), Cat-ear Shaped Pasta (猫耳朵) and Hangzhou Small Steamed Bun, etc. Restaurants in Hangzhou provide you not only the local Hangzhou dishes (Hangbang Cai), but also other Chinese cuisines, western food and Halal food. You don't have to worry about the dining in Hangzhou wether you are a westerner or a Islam. Food streets are the best place to have the full collection of local snacks. Hefang Street, Wushan Night Market, Hedong Road Food Street, Bai Jing Fang Lane (百井坊巷)and Shengli River Food Street (胜利河美食街) are among the recommended list. 

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Things to Do in Hangzhou

Tourism in Hangzhou develops well and has a promising future for there are splendid and special attractions that you can’t find in other places. You can visit both natural scenery spots like West Lake, Longjing Tea Plantation, Xixi National Wetland Park, Qiandaohu Lake and or so, and historical sites such as China National Silk Museum, Qinghefang Street, China National Tea Museum, Six Harmonies Pagoda(Liuhe Tower), Hu Xueyan’s former residence, ect. The following are some recommended attractions that you must pay a visit to if you have chances to be there for traveling.

Top Attractions in Hangzhou

Hangzhou is most famous for its natural scenery featuring southern China landscape. The top attractions such as West Lake, Xixi National Wetland Park and Qiandao Lake are among the must-visit places in Hangzhou.

• West Lake
• Qiandao Lake
• Lingyin Temple
• Liuhe Pagoda
• Leifeng Tower
• Prince Bay Park
• Qinghefang Ancient Street
• Xixi National Wetland Park 
• Song Dynasty Town Theme Park
• Former Residence of Hu Xueyan

More about Top Hangzhou Tourist Attractions

Enjoy West Lake Music Fountain

During your night trip to West Lake, you can also enjoy the music fountain show if you come to the right time.  The West Lake Music Fountain is situated in the Lakeside Park and is a must-see for the West Lake Night Tour. The fountain is also open during the day, but during the night it looks more spectacular due to its colored lighting facilities. Numerous water columns dance to the light and music in the night. You can come here to shop, have dinner, enjoy the music fountain and witness the view of West Lake in the evening. Show time: 19:00 and 20:00, about 15 minutes per show.

Join the Hangzhou Grand Canal Night Cruise

The Hangzhou Grand Canal Night Tour starts from Wulinmen Wharf in Xiacheng District of Hangzhou, and sails along the canal to the southern end of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. It then returns to the Jiangnan Ancient Bridge. There will be a commentator on the boat, guiding visitors through the historical sites along the coast, including a beautiful light show. Visitors can also sample Longjing Tea, a local specialty, on board. Visitors can also take boats instead of buses to get around the city during the day.

• Qiantang River Night Tour
• Grand Canal Cruise in China
• Hangzhou Grand Canal Night Cruise
• Hangzhou West Lake Night Cruise Tour
• Hangzhou Romance of Song Dynasty Evening Show Tour
• Hangzhou Grand Canal and Qiantang River Night Cruise Tour

Go Night Shopping at Qinghefang Street

Qinghefang Street is one of the most popular commercial districts in Hangzhou. The shops along the street are remodeled from old buildings, lending a quaint atmosphere to the area. There are various local snacks, time-honored brands, and tea houses. In the background is Wushan, and Gaoyin Street, a food lover’s paradise, is also nearby. Both tourists and locals often come to this area. This commercial pedestrian area is not overly large, although the shop offerings are very comprehensive; it can be considered to be a microcosm of Hangzhou’s unique characteristics. Most of the local specialties can be found here. In addition to local eats and shopping, Qinghefang also has many other venues that are worth visiting.

Impression West Lake

Venue:No. 82 Beishan Rd (across from the Yue Fei Temple), Xihu District
Time: 19:45-20:45 (First Performance)
Intro :  The show draws deeply from the legends and myths of Hangzhou’s ancient folk culture to recreate some of the representative elements of West Lake’s human history. It also uses hi-tech special effects to create “West Lake Rain,” which showcases the natural charm of West Lake in the rain from a side-view.

Romance of Song Dynasty Show

Venue:Song Dynasty Town, No. 148 Zhijiang Avenue, Hangzhou
Time: Afternoon Show 14:00 – 15:00; Night Show: around 19:20 – 20:20
Intro : The Romance of the Song Dynasty is an indoor performance involving many elements such as singing, dancing, acrobatics, legends, myths, traditions, and so on. It is an easy and direct way to show visitors the charm of both tangible and intangible artifacts for them to understand the history, tradition, and the lifestyles in Hangzhou.

Read More

• Top Reasons to Visit Hangzhou
• Best Places to visit in Hangzho
• Top Hangzhou Tourist Attractions and Things To Do Rated on TripAdvisor

Other Travel Tips for Hangzhou Tours

Visa-free Transit

In most cases, the transit visa exemption only allows the traveler to visit the province of their arrival. However, travelers entering China via Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Nanjing can travel within Shanghai, Zhejiang province, and Jiangsu province. From Jan. 30, 2016, 144-Hour Visa-Free Policy is available to facilitate passport holders of 53 countries and regions when making an international transfer via Xiaoshan Airport. Passengers can enter and exit from this airport, Nanjing Lukou Aiport or any port in Shanghai.

More about 144-Hour Visa-Free Policy

Safety

Hangzhou is one of the safest cities in China, but small crime like pick pocketing is still rampant and you should keep alert at all times. Be careful when you are in tourist attractions where people are too crowded so that your belongings are easy to be stolen by stealer. Moreover, during your West Lake trip, don’t stay too closed to the water when taking pictures, for the sake of your safety. If you’re planning to go cycling around the West Lake, be careful of the electronic bikes passing by. Take care of yourself if you take a boat on the West Lake and watch your steps when getting on and off the boat. 

Tips:

• 1. Try to wear your bag in front. Keep wallet in your bags and put some small changes in the easily accessible place like your bag's side pocket or pant pockets to avoid flashing your wallets unnecessarily.
• 2. Avoid walking phoning. If you do have urgent call to make or answer, try to find a place like the wall behind you to avoid the thieves to snatch from your back.
• 3. Do some caution work when you take the overnight train, it is better to keep the valuable items inside your clothing. To enable you can wake up easily when necessary, sleep aids like sleeping pills, earplugs are not advised.
• 4. Ignore the touts that approach you and try to get you to somewhere when you come out /to the train stations, bus stations or borders.
• 5. Better to go to big shops or restaurants or hotel lobby to get your orientation if you loss your way.
• 6. Get the Xerox copy of your passport and your Chinese visa to avoid the trouble of steal loss and respond the police's check.

Pay Ways

Alibaba, the world's leading e-commerce group, is headquartered in founder Jack Ma's hometown, Hangzhou. Alipay -- Alibaba's mobile payment application -- has changed the way Chinese people shop. Hangzhou is a cashless city that you only need to take your phone with you so that you can buy anything you want. Almost all shops are available for Alipay or WeChat.

Free Wifi Service

Hangzhou implements citywide free wifi! Inside a taxi, use your laptop to go online with no hassle! More and more small, independent Cafes and Restaurants are providing free WiFi hotspots.

Banks in Hangzhou

• Bank of China (Wenyi Branch) (中国银行文一支行)
  Add:  No. 310, Wenyi Road, Xihu District (西湖区文一路310号)
  Tel: (0571)88864836
• Construction Bank of China (Binjiang Branch) (中国建设银行滨江支行)
  Add:  No. 480, Jiangnan Avenue, Binjiang District (滨江区江南大道480号)
  Tel: (0571)87795934
• Commercial Bank of China (Zijin Branch) (中国工商银行紫金支行)
  Add:  No. 327, Gudun Road, Xihu District (西湖区古墩路327号)
  Tel: (0571)88972726
• Bank of Hangzhou (Chengxi Branch) (杭州银行城西支行)
  Add:  No. 130, Wensani Road, Xihu District (西湖区文三西路130号)
  Tel: (0571)88985049

Hospitals in Hangzhou

• Run Run Shaw Hospital
  Add: 3 East Qingchun Road, 310016, Hangzhou
  Tel: 0571-86006613
  Web Site: http://www.srrsh.com
• The First Affiliated Hospital of Medical School of Zhejiang University
  Address: No.79 of Qing Chun Road, Hangzhou, China
  Tel: 0571-87236114, 87236666
  Web Site: http://www.zy91.com/en
• The Frist People's Hospital of Hangzhou
  Add: No.261 Huansha Road Hangzhou China.
  Tel: 0571-87065701
  Web Site: http://www.hz-hospital.com
• Chinese medicine hospital of Zhejiang Province
  Address: No. 54 of You Dian Road, Hangzhou City
  Tel: 0571-87068001
  Web Site: http://www.zjhtcm.com:8080/zjhtcm/jsp/routine.jsp
• Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital
  Address: 158 Shangtang Road,Hangzhou,Zhejiang,China (310014)
  Tel: (+86571)85239988
  Web Site: http://www.hospitalstar.com

Express and Post Offices

• SF Express(顺丰速运)
  Add: Near No. 247, Xihu Avenue(西湖大道247号附近)
  Tel: 95338
• YTO Express(圆通快递)
  Add: No. 65, Qingnian Wenming Road, Jiubao (九堡镇青年文明路65号)
  Tel: 95554, 15068814855
• Lingyin Post Office (灵隐邮政所)
  Add: No. 3, Tianzhu Road (天竺路3号)
  Tel: 0571-87980819
• Wulinmen Post Office (武林门储蓄所)
  Add: No. 221, North Ring Road (环城北路221号)
  Tel: 0571-85100954

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Edited by Brittany Tian/田春燕