China’s “heaven on earth” is closer, cheaper, and quieter than you’d expect
Singapore Airlines now flies direct daily (from 1 June 2026), and it’s barely an hour by train from Shanghai. You land in the city the Chinese have called “heaven on earth” for a thousand years: misty lake mornings, walkable tea fields, and a lake so green it barely looks real. Here’s what’s worth your time.
Before you go:
- How long: 2 full days for the city, 3 with a day trip
- Getting there: Daily direct Singapore Airlines flights from June 2026, or about an hour by train from Shanghai
- Best time: March to May and autumn for the weather; May through summer for the green “Matcha Lake”
- Cost: Affordable; most big sights are free or a few dollars
- Pay with: YouTrip added to Alipay or WeChat Pay (0% FX, wholesale CNY rate)
What’s Worth Your Time, at a Glance
Here’s the shortlist before the deep dives, so you can plan your days around the big ones.
| Attraction | What it’s for | Cost | Time needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Lake | The classic, can’t-skip-it | Free to walk; boat ~55 CNY (~S$10) | Half day |
| Qingshan “Matcha Lake” | Green-water kayaking | 40 CNY (~S$8) + kayak hire | Half day |
| Lingyin Temple & Feilai Peak | History + cliff grottoes | Free (reserve ahead) | 2–3 hours |
| Meijiawu Tea Village | Walk the Longjing tea fields | Free | 2–3 hours |
| Hefang Street | Street snacks + souvenirs | Free | 1–2 hours |
Table of Contents
- What Is Hangzhou Famous For?
- How Many Days Do You Need in Hangzhou?
- 15 Best Things to Do in Hangzhou
- What to Eat in Hangzhou
- What to Buy in Hangzhou
- Is Hangzhou Cheap or Expensive?
- Getting Connected: eSIM and Apps
- How to Pay in Hangzhou
- FAQ
What Is Hangzhou Famous For?
Hangzhou is famous for West Lake, Longjing (Dragon Well) green tea, and a thousand-year reputation as China’s prettiest city. It’s the kind of place poets wrote about and emperors holidayed in.
It was the capital of the Southern Song dynasty, the southern end of the Grand Canal, and the home of China’s most celebrated green tea. These days it’s also a tech hub (Alibaba is headquartered here), so you get ancient pagodas and slick metro lines in the same afternoon.
What that means for you: it’s scenic and walkable, leans calmer than Beijing or Shanghai, and rewards a slower pace. Come for lakes and tea, not skyscrapers and queues.
📖 Related Guide: First time up north instead? Our 10 best things to do in Beijing covers the Great Wall, the Forbidden City and where to actually eat.
How Many Days Do You Need in Hangzhou?
Two full days covers the city comfortably. Add a third if you want a day trip to Suzhou or Wuzhen. One day works in a pinch, but you’ll be rushing the lake.
- One day in Hangzhou (the essentials): Do West Lake in the morning while the light’s soft, take the boat to the islands, then walk or cycle the Su Causeway. Spend the afternoon at Lingyin Temple, and end on Hefang Street for snacks.
- Two days (weekend trip): Day one is West Lake and Lingyin. Day two is the Meijiawu tea fields in the morning and Qingshan “Matcha Lake” if the season’s right, or Hefang Street and the museums if it’s not.
- Three Days (city plus a day trip): Same two days, then use day three for Suzhou’s gardens or Wuzhen water town, both an easy train hop away. Getting around the city itself is easiest by metro plus ride-hailing.
📖 Related Guide: Sorting out rides between sights? Our guide to using DiDi in China walks through booking with a foreign card and phone.
15 Best Things to Do in Hangzhou
The best things to do in Hangzhou cluster around West Lake, the temple-and-tea hills to its west, a strikingly green lake about an hour out, and a few easy day trips. Here’s the full 15, with what each one is really like.
1. West Lake (西湖)
If you do one thing in Hangzhou, do this at sunrise before the tour buses land. West Lake is the whole reason the city has its reputation, and unlike a lot of over-hyped sights, it earns it. Take a boat out to the Three Pools Mirroring the Moon island, look back at the pagodas in the haze, and you’ll get why people have been obsessed with it for a thousand years.
Walking the lakeside and the Su Causeway is free. You only pay if you want to get out on the water.
- 📍 Xihu District, central Hangzhou
- 🕘 Lakeside open 24h; pleasure boats roughly 8 AM–5 PM (last island boat ~4 PM)
- 💰 Free to walk; leisure boat to the island from ~55 CNY (~S$10), painted boat ~70 CNY (~S$13), both including island entry
- 💡 Pro tip: Go early, walk the Su Causeway, and leave before the midday crowds roll in.
2. Cycle the West Lake Loop and Broken Bridge (断桥)
The full circuit around the lake is about 15km, flat, and one of the nicest urban rides in China. Grab a share-bike, and you can do the whole loop in a relaxed couple of hours, stopping at the Bai Causeway and the famous Broken Bridge along the way.
The Broken Bridge gets its name from a legend, not a real break, and it’s the prettiest spot on the lake in light snow or early morning.
- 📍 Anywhere on the West Lake shore; Broken Bridge sits at the east end of the Bai Causeway
- 🕘 Anytime; best early morning or late afternoon
- 💰 Free; share-bikes cost a few CNY per ride
- 💡 Pro tip: Ride anticlockwise from Broken Bridge so the lake’s on your left the whole way.
3. Leifeng Pagoda (雷峰塔)
On the lake’s south shore, this rebuilt pagoda is tied to the Legend of the White Snake and has the best sunset view over West Lake. Take the lift up (yes, there’s a lift) for a panorama of the water and the city beyond.
- 📍 South shore of West Lake, near Jingci Temple
- 🕘 Open daily, into the evening in peak season (check current hours)
- 💰 40 CNY (~S$8)
- 💡 Pro tip: Time it for golden hour, then walk the south shore back as the lights come on.
4. Qingshan “Matcha Lake” (青山湖)
Image Credits: @jwang815 on Threads
This is the one you’ve probably seen on TikTok, and for once the hype holds up. About an hour out in Lin’an, Qingshan Lake turns a flat, milky green and you can kayak straight through a half-submerged forest. It genuinely looks like matcha.
Here’s the honest bit: the green comes from seasonal duckweed, so it’s a late-spring-to-summer thing, not year-round. Come in late November to December, and you get red cypress instead. Either is gorgeous; just check recent photos before you commit half a day to it.
- 📍 Qingshan Lake Park, Lin’an District (Metro Line 16 to Qingshanhu, Exit D, then a short walk or shuttle)
- 🕘 From 8 AM, last entry around 5 PM (hours shift a little by season)
- 💰 Core area 40 CNY (~S$8); lakeside greenway free; kayak hire from 120 CNY (~S$23) per hour for a single, 220 CNY (~S$41) for a double
- 💡 Pro tip: Arrive 8–10 AM for soft light and space on the water. Food’s limited, so bring snacks.
5. Lingyin Temple and Feilai Peak (灵隐寺)
Image Credits: Klook
One of China’s oldest and most important Buddhist temples, set against forested hills with a cliff face of carved Buddhist grottoes opposite. It’s the most atmospheric thing you’ll do here that isn’t the lake.
Good news for 2026: the whole site went completely free on 1 December 2025, temple included. It used to cost 75 CNY all in (45 for the scenic area plus a 30 CNY temple voucher), so this is a genuine win. You just need to book a free real-name reservation in advance.
- 📍 Lingyin Road, Xihu District
- 🕘 7:30 AM–5:30 PM (last entry 5 PM)
- 💰 Free; book a free real-name reservation in advance
- 💡 Pro tip: Go on a weekday morning. It’s an active temple, so dress modestly.
6. Meijiawu Tea Village (梅家坞)
Image Credits: Klook
This is where Longjing tea actually grows, in the green hills just west of the lake. You can walk the terraced tea fields, watch leaves being hand-fired in a wok, and sit in a farmhouse teahouse with a cup of the real thing.
Spring (March to May) is peak picking season and the best time to taste it fresh, but the walk is lovely any time of year. Entry’s free; you just pay for tea.
- 📍 Meijiawu Village, Xihu District (about 20 minutes by car from the lake)
- 🕘 Daytime; teahouses generally late morning to evening
- 💰 Free to walk; tea and tastings vary by house
- 💡 Pro tip: Buy your Longjing here from a farm rather than a tourist shop, and you’ll pay closer to the real price.
7. China National Tea Museum (中国茶叶博物馆)
Image Credits: 中国茶叶博物馆
A free, beautifully set museum among the tea hills that makes sense of everything you just saw at Meijiawu: how Longjing is graded, brewed and why it matters. The grounds alone are worth the stop.
- 📍 Longjing Road area, Xihu District
- 🕘 Daytime (check current hours before you go)
- 💰 Free
- 💡 Pro tip: Pair it with Meijiawu and a tea tasting for an easy half-day in the hills.
8. Xixi National Wetland Park (西溪国家湿地公园)
Image Credits: China Daily
A calm, green escape on the west side of the city: waterways, reed beds and quiet boat rides, far from the West Lake crowds. Good for a slow morning if you want nature without leaving town.
- 📍 Xixi, west Hangzhou (metro-accessible)
- 🕘 Daytime, seasonal hours
- 💰 80 CNY (~S$15); boat rides extra
- 💡 Pro tip: Take the electric boat in, walk back out, so you see two different sides of the park.
9. Hefang Street and Qinghefang Ancient Street (河坊街)
Image Credits: Tripadvisor
This is Hangzhou’s best-known old-town street: traditional shopfronts, snack stalls, souvenir sellers and a steady crowd. It’s touristy, yes, but it’s a fun couple of hours and the best place to graze.
Come hungry. It’s wall-to-wall street food and old-school Hangzhou shops.
- 📍 Qinghefang, Shangcheng District (near Wushan Square)
- 🕘 Shops roughly 10 AM–9 PM; busiest in the evening
- 💰 Free to wander; snacks a few CNY each
- 💡 Pro tip: This is your one-stop souvenir run: silk, fans and tea all in one street.
10. Hu Qing Yu Tang Medicine Hall (胡庆余堂)
Image Credits: Wikipedia
Tucked just off Hefang Street, this 1874 traditional Chinese medicine hall is a national heritage site and a genuinely beautiful building: carved wood, old apothecary drawers, the works. Part working pharmacy, part museum.
- 📍 Dajing Lane, off Hefang Street
- 🕘 Daytime
- 💰 Pharmacy shop free to browse; the museum is about 10 CNY (~S$2)
- 💡 Pro tip: It’s a two-minute detour from Hefang Street, so fold it into the same visit.
11. Impression West Lake Show (印象西湖)
Image Credits: Klook
An evening light-and-water show staged on the lake itself, originally directed by Zhang Yimou. It’s touristy and not cheap, but performed on the water at night, it’s genuinely striking.
- 📍 Yuehu area, West Lake
- 🕘 Evening shows, seasonal schedule
- 💰 From 360 CNY (~S$68) for standard seating
- 💡 Pro tip: Book ahead in peak season and dress warm, you’re sitting by the water after dark.
12. Dinner at Lou Wai Lou (楼外楼)
Image Credits: Google Review
If you eat one proper sit-down meal in Hangzhou, make it here. Lou Wai Lou has sat by West Lake since 1848 and does the city’s classics, West Lake Vinegar Fish and Dongpo Pork, better than the tourist traps.
- 📍 Gushan Road, by West Lake
- 🕘 Lunch and dinner
- 💰 More than a street stall, worth it once for the setting and the classics
- 💡 Pro tip: Ask for a window table and order the vinegar fish, even if you only share it.
13. Day Trip: Wuzhen Water Town (乌镇)
Image Credits: @shereen0livia on Lemon8
The postcard water town: stone bridges, canals, and old wooden houses that light up beautifully at night. It’s the most atmospheric day trip from Hangzhou, and the West Scenic Zone is the one to book.
- 📍 ~2 hours by direct bus from Hangzhou’s Jiubao station (~32 CNY / ~S$6 one way)
- 💰 West Scenic Zone 150 CNY (~S$28)
- 💡 Pro tip: Stay into the evening; the night lighting is the whole point.
14. Day Trip: Suzhou Gardens (苏州)
Image Credits: Tripadvisor
Just up the line, Suzhou is famous for its UNESCO-listed classical gardens and old canals. Pick one or two gardens (the Humble Administrator’s Garden is the headline) rather than trying to do them all.
- 📍 Under 2 hours by train from Hangzhou
- 💰 Garden entry varies by site
- 💡 Pro tip: Better for a gardens-and-museums day than a fast-paced one.
15. Day Trip: Shanghai (上海)
Hangzhou’s big-city neighbour is barely an hour away by bullet train, so the Bund, the museums and the food are all easy as a day out, or a smart place to fly in or out of.
- 📍 ~45 min–1 hour by high-speed train; second class 47–120 CNY (~S$9–23)
- 💡 Pro tip: with daily direct SIA flights to Hangzhou now, you can flip it: land in Hangzhou, day-trip to Shanghai.
📖 Related Guide: Tacking on the big city? Our 31 things to do in Shanghai maps out the Bund, the museums and the food.
What to Eat in Hangzhou
Image Credits: Resilkroad on Facebook
Hangzhou food is the gentle, slightly sweet side of Chinese cooking, built around the lake and the river. Go for the classics, then graze the street stalls.
The dishes to track down:
- Beggar’s Chicken: chicken wrapped in lotus leaves and clay, then roasted until it falls apart
- West Lake Vinegar Fish: freshwater fish in a sweet-sour glaze, the signature local dish
- Longjing Shrimp: river shrimp stir-fried with Dragon Well tea leaves, only-in-Hangzhou
- Soup dumplings and street snacks: your easy wins along Hefang Street
- Fermented “stinky” tofu: smells rough, tastes great, try it once
You’ll eat well on very little here, especially if you follow the queues at the street stalls rather than the sit-down tourist spots.
📖 Related Guide: Serious about eating your way through China? Our ultimate Guangzhou travel guide is built around the country’s dim sum capital.
What to Buy in Hangzhou
Image Credits: China Odyssey Tours
The two things worth buying in Hangzhou are Longjing tea and silk. Both are genuinely local, not generic gift-shop filler.
- Longjing (Dragon Well) tea: buy it from Meijiawu or a reputable shop, not a street cart
- Silk: Hangzhou’s been a silk town for centuries; scarves are the easy buy
- Wangxingji hand fans: a local heritage brand dating to 1875, good as gifts
- Zhang Xiaoquan scissors: a centuries-old local name and a surprisingly good souvenir
Most stalls and even small shops take Alipay or WeChat Pay, so you rarely need cash for any of this.
📖 Related Guide: Want to scan a QR and go? Our WeChat Pay guide for foreigners covers setup with an overseas card.
Is Hangzhou Cheap or Expensive?
Hangzhou is cheap by Singapore standards, especially food, transport and entry fees. The big-ticket sights are free, or a few dollars, and a great meal rarely tops S$15.
Rough idea of daily costs:
| What | Cost | ~SGD |
|---|---|---|
| Metro ride | 2–6 CNY | ~S$0.40–1.10 |
| Street-food meal | 20–40 CNY | ~S$4–8 |
| Sit-down dinner | 60–120 CNY | ~S$11–23 |
| West Lake boat | 55 CNY | ~S$10 |
| Bullet train from Shanghai | from ~47 CNY | ~S$9 |
The one thing that quietly eats your budget isn’t prices, it’s how you pay. Card FX fees and bad exchange rates add up fast, which is the easy bit to fix (more below).
📖 Related Guide: Want to know what your dollar’s worth right now? Our SGD to CNY rate guide breaks down the best ways to convert.
Getting Connected: eSIM and Apps
Sort out data before you fly, because China blocks Google, WhatsApp and Instagram behind the Great Firewall. A travel eSIM with a non-China route (or a roaming plan) gets you around most of that without fuss.
Download what you’ll actually use ahead of time: a maps app that works in China, a translation app, and your payment apps set up and tested. Doing this at Changi beats troubleshooting it on Chinese wifi.
📖 Related Guide: Not sure which data plan to grab? Our best travel eSIM guide compares options, including ones that work around the firewall.
How to Pay in Hangzhou
China runs on QR codes. Alipay and WeChat Pay get you everywhere, from the dumpling stall to the metro gate, and both now let foreigners link an overseas card with just a passport.
Here’s the setup that keeps your costs down:
- Add your YouTrip card to Alipay or WeChat Pay before you fly
Every tap then auto-converts your SGD to CNY at the Mastercard wholesale rate, with 0% FX fees. A regular credit card usually adds around 3% to 3.5% on top of every overseas spend, so this is the easy saving.
- Pull a little cash from an ATM when you land for the rare cash-only stall or temple donation box
Your first S$400 of overseas ATM withdrawals each calendar month is free with YouTrip; then it’s a flat 2% (some Chinese bank ATMs add their own 20–30 CNY / ~S$4–6 screen fee, so withdraw a sensible amount in one go).
- Always pick CNY, never SGD, at any card machine or ATM
Choosing SGD hands the rate to the merchant’s bank, which is almost always worse.
That combination, QR for everything and a small cash buffer, is all you need for a trip like this.
📖 Related Guide: Wondering if your card just works over there? Our guide to using YouTrip in China answers it plainly.
For deeper detail, see our China ATM withdrawal guide and the full Alipay-for-foreigners walkthrough.
FAQ
Two full days is enough for the city itself: West Lake, Lingyin Temple, the tea fields and Hefang Street. Add a third day if you want to fit in a day trip to Suzhou or Wuzhen, both a short train ride away.
Yes, especially if you’ve already done Beijing and Shanghai and want somewhere calmer and prettier. West Lake, the tea villages and the temples make it one of China’s most scenic cities, and it’s an easy hour from Shanghai by train.
It’s Qingshan Lake in Lin’an, about an hour from the city, nicknamed “Matcha Lake” because seasonal duckweed turns the water a milky green. You can kayak through a half-submerged forest. The green look is strongest from late spring through summer.
Barely. Alipay and WeChat Pay are accepted almost everywhere and both take foreign cards now. Carry a small amount of cash for the odd cash-only stall, ideally withdrawn from an ATM after you land rather than changed at home.
Yes. Add your YouTrip card to Alipay or WeChat Pay and tap as normal, with 0% FX fees and the Mastercard wholesale rate. You can also use it at ATMs, with your first S$400 of withdrawals each calendar month free.
Spring (March to May) and autumn (September to November) are the most comfortable and the prettiest, with tea picking in spring and cooler, clear days in autumn. Summer is hot and humid but it’s when the “Matcha Lake” green peaks.
It’s Heaven on Earth
Do West Lake at dawn, walk the tea fields, kayak the green lake if the season’s right, and let Shanghai be the easy add-on. Slot those in and you’ve got a trip the postcards have been promising for a thousand years.
Not a YouTrooper yet? Singapore’s go-to multi-currency wallet helps you save with great FX rates and zero fees. Skip the money changer and get a free YouTrip card + S$5 YouTrip credits with code <YTBLOG5>.
Then, head over to our YouTrip Perks page for exclusive offers and promotions — we promise you won’t regret it. Join our Telegram (@YouTripSG) and Community Group (@YouTripSquad) for travel tips, event invites, and more!
Happy travels!
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