Hangzhou Attractions Guide: Top Places to Visit

If you are searching for the best Hangzhou attractions to build your China getaway, this practical Hangzhou travel guide covers all the must-see Hangzhou sightseeing spots, from the timeless shores of West Lake Hangzhou to the serene grounds of Lingyin Temple.

Hangzhou's Top Attractions at a Glance

1. West Lake

This is why most people come, and it earns the hype. A 15 km loop of causeways, gardens and low hills circles the water, all free to walk. Su Causeway is the prettiest stretch before 9am.

 Best things to do here:

• Walk Su Causeway before 9am, when the light is soft and the crowds are thin.
• Take the boat out to Three Pools Mirroring the Moon.
• Cycle the loop on a shared bike, it takes about 90 minutes.

2. Lingyin Temple and Feilai Peak

Founded in AD 328, Lingyin is one of China’s ten most important Buddhist temples. For many visitors the real highlight is Feilai Peak opposite, its limestone face carved with more than 300 statues between the 10th and 14th centuries. Entry is free since 1 December 2025, but you must reserve a named, timed slot up to seven days ahead, and same-day booking is refused.

 Best things to do here:

• Find the 10th-century Laughing Buddha carving halfway up the cliff.
• Walk 10 minutes uphill to Yongfu Temple for tea in the courtyard.
• Ignore anyone selling incense outside the gate, it is included inside.

3. Leifeng Pagoda

The original pagoda went up in 975, collapsed in 1924, and was rebuilt on the same spot in 2002. Purists grumble about the escalators, but the top floor has the best view in the city, with the causeways cutting across the lake below.

 Best things to do here

• Ride the escalator to the fifth floor and work your way down.
• Look for the 1924 ruins in the basement gallery.
• Combine it with Jingci Temple next door, which costs ¥10.

4. Xixi National Wetland Park

Xixi is what the delta looked like before the city arrived: 10 square kilometres of ponds, reed beds and narrow waterways, protected as China’s first national wetland park. The pleasure is slow. Electric boats thread through channels too narrow for anything else, and autumn turns the reeds silver.

 Best things to do here:

• Take the electric boat instead of walking the entire park.
• Walk the boardwalk at Shen Tantou for the quietest water.
• Stop at Hezhu Street for rice cakes and local snacks.

5. Songcheng Park and Romance of the Song Dynasty

Half theme park, half stage spectacle, Songcheng rebuilds a Song dynasty street with costumed staff and small performances all day. The main event is Romance of the Song Dynasty, a 70-minute production on a 360-degree stage with water effects, acrobatics and a cast of hundreds. 

 Best things to do here

• Book the 19:30 show and arrive at 16:00 to see the park first.
• Take a seat in the middle block for the full stage width.

6. Hefang Street and Southern Song Imperial Street

Hefang is the busiest shopping lane in the city, and yes, it is touristy. It is also useful: silk shops, fan makers, scissor sellers and the 140-year-old Hu Qingyu Tang pharmacy sit within 400 metres, and the snack stalls are excellent. Walk south and it becomes the quieter Southern Song Imperial Street.

 Best things to do here:

• Buy tea from a proper tea shop rather than a souvenir stall.
• Visit Hu Qingyu Tang, the old Chinese pharmacy turned museum.
• Try ding sheng cake and freshly pulled longjing shrimp rolls.

7. Qingshan Lake

A calm natural escape tucked in Lin’an District, roughly one hour from central Hangzhou, Qingshan Lake is celebrated for its iconic water forest of dawn redwoods rising from emerald waters. It offers a slower, less crowded alternative to West Lake for nature shots and gentle lakeside walks.

Best things to do here:

• Rent a kayak to glide between the tree trunks for a unique up-close view.
• Cycle along the free 42km lakeside greenway and stop for sunset at Shenghe Pier lawn.

8. Six Harmonies Pagoda

Built in 970 to calm the tidal bore of the Qiantang River, Six Harmonies is 59.9 metres of brick and timber with thirteen eaves above the water. The garden is peaceful and the climb is short. The reward is a view over the river and the 1937 bridge that replaced the old ferry crossing.

 Best things to do here:

• Pay the extra ¥10 (S$2) to climb to the top.
• Walk the riverbank at dusk when the bridge lights come on.

9. China National Tea Museum and Longjing Village

Two sites, both free. The Shuangfeng building on Longjing Road traces how tea moved from medicine to ritual to daily habit, and the tasting room upstairs is why people linger. A 20-minute walk brings you to Longjing Village, where families still roast leaves in hot woks and sell the harvest from their front rooms. Come in late March or April for the first pick.

 Best things to do here:

• Taste before you buy, and ask for the picking date.
• Walk the terraces above the village in the late afternoon.

10. Yue Fei Temple

The tomb and memorial of Yue Fei, the Song general recalled from the front and executed in 1142 on charges his contemporaries knew were false. The complex is small and sober, with his calligraphy on the walls and four iron figures kneeling before the grave. Come for the story rather than the architecture.

 Best things to do here:

• Read the Man Jiang Hong inscription on the west wall.
• Look at the kneeling statues, they are regularly replaced.
• Walk Beishan Street afterwards for lakeside cafés.