Short answer
Two days is enough for Hangzhou if you split it the obvious way: Day 1 on the lake, Day 2 in the hills. West Lake is free and has no gate, so it works at any hour. Lingyin Temple — the headline sight in the hills — is also free now, but it is reservation-only, and that single fact decides your second morning.
The lake day is walking plus one boat: the Su Causeway early, a cruise out to Three Pools Mirroring the Moon, Leifeng Pagoda at sunset, and Hefang Street after dark. The hills day is a temple at opening, then a tea village in the same valley, then either the Impression West Lake show or a canal boat.
Arrive at Hangzhou East, not Hangzhou West. Metro Line 1 runs from the station to Longxiangqiao, which is a five-minute walk from the east shore of the lake. Your passport is your train ticket; nothing needs printing.
The shape of the two days
Hangzhou's sights are tightly clustered. West Lake and the old town sit in the middle; the temples, the tea villages and the wetland park all lie to the west and south-west, in the same wooded valley. That makes the split simple — one day in the middle, one day in the hills — and it means you should not try to squeeze both into a single afternoon.
| Day | Morning | Afternoon | Evening |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 1 — the lake | Su Causeway on foot, starting from the south end | Boat to Three Pools Mirroring the Moon, then Leifeng Pagoda | Hefang Street for snacks and old-town shopping |
| Day 2 — the hills | Lingyin Temple and Feilai Feng at opening | Longjing Village or Meijiawu for tea | Impression West Lake, or the Grand Canal from Wulin Gate |
Day 1, the lake
Morning: one causeway, not the whole shoreline
West Lake is roughly 6.4 km² with about 15 km of shoreline, and walking all of it is a full day on its own. Pick one causeway instead. The Su Causeway runs 2.8 km north to south across the middle of the lake and is what most people mean when they talk about a West Lake walk. Start early: before mid-morning the causeway is quiet and the light is better.
Get there on Metro Line 1 to Longxiangqiao (Exit C), which puts you on the east shore about five minutes' walk from the water, then work south and west along the bank.
Afternoon: one boat, then the pagoda
Boats are the only paid thing on the lake that most people bother with, and they earn their money. The standard leisure boat costs about ¥55 and the painted pleasure boat about ¥70, both include admission to Xiaoyingzhou island, home of Three Pools Mirroring the Moon, the scene printed on the ¥1 note. The two boats land in the same place. Take the cheaper one.
Boats run roughly 08:00 to 17:00, and the last departure out to the island is around 16:00. Afterwards, walk or ride to Leifeng Pagoda on the south shore: ¥40 for adults, with the best sunset view over the lake from the top.
Evening: Hefang Street
Hefang Street is a pedestrian old-town street at the foot of Wushan, and it is where you go for Hangzhou snacks, silk, fans and tea in one stretch. Metro Line 1 stops at Ding'an Road, about a ten-minute walk away, and Lines 5 and 7 stop at Jiangcheng Road, slightly closer. If the lake show is running, that takes the evening slot instead, see Day 2.
Day 2, the hills and the tea
Morning: Lingyin Temple, booked the day before
Lingyin is the big one: a roughly 1,700-year-old Chan Buddhist monastery behind Feilai Feng, the "Peak That Flew Here", whose cliffs carry more than 340 Buddhist carvings. Since 1 December 2025 the whole scenic area, the Feilai Feng ticket and the temple's own incense voucher, has been free.
Free does not mean walk in. Entry runs on a free real-name timed reservation with daily visitor caps. Book through the official Hangzhou Lingyin–Feilai Peak mini-program on Alipay or WeChat, at least a day ahead, and expect to be turned away without one. Old guides still quote a ¥45 plus ¥30 combination; that is out of date.
Hours are roughly 07:30 to 17:30, with last entry about an hour before closing. Arrive at opening. This is a temple that fills up, and the walk up through the camphor trees is the reason to come.
Afternoon: tea in the same valley
Lingyin and the tea villages share a valley, so pair them. Longjing Village and Meijiawu are both about 10 km south-west of the centre, both working farms, and both free to walk into. Bus 27 is the classic route from the lake, running past the China National Tea Museum and on towards the village, with buses 87 and 318 also stopping nearby. From Lingyin, bus 87 is the easy hop.
The China National Tea Museum charges no admission, and closes on Tuesdays. Full detail is in our guide to the Longjing tea plantations.
Evening: a show, or the canal
Impression West Lake is an outdoor water-stage show directed by Zhang Yimou, staged on the lake itself near Yue Fei Temple. It runs nightly at around 19:30 for about an hour, March to November; the season closes over winter. Seating is tiered and priced by the operator, so book through the official channel rather than trusting a figure quoted in a blog.
Out of season, the alternative is the Grand Canal: boats leave from Wulin Gate and pass under the old bridges north of the city. It is a much quieter evening than Hefang Street.
Getting around
| Line | What it is good for |
|---|---|
| Line 1 | Longxiangqiao (the lake's east shore), Ding'an Road (Hefang Street), Hangzhou East railway station and Xiaoshan Airport |
| Line 3 | The hills side — Lingyin and Leifeng Pagoda sit on this corridor, with a short bus or taxi for the last stretch to the temple gate |
| Lines 5 and 7 | Jiangcheng Road, a slightly closer stop for Hefang Street |
| Line 19 | The fast airport link; it reaches Hangzhou East far quicker than Line 1 |
Fares are distance-based and cheap, most rides land between ¥2 and ¥9. Line 1 from Hangzhou East to Longxiangqiao is six stops, about 20 minutes, around ¥4. A DiDi from the lake out to the tea villages runs roughly ¥30–45.
What it costs
- West Lake, free, all day, every day.
- Lingyin Temple and Feilai Feng, free since December 2025, with a mandatory free reservation.
- Boat to Three Pools Mirroring the Moon, about ¥55 on the leisure boat, ¥70 on the painted boat, island admission included.
- Leifeng Pagoda, ¥40 for adults.
- Metro, ¥2–9 for most journeys.
- Impression West Lake, ticketed and tiered by seat; confirm the current season's prices on the official channel.
Frequently asked questions
Is two days enough for Hangzhou?
Yes, for West Lake, one temple in the hills, a tea village and one evening. Three days lets you add Xixi National Wetland Park, the Grand Canal and a slower lake day. Anything beyond that is leisure, not sightseeing.
Do I need to book West Lake in advance?
No. West Lake is free, has no gate and no reservation system, and is open at any hour. Only the sub-sights are ticketed, boats, Leifeng Pagoda and the evening show.
Is Lingyin Temple free?
Yes. Since 1 December 2025 both the Feilai Feng scenic-area ticket and the temple's incense voucher were abolished. You still need a free real-name timed reservation, booked at least a day ahead, and daily visitor caps apply.
Which station should I arrive at?
Hangzhou East (杭州东). It is on Metro Lines 1 and 4 with boarding inside the station hall. Hangzhou West is far outside the city and a long, expensive transfer to the lake.
How do I get from Hangzhou East to West Lake?
Metro Line 1 towards Longxiangqiao, six stops, about 20 minutes, roughly ¥4. Leave by Exit C and the lake is about five minutes on foot. A taxi takes longer in traffic and costs many times more.
Should I take the ¥55 boat or the ¥70 boat?
Either gets you to Xiaoyingzhou island, home of Three Pools Mirroring the Moon. Both fares include island admission. The painted boat is more comfortable; the leisure boat is the better value.
What if Impression West Lake is not running?
The show's season runs March to November and closes over winter. In the off months, spend the evening on the Grand Canal from Wulin Gate, or walk the lake shore after dark; the causeways are lit and open.
Can I do Hangzhou as a day trip from Shanghai?
Yes, and it is the standard day trip, see our Shanghai to Hangzhou train guide. But two days is what the city actually rewards, and it removes the pressure of catching a return train.
Related reading
Opening hours, ticket prices and reservation rules cross-checked against TravelChinaGuide, China for Travelers, Hangzhou municipal announcements on the Lingyin Feilai Feng admission change (1 December 2025), the official Leifeng Pagoda ticketing page and Hangzhou Metro line data. Ticket prices, metro fares, show seasons and reservation caps are set locally and change, treat every figure here as indicative and confirm your specific date on the official channel.