Short answer
West Lake is free, has no gate and needs no booking. The shoreline, the two causeways and the parks around them are open all day at no charge. The big 2026 change is at Lingyin: since 1 December 2025 the Lingyin–Feilai Peak scenic area is free, including Lingyin, Yongfu and Taoguang temples. The old ¥45 area ticket and ¥30 temple incense voucher are gone.
Free does not mean walk-in. Entry runs on a mandatory real-name timed reservation through the “杭州灵隐飞来峰” mini-program inside Alipay or WeChat. Slots are 7:30–12:00 and 12:00–17:00, released seven days ahead at 08:00 each morning, up to five people per phone. The gate checks your passport, not a code.
Tickets that remain: Leifeng Pagoda about ¥40, Xixi Wetland about ¥80, the lake ferry to the Three Pools island around ¥55, and the Six Harmonies Pagoda around ¥20. Two days covers the lake, Lingyin and one tea village. Carry your passport — it is the ID for the reservation and every gate.
What each sight costs and how long it takes
| Sight | Ticket | Booking | Time to allow | Best time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Lake shoreline and causeways | Free | None | Half a day; the full loop is about 15 km | Before 08:00 or after sunset |
| Lingyin Temple and Feilai Peak | Free since 1 December 2025 | Timed reservation, passport on entry | 2–3 hours | Morning slot, opens 7:30 |
| Leifeng Pagoda | about ¥40 | Not usually needed | 1 hour | Late afternoon into sunset |
| Six Harmonies Pagoda and the riverfront | around ¥20, small extra to climb | Not needed | 1–1.5 hours | Afternoon |
| Hefang Street and Qinghefang old town | Free | None | 1–2 hours | Evening, lanterns on |
| Longjing and Meijiawu tea terraces | Free to walk | None; tea houses bill separately | 2–3 hours | Morning, before the coaches |
| Xixi National Wetland Park | about ¥80 | Reserve at weekends and holidays | 3–4 hours | Morning |
| Grand Canal, Gongchen Bridge and neighbouring museums | Free; some museums need a slot | Check each museum's channel | 2 hours | Afternoon |
The Lingyin change, in detail
Printed advice often still describes the old two-ticket system.
- Where to book. Search the “杭州灵隐飞来峰” mini-program in Alipay or WeChat. There is no counter queue that skips the reservation.
- When slots open. New capacity is released at 08:00 daily for dates up to seven days ahead, excluding the same day. Weekdays fill slowly; a holiday week can fill in hours.
- Daily caps. About 35,000 admissions on weekdays, 50,000 at weekends and 65,000 on public holidays. That is why an unplanned visit on 3 October fails.
- What enters with you. Each visitor needs their own passport number, and one phone books up to five people. Staff match the passport to the booking, so a screenshot proves nothing.
- Hours. 7:30–17:30 with last entry at 17:00. Morning and afternoon slots are separate, so an afternoon booking will not work at 9:00.
- Exemptions. Visitors aged 70 and over and several permit categories enter without booking.
Which stops earn their time
West Lake is the free centrepiece, and there is no point seeing all of it. Pick one side and walk it well: the Bai Causeway in the north, the Su Causeway down the middle, or the east shore between Hubin and the shopping streets. The full loop is a bike ride, and bike share rented through Alipay does it in an afternoon.
Leifeng Pagoda is a modern rebuild over the excavated Song-dynasty base, so it is a viewing platform more than a historic interior, and the best paid ticket on the lake: south shore, causeways and skyline line up from the top. Go late, not at midday.
Longjing and Meijiawu are a working landscape rather than a ticketed sight, free to walk and quietest before 10:00. Anything buyable there is a separate negotiation — the tea plantation guide covers the pricing.
Xixi Wetland is flat, watery and a genuine half-day off the tour circuit, needing 3–4 hours with a boat leg. Skip it if you have two days or less and have not seen the lake properly.
The Grand Canal end, by Gongchen Bridge with the craft and umbrella museums nearby, is the calmest free afternoon in the city; several of those museums close on Mondays.
Songcheng bundles a theme park with the Romance of the Song Dynasty stage show — a good evening for families that want spectacle.
What to skip, and why
- Hefang Street as a shopping plan. A rebuilt commercial street. Walk it once after dark and eat elsewhere.
- Wushan night market for dinner. Mostly phone cases and trinkets. Worth ten minutes, not an evening.
- Lakeside boat touts and costume photographers. Licensed piers post fares; laminated cards do not.
- Skip-the-line entries for free sights. Both cost nothing to enter.
Getting around, and when to go
Ding'an Road station on metro Line 1 sits a short walk from Hefang Street, and the Hubin lakeside stop starts an east-shore walk. The Lingyin–Feilai Peak area is the one place a taxi saves an hour of transfers, and shared bikes rented through Alipay cover the flat lake loop.
March to May and late September to November are the seasons worth planning around. National Day week in early October and the first days of May are the busiest stretch of the year: reservations vanish days ahead and the causeways become a slow queue.
Frequently asked questions
Is West Lake free to visit?
Yes. The shoreline, both causeways and the surrounding parks cost nothing and have no closing time. Leifeng Pagoda (about ¥40) and the Three Pools island ferry (roughly ¥55) charge separately.
Do I need to book Lingyin Temple in advance?
Yes. The area is free, but entry needs a real-name timed reservation in the Hangzhou Lingyin Feilai Peak mini-program on Alipay or WeChat. Slots open at 08:00 daily, up to seven days ahead, and every visitor needs a passport number.
How much are the remaining Hangzhou tickets?
Leifeng Pagoda about ¥40, Xixi Wetland about ¥80, the Three Pools island ferry roughly ¥55, and the Six Harmonies Pagoda around ¥20 with a small extra to climb. The gate posting is the figure that counts.
Can I pay for tickets with a foreign card?
The Lingyin reservation is free and takes no payment. Paid attractions accept Alipay and WeChat Pay with foreign cards, and larger sights take cash. Carry your passport, since it is the document checked at the gate.
How long do I need for West Lake, and when should I go to Lingyin?
Half a day for one shore done properly, a full day with a boat leg and a pagoda. For Lingyin, take the 7:30 opening on a weekday: weekend afternoons hit the quota.
Which Hangzhou attractions are overrated?
Hefang Street as a shopping destination, the Wushan night market as a food destination, and paid skip-the-line listings for sights that are free to enter.
Related reading
Read this with the West Lake guide for routes, and the two-day itinerary for an order that keeps the walking sane. If you are deciding how much time the city deserves, start from the Hangzhou section.
Compiled from the West Lake Scenic Area notices on the Lingyin-Feilai Peak free-admission and reservation system, Xinhua and Hangzhou municipal reporting from November 2025, posted ticket prices and visitor reports from 2026, cross-checked against two independent travel guides on 29 September 2026. Capacity caps, slot release times, hours and prices are set by the operators and change without much notice, so the mini-program notice and the gate posting are the authoritative version.