Short answer
Hangzhou's metro is the easiest big-city transport in China to use as a visitor. Twelve lines, 279 stations, English on the signs and the machines, and a fare that starts at ¥2. The network reaches West Lake, both main railway stations and the airport.
Money moves by QR code, not by card. Set up the Transport tab in Alipay or WeChat Pay once for Hangzhou, then scan in and out. Paper single tickets from the machines work as well and take cash or QR payment. A foreign bank card will not open a Hangzhou gate.
Central rides cost ¥2 to ¥4 and the airport corridor around ¥8 to ¥10. The metric worth remembering: a ¥15 day pass needs four rides to beat paying as you go. For Lingyin Temple and the Longjing tea villages there is no station at all, so those legs are a bus, a taxi or a ride-hailing car.
The network in numbers
Hangzhou Metro opened in 2012 and now runs 12 lines — 1 through 10, plus 16 and 19 — covering about 516 km and 279 stations. Lines 12, 15 and 18 are scheduled to join the network before 2027.
For a visitor, three lines do almost all the work: Line 1 through the old city and along the lake, Line 19 as the express between the railway stations and the airport, and Line 7 for the airport and Xiaoshan district. The rest matter mostly when you change between them.
What a ride costs
The fare is distance-based, not flat, and it is set in bands.
| Distance travelled | Fare |
|---|---|
| Up to 4 km | ¥2 |
| 4–12 km | +¥1 for each further 4 km |
| 12–24 km | +¥1 for each further 6 km |
| Over 24 km | +¥1 for each further 8 km |
In practice: a hop between West Lake and Wulin Square is ¥2, most central trips land at ¥2 to ¥4, and the full run on Line 19 between the airport and Hangzhou West Railway Station costs ¥10. A single ticket stays valid for 240 minutes, so a long day does not expire mid-journey.
Children under 1.2 m travel free with an adult, and those between 1.2 m and 1.5 m pay half.
| Ticket type | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Single journey | From ¥2 | One entry and exit, valid 240 minutes |
| 1-day pass | ¥15 | Unlimited rides for 24 hours from first gate |
| 3-day pass | ¥40 | 72 hours |
| 5-day pass | ¥60 | 120 hours |
| 7-day pass | ¥80 | 168 hours |
| Hangzhou Tong card | Rechargeable | Small per-ride discount, also works on buses |
The passes cover the Hangzhou network but not the Shaoxing and Haining sections that run on the same system. Where the passes are sold shifts between stations, so check the official channel or ask at a station service counter.
How to pay at the gate
- Alipay or WeChat Pay transport code. Open the Transport tab, choose Hangzhou, and a QR code appears. Scan it at the entry gate and again on the way out. The city is set per code, so a code set up for Shanghai will not work here.
- Single-journey ticket machines. English interface, cash or QR payment, and the ticket is a small plastic token or paper card that you tap on the way out as well as in.
- Hangzhou Tong card. A stored-value card bought and topped up in stations. It gives a small discount per ride and works on city buses, which suits a stay of a week or more.
- Buses. A flat ¥2 on city routes. The same transport QR code works, or pay with exact cash — drivers do not give change.
The lines a visitor actually uses
| Line | What it covers | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Line 1 | Xiaoshan Airport, Hangzhou East Railway Station, Wulin Square, Longxiangqiao, Hangzhou Railway Station | The workhorse. Longxiangqiao is the stop for the north shore of West Lake. |
| Line 19 | Hangzhou West Railway Station, Hangzhou East Railway Station, West Lake Cultural Square, Xiaoshan Airport | The express, and the fastest airport link. Carriages have luggage racks. |
| Line 3 | Hangzhou West Railway Station, West Lake Cultural Square | The useful cross-link at the west end of the network. |
| Line 7 | Xiaoshan Airport, Yongsheng Road | For Xiaoshan addresses, not for the lake. |
| Line 4 | Hangzhou East Railway Station and the eastern districts | A second option at the station when Line 1 is packed. |
Line 2 meets the airport express at Shentangqiao, Line 5 at Chuangjing Road, Line 9 at Yudao, and Line 6 also calls at Hangzhou East. Those transfer points are what turn a two-line trip into a one-change trip. Xixi National Wetland Park has its own station on Line 19, which surprises people who plan a taxi for it.
One habit worth copying from locals: check the destination on the platform display before boarding. Some lines run trains that terminate at different stations, and the signboard is the only warning you get.
Buses, night services and when the metro is not enough
City buses cost ¥2 flat, run from about 06:00 to 22:00, and night routes carry on to roughly 23:30. Bus 7 is the one visitors end up using most: it links Hangzhou Railway Station, West Lake and Lingyin Temple in a single ride, which matters because no metro line reaches the temple.
The bus network is also how you get to the tea villages if you want to skip taxis entirely. Ask at your hotel for the current route number, since these change — check the official channel for schedules.
Taxis and ride-hailing cars fill the gaps: the Longjing and Meijiawu tea hills, Lingyin Temple and the hillside sights around them, and any journey after the last train. Shared bikes from the Meituan and Hellobike apps are a good fit for the flat lakeside and canal paths; the bikes are released through the operator app and charged per half hour. Some lakeside stretches are pedestrian-only, so plan to lock up and walk.
Timing your day
Weekday peaks run about 07:00 to 09:00 and 17:00 to 19:00, when Line 1 through the centre is genuinely full. Off-peak trains run every 7 to 8 minutes, and peak frequency on Line 19 drops to about 6 minutes.
Two pieces of timing make a Hangzhou day work. Ride to the lake early — the causeways are close to empty before 08:00 and shoulder to shoulder from mid-morning. And finish your last metro leg before 23:00 rather than testing the timetable; the last Line 19 train leaves West Railway Station around 23:15 and arrives at Hangzhou East near midnight.
If you are putting a route together, the West Lake guide maps the sights onto the Line 1 stops, and the two-day itinerary is built around one lake day and one hills day with the transfers already worked out.
Common mistakes on Hangzhou transport
- Mixing up the two station names. "Hangzhou East Railway Station" is the big high-speed hub; "Hangzhou Railway Station" is the old city station near the lake. They are different places on different lines.
- Setting up the transport code for the wrong city. The Alipay transport code is per city. Hangzhou has to be selected before it works.
- Buying a day pass out of habit. Three central rides cost less than the ¥15 pass.
- Assuming the metro runs late. It does not. Last trains cluster around 22:30 to 23:15 depending on the line and direction.
- Planning to walk the whole lake between metro stops. The circuit is long, and the causeways eat an afternoon. Use the buses along the shore or a bike.
- Treating the temple hills as a metro destination. Lingyin, Feilai Feng and the tea villages are bus, taxi or bike territory.
- Carrying a large note onto a bus. Flat ¥2 with no change given is the rule; small notes or the QR code solve it.
Frequently asked questions
How much is a single metro ride in Hangzhou?
The fare is distance-based and starts at ¥2 for the first 4 km. A short ride in the centre costs ¥2, a cross-city trip ¥5 to ¥6, and the airport corridor around ¥8 to ¥10. A single ticket stays valid for up to 240 minutes.
Can I tap a foreign bank card at the Hangzhou metro gates?
No. The gates read QR codes and stored-value cards. Set up the transport QR code inside Alipay or WeChat Pay, or buy a paper single-journey ticket from the machines, which accept cash and QR payment.
Is a Hangzhou tourist metro pass worth it?
The 1-day pass costs ¥15 and the 3-day pass ¥40. A central ride is ¥2 to ¥4, so the 1-day pass only wins from about four rides in a day. For a lake-centred two-day trip, single tickets are usually cheaper.
Which metro station is closest to West Lake?
Longxiangqiao on Line 1, a few minutes on foot from the north shore. West Lake Cultural Square, served by Lines 1, 3 and 19, is the interchange for the same area and the fastest connection to the airport.
Does the Hangzhou metro run at night?
Trains stop before midnight. Line 19's last departure from West Railway Station towards East Railway Station is around 23:15 and reaches Hangzhou East close to midnight; the airport corridor finishes earlier. After that, the choice is a taxi, a ride-hailing car or a night bus.
How do I get to Lingyin Temple without a tour?
No metro line reaches the temple. Take bus 7 from the lake area, which runs past West Lake to Lingyin Temple, or use a taxi or ride-hailing car from the lake's north shore. The temple now needs a free timed reservation arranged in advance.
Do buses in Hangzhou take the same QR code as the metro?
Yes. The city transport QR code in Alipay or WeChat Pay works on buses as well as on the metro in Hangzhou, and city buses are a flat ¥2. Cash works too, but drivers do not carry change.
Is the Hangzhou metro crowded?
Peak hours are roughly 07:00 to 09:00 and 17:00 to 19:00 on weekdays, and Line 1 through the centre is the busiest. Outside those windows trains are comfortable, and mid-morning is the easiest time to reach the lake.
Can I take luggage on the Hangzhou metro?
Yes, and Line 19, the airport express, has luggage racks built into the carriages. Off-peak travel with a suitcase is straightforward; avoid the 08:00 crush on Line 1 with bags if you can.
Related reading
Coming in from the airport or a railway station: the practical Hangzhou guide covers arrival logistics, and the Longjing tea plantation page explains how to reach the villages above the lake.
Compiled from Hangzhou Metro fare bands, line and timetable references for Lines 1, 3, 7 and 19, city bus and night-service information, and payment guides for foreign visitors, cross-checked 29 September 2026. Fares, pass prices, first and last train times and bus routes change with every network phase — the fare chart in the station and the official Hangzhou Metro channels are the authoritative version. Nothing on this page is travel or financial advice.