Short answer
The tea hills are about 10 km south-west of central Hangzhou, and the two villages that matter to visitors are Longjing Village and Meijiawu. Both are working tea farms rather than attractions, both are free to walk into, and both are a city bus ride or a short DiDi trip from West Lake.
Go in spring. The harvest runs from late March through April, and the top grade is pre-Qingming tea, picked before the Qingming Festival in the first days of April. The two weeks after it — pre-Guyu tea — is the value buy, and it tastes close enough to the top grade that most visitors could not pick it out blind.
Bus 27 is the classic route from the lake, running past the China National Tea Museum and on to Longjing Village. The one real hazard is tea pricing: genuine West Lake Longjing is genuinely expensive, and cheap "first pick" tea almost always comes from somewhere else.
The two villages
Longjing tea — Dragon Well, 龙井 — is China's most famous green tea: flat-pressed leaves, a pale jade infusion and a chestnut-vegetal aroma. It has been grown on these hills since the Tang dynasty, and it takes its name from a village on the west side of West Lake. The leaf is what makes the region worth an afternoon, but the villages are also simply pleasant: stone lanes, terraced fields climbing the slopes, family restaurants and tea being pan-fried by hand.
Longjing Village
The origin village, up a valley above the lake, and the one with the most photographed terraces. This is where you find the ancient well the tea is named after and the famous "Eighteen Imperial Tea Bushes" that local tradition ties to the Qianlong Emperor. The paths climb; this is a hillside, not a flat park.
Meijiawu
A little further south and slightly more spread out, with a long main street of tea houses and family-run restaurants. Meijiawu is one of the traditional core production areas for the tea, and it is the village most commonly paired with Lingyin Temple because the two sit in the same valley.
You do not need both. Pick one, or do Longjing Village and add the tea museum, which sits between the two.
Getting there
| Destination | By bus | By DiDi or taxi from West Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Longjing Village | Bus 27 is the classic route, running from the north shore of the lake past the China National Tea Museum; buses 87 and 318 also stop nearby | Roughly ¥30–45, about 25–35 minutes |
| Meijiawu | Bus 12, bus 180, or West Lake Shuttle Bus Line 3 | Roughly ¥30–45 |
| China National Tea Museum | On the bus 27 route, between the lake and Longjing Village | Same direction as Longjing Village |
| From Lingyin Temple | Bus 87 is the straightforward hop across the valley | Short ride; the two are in the same valley |
Buses are cheap and frequent, but they get crowded in peak season and the roads are narrow. Show the driver the characters 龙井村 for Longjing Village, or 梅家坞 for Meijiawu, English place names are not widely understood out here.
When to go
Spring is the whole point. The harvest begins in late March, peaks in early April, and winds down by the end of the month. If you are here in that window you will see pickers working the terraces and tea being fired in the village, and you will pay peak prices for the leaf.
- Late March to early April, pre-Qingming (明前) tea. The first flush, the smallest and tenderest leaves, and by far the most expensive.
- Roughly 5–20 April, pre-Guyu (雨前) tea. The second flush, larger leaves, a fuller cup. The value grade.
- September to November, autumn is a genuinely good alternative. Comfortable weather, green terraces, far fewer people, and no harvest crowds.
- Summer, hot and humid, and there is no harvest to watch.
Whatever the season, go on a weekday if you can. The Qingming weekend and the May Day holiday are the two busiest stretches of the year in these villages.
What a visit looks like
- Walk the terraces firstHead uphill before you do anything else. The stone paths climb through the tea bushes and the views back down the valley are the reason to come. Flat shoes, not sandals.
- Stop at a tea house for a tastingAlmost every household will invite you in for a cup. This is hospitality and business at once, expect a demonstration of the brewing, an explanation of the grades, and an offer to buy.
- Eat lunch in the villageThe family restaurants serve tea-infused dishes: shrimp stir-fried with Longjing leaves, tea-smoked chicken. It is a better meal than the tourist strip near the lake.
- See the well and the imperial bushesBoth sit in Longjing Village and are the two named landmarks worth finding on the way through.
- Buy tea only after tastingIf you are going to buy, taste first, ask which flush it is, and ask where it was grown. Then decide.
Buying tea without getting burned
West Lake Longjing has a counterfeiting problem, and it is old enough to be famous. The tea is sold by the jin (斤), which is 500 grams, and prices are quoted that way. Roughly: genuine pre-Guyu leaf commonly runs from a few hundred yuan per 500 g, while pre-Qingming first-pick from the core hills runs into the thousands, with the very best single-bush lots far above that.
| Grade | When it is picked | Typical price level |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-Qingming (明前) | Late March to about 4 April — the first flush | The top grade. Commonly thousands of yuan per 500 g |
| Pre-Guyu (雨前) | Roughly 5–20 April — the second flush | The value pick. Commonly several hundred yuan per 500 g |
| "Longjing-style" green tea | Anywhere, any time | Supermarket prices. Made from leaves grown outside West Lake — fine tea, not this tea |
- Taste before you commit. Any seller worth dealing with will brew a cup first.
- Ask which flush it is. 明前 or 雨前, the answer changes the price by an order of magnitude.
- Buy a small amount first. If you like it, buy more on a second visit rather than committing to a large tin on the first cup.
- Cash and mobile payment both work, but small family stalls may not take a foreign card.
The China National Tea Museum
It sits on the bus 27 route between the lake and Longjing Village, and charges no admission. It is the obvious half-hour stop on the way up the valley: displays on the leaf, the processing and the ceremony, with a working tea garden attached.
Two practical notes. It closes one day a week, and English listings disagree about which, check the day before you build a trip around it. And it has more than one site, with different hours at each and the hillside branch closing earlier than the main one. Weekend visits need a reservation through WeChat; a weekday walk-in usually does not.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a ticket for the tea villages?
No. Longjing Village and Meijiawu are working villages, not ticketed attractions, and walking into them is free. Individual tea houses charge for tastings and meals, and the China National Tea Museum is free.
How do I get to Longjing Village from West Lake?
Bus 27 is the classic route, running from the north shore past the China National Tea Museum to the village, with buses 87 and 318 stopping nearby. A DiDi from the lake costs roughly ¥30–45 and takes 25–35 minutes. Driving yourself is not recommended, parking is limited and weekend traffic is heavy.
When is the best time to visit?
Late March to April for the harvest, when pickers are working the terraces. Autumn (September to November) is the quieter alternative with good weather. Summer is hot with nothing being harvested.
Can I pick tea myself?
Not as a casual walk-in; the terraces are working farmland. Some farms and organised tours offer picking, pan-frying and tasting experiences, and those need to be arranged in advance rather than turning up.
How much should I pay for Longjing tea?
It depends entirely on the flush and the origin. Pre-Guyu leaf commonly runs several hundred yuan per 500 g (one jin), while pre-Qingming first-pick from the core hills runs into the thousands. Anything cheap labelled pre-Qingming West Lake Longjing is grown elsewhere.
Is Longjing Village or Meijiawu better?
Longjing Village has the origin story, the well and the most dramatic terraces. Meijiawu is a little more relaxed, with a longer street of tea houses and restaurants, and pairs more easily with Lingyin Temple. Either is a good half-day.
Can I combine it with Lingyin Temple?
Yes, and you should; they are in the same valley. See the temple at opening, then take bus 87 across to the tea villages for the afternoon. Our two-day Hangzhou itinerary builds this in as Day 2.
Do people speak English in the villages?
Not much. Save the Chinese place names on your phone, 龙井村 and 梅家坞, and have a translation app ready. It makes the buses, the taxis and the tea shops much easier.
Related reading
Bus routes, journey times, museum opening days and harvest grades cross-checked against TravelChinaGuide, China for Travelers, Trip.com village guides and Hangzhou transit data; tea price bands are drawn from Hangzhou tea trade reporting and industry coverage and vary enormously by flush, farm and season. Bus frequencies, museum hours and prices change, treat every figure here as indicative and confirm locally before you rely on it.