Short answer
Zhejiang is the province around Hangzhou, and it splits into four usable pieces: the West Lake and tea hills at the centre, the canal water towns north of the city, the Ningbo–Zhoushan coast including Mount Putuo island, and the southern mountains and coast around Wenzhou and Yandang.
The rail network here is the densest in the country. Hangzhou to Shanghai is well under an hour on the fastest trains, Hangzhou to Ningbo is about an hour, and there are direct services from Hangzhou to Huangshan, Wenzhou, Yiwu and the Qiandao Lake area. You do not need a car for the main route.
No permit is needed anywhere in Zhejiang. Mount Putuo needs a booked ferry and an entry ticket, nothing more. Late March to May and late September to November are the two windows worth planning around.
The shape of the province
Hangzhou sits at the head of the bay that carries its name, at the southern end of the Grand Canal. That position is why the city has been wealthy for a thousand years, and it is also why the province's tourism is so concentrated: a huge share of visitors come for West Lake, spend two days, and leave.
The rest of Zhejiang is more varied than that suggests. North of Hangzhou, towards Huzhou and Jiaxing, the land is flat, wet and canal-cut, which is what produced the water towns. East, the Ningbo plain runs to the sea and out to the Zhoushan archipelago. South, the terrain turns mountainous, with the Yandang and Xianju ranges and a rocky coast running towards Fujian.
The consequence for planning is simple. The interesting places are close together in the north-east and far apart in the south, so a one-week trip should stay in the delta and a two-week trip can push south.
The places worth your days
| Base | Days | Why it earns them |
|---|---|---|
| Hangzhou | 2–3 | West Lake, the Lingyin temple area, the Longjing tea hills, the Grand Canal quarter and the food. Free to walk the lake, and it needs more than a day. |
| A water town (Wuzhen, Xitang or Nanxun) | 1 night | Canal lanes, stone bridges and old houses, best in the evening and early morning. One town is enough; pick by how commercialised you want it. |
| Shaoxing | 1 | Lu Xun's home town, with a well-preserved canal quarter, rice-wine culture and far fewer visitors than Hangzhou. About half an hour away by rail. |
| Ningbo | 1–2 | Major port city with the Tianyi Pavilion library, the old Bund district and excellent seafood. Also the rail gateway to the islands. |
| Mount Putuo / Zhoushan | 2 | A Buddhist island reached by short ferry from the Zhoushan mainland, with temples, beaches and a hilltop monastery. Needs a booked crossing and an overnight. |
| Qiandao Lake (Chun'an) | 1–2 | A large reservoir lake with island scenery and cycling routes. Direct high-speed rail from Hangzhou has made it a genuine weekend destination. |
| Yandang Mountain (Wenzhou area) | 1–2 | Volcanic rock peaks, night-lit gorge walks and waterfalls. It has its own high-speed rail station on the southern line. |
| Yiwu / Jinhua | 1 | Yiwu's wholesale market is the largest of its kind, and Hengdian near Jinhua is a working film-studio town. Both are commercial detours rather than scenic ones. |
A realistic week: Hangzhou 3, water town 1 night, Shaoxing 1, Ningbo 2. Add Mount Putuo only if you can give it a full two days, because the ferry and the weather have a say in the plan.
The transport spine
Zhejiang's rail network is the reason the province is easy. Almost every destination below is reachable from Hangzhou without changing to a bus.
- Hangzhou to Shanghai. Under an hour on the fastest services, with many departures a day. For most visitors Zhejiang is entered through Shanghai, so Shanghai is where the trip starts.
- Hangzhou to Ningbo. About an hour on the coastal line, which continues south towards Wenzhou and then into Fujian.
- Hangzhou north to Suzhou and the canal country. Suzhou is a short ride away across the provincial line, and the water towns sit between the two cities. See Suzhou for the canal-and-garden counterpart to Zhejiang's towns.
- Hangzhou west to Huangshan. A direct high-speed line runs into Anhui, making Huangshan a viable add-on of a couple of hours rather than a separate trip.
- Hangzhou to Qiandao Lake and the south. Direct services run to Chun'an by the lake and onward to Jinhua, Yiwu and Wenzhou.
- The islands. Zhoushan and Mount Putuo have no railway. You reach them by road to a Zhoushan ferry wharf and then a short crossing, most commonly after arriving at Ningbo by train. A railway link to Zhoushan has been under construction and is expected to open during the current provincial transport plan — until it does, treat the transfer as rail plus bus plus ferry.
- Within the cities. Hangzhou and Ningbo both have metro systems, and Hangzhou's reaches the lake, the tea hills and the main rail stations.
Best season
| Window | What you get | The trade-off |
|---|---|---|
| Late March–May | Tea picking in the Longjing hills, mild temperatures, spring blossom around the lake | Rain and grey days, and heavy crowds on spring weekends |
| June–early July | Warm and green, long daylight | The plum-rain period: humid, wet and hazy, with poor visibility for lake and mountain views |
| Mid-July–August | Warm sea temperatures on the islands | Hot and humid inland, and typhoon risk on the coast and for every ferry crossing |
| Late September–November | The best window. Dry, clear, comfortable, good light on the lake and in the mountains | National Day week at the start of October is the busiest holiday of the year — book rail and hotels well ahead |
| December–February | Quiet, cheap, and plum blossom around West Lake from roughly late January | Damp cold, grey skies, and some island services running reduced schedules |
If you want the tea hills at their best, come in the last week of March or the first half of April, before the spring flush is finished. If you want the province at its most comfortable, come in October and avoid the first week.
What to skip
- Three water towns in three days. They are variations on one idea. Pick one, sleep in it, and use the saved day for Shaoxing or the tea hills.
- Mount Putuo as a day trip from Shanghai or Hangzhou. The transit at both ends eats the day and a cancelled ferry eats the trip. Give it a night.
- West Lake on a weekend afternoon in spring. The lakeside path near the main bridges is shoulder to shoulder. Go at 7am, or walk the quieter western shore.
- Qiandao Lake as a rushed stop. It is a lake, and the value is in slow boat crossings and cycling. Half a day there is worse than none.
- Yiwu market if you are not buying. It is a wholesale trade city, enormous and functional, and it is not a sight in the tourist sense.
- Trying to combine the southern mountains with the northern delta in one week. Yandang and Wenzhou are a separate trip from Hangzhou, Ningbo and the towns.
Zhejiang rewards slowing down. A three-night Hangzhou with one afternoon in the tea hills beats a two-night Hangzhou with a checklist.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a permit to visit Zhejiang?
No. Zhejiang has no permit system for foreign visitors. Mount Putuo is a Buddhist island rather than a restricted area, but you do need a booked ferry ticket and a scenic-area entry ticket, both issued against your passport or ID. Book them on the official channel.
How many days does Zhejiang need?
Five days covers Hangzhou properly plus one water town and Ningbo. Seven to eight days adds Mount Putuo and the coast. Ten days or more lets you include Qiandao Lake, Yandang Mountain or the southern coast around Wenzhou.
Should I stay overnight in a water town or day-trip it?
Stay overnight. Day-tripping puts you in the town between about ten and four, which is peak coach traffic. The evening and the hour after opening are when the lanes are quiet, and most of the towns sell a two-day entry ticket that rewards a night.
Is Mount Putuo a day trip from Shanghai or Hangzhou?
It is possible but not advisable. The island has no railway and access is by ferry from the Zhoushan area, so a day trip from either city means several hours in transit at each end plus weather risk on the crossing. Allow one night on or near the island.
What is the best time to visit Zhejiang?
Late March to May, and late September to November. Spring brings tea picking around Hangzhou and mild temperatures. Autumn is dry and clear and is the strongest window overall. Mid-June to early July is the plum-rain period, and August to September brings typhoon risk to the coast and islands.
Which water town should I pick?
Pick one and stay a night. Wuzhen is the largest and most theatrical, Xitang has the covered corridors and is compact, and Nanxun is the quietest and least commercialised. All three are within a couple of hours of Hangzhou or Shanghai by road, and none of them needs to be combined with another.
Do I need a car in Zhejiang?
No. High-speed rail covers Hangzhou, Ningbo, Shaoxing, Wenzhou, Yiwu and the Qiandao Lake area, and the cities all have decent metro or bus networks. A car or a driver only helps for the rural gaps: water-town transfers, mountain villages and coastal roads.
Is Hangzhou just West Lake?
No, and treating it that way is why some visitors leave unimpressed. West Lake is free and open, but the tea hills at Longjing, the Lingyin temple area, the Grand Canal quarter and the city's food scene are each worth a half-day of their own.
Related reading
The delta is the easiest part of China to travel without a fixed plan, because the trains run every few minutes and the distances are short. Zhejiang, Jiangsu and Shanghai can be strung together in any order — Hangzhou, then Suzhou, then Nanjing north along the line, is the standard loop.
Compiled from China Railway route and ticketing information, provincial transport planning notices, island ferry and scenic-area access notes, and visitor reports for Zhejiang, cross-checked 30 September 2026. Rail times, ferry schedules, scenic-area ticketing rules and island access change — confirm the current position on the official channel before booking anything non-refundable, and check storm warnings if you are travelling to the coast or islands from July to September. Nothing on this page is financial or legal advice.