Hangzhou 4-Days 3-Nights Tour

arrive in Hangzhou

You will fly or take the train to Hangzhou, and upon arrival at either the Hangzhou airport or train station, you will be picked up by your English-speaking guide. Hangzhou, capital of Zhejiang Province in East China, is one of the more modern and prosperous cities in China, about 100 kilometers (60 miles) southwest of Shanghai. It sits at the southern end of the Grand Canal and is one of China's seven ancient national capitals. Hangzhou's "heavenly" beauty attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists to its exquisite West Lake (Xi Hu) area each year to enjoy the placid lake, beautiful gardens, reflecting pools, lavish temples and lakeside teahouses.

After your pick-up you’ll be taken to your hotel for the evening. If you have signed up for our “deluxe” tour, you will stay at the 5-star Radisson Plaza Hotel, and if you have signed up for the “standard” tour, you will stay at the 4-star Friendship Hotel.

Hangzhou (B, L)

Following breakfast in the hotel, we’ll get started on your touring in Hanghzou, with our first focus being on West Lake, which is undoubtedly the biggest attraction of Hangzhou, and we’ll spend much of the day there. West Lake is a man-made lake and is created after the Chinese love for garden style parks for recreation. Hangzhou's West Lake Scenic Area, in the southwest of the city, covers 60 square kilometers (23 square miles), of which West Lake itself occupies 5.6 square kilometers (2.2 square miles). West Lake is a place of tranquility where urbanity becomes a silhouette on the northeast horizon and mountains near and far surround it on the other three sides. The occasional pagoda and Chinese-style arched bridge add atmosphere to the tree-lined walkways, verdant islands and hills.

Here are some of the top highlights of West Lake that we will see:

Spring Dawn at Su Causeway:

Spring Dawn at Su Causeway tops the list of the ten best known sights in Hangzhou. The causeway was built during the Northern Song Dynasty by Su Dongpo (1037-1101), a great scholar and famous poet, and was named after him. Stretching 2.8 kilometers (1.7 miles), it includes six bridges and is heavily sheltered by green vegetation. When spring comes, the whole causeway is blanketed by peach blossoms and weeping willows, which creates an especially charming scene.

Autumn Moon on Calm Lake:

This scene is seen from the western end of Bai Causeway. The teahouse with its cement terrace bounded on three sides by water, became one of the traditional places to view West Lake, especially on Mid-Autumn night when the moon is full and bright, so it was named as "Autumn Moon on Calm Lake". This scenic spot covers an area of 6000 square meters (7176 square yards). Various garden plants and flowers intermingle with pavilions and platforms.

Viewing Fish in the Flowering Harbor:

This spot is located at the southern end of Su Causeway. A clean stream flows from Huajia Hill to join West Lake here, and many flowers grow where the fresh water flows in, so it called "Flowery Harbor". This area now has been made into a 22 hectare (54 acre) park with many varieties of trees and flowers, featuring a peony garden which blooms in April and a goldfish pond which is the famous site for viewing fish.

Three Pools Mirroring the Moon:

Three miniature stone pagodas, which act like beacons, built over 800 years ago and 2 meters in height, are the centerpiece of the scenic spot called "Three Pools Mirroring the Moon". To the west of Three Pools Mirroring the Moon Island stand rounded hollow stone pagodas with five round holes like windows around the top and bottom levels. On the night of the Mid-Autumn festival, when the moon shines full and bright in the sky, a candle is lit inside each of the pagodas. The light from the holes and the moon cast their reflections on the water, hence the name.

After our time in West Lake, we’ll take a break for a Chinese lunch. Following lunch, we’ll head out for Hangshou’s Silk Factory, as Hangzhou is well known for producing excellent silks, including satins. At the Silk Factory we’ll see how the silk is made, from start to finish, and you’ll have a chance at some bargains as well. Following our visit to the Silk Factory you’ll be taken back to your hotel for the night.

Hangzhou (B, L)

After breakfast in the hotel we’ll continue our sightseeing. Our first stop will be the Linyin Temple. Commonly translated as "Temple of the Soul's Retreat" is one of the largest and wealthiest temples in China. It was originally founded in 326 AD, but has been rebuilt no less than sixteen times since then. The current buildings are modern restorations of late Qing buildings. The hillside to the south of the temple is also famous as a site of old Buddhist caves and rock carvings. Many of these date back to the time when the temple was first founded and a great many were carved during the blossoming of Buddhism during the Tang dynasty. Despite some damage inflicted by red guards during the Cultural Revolution, the temple and grounds escaped much of the wholesale destruction that other temples in China suffered because of the protection of Premier Zhou Enlai. Today the temple is thriving, though most of the thousands of visitors who come do so for sightseeing and not for religious reasons.

We’ll take a short rest for lunch, and then we’ll continue on to Six Harmonies Pagoda. Located on the north bank of the Qiantang River, Six Harmonies Pagoda was built in 970 to dispel the river's tidal bore, which was thought to be an evil manifestation. It was believed that unwanted natural phenomenon could be subdued by the building of pagodas, according to Buddhist understanding. Fortunately for tourism in Hangzhou the tidal waves don’t seem to have been significantly suppressed, and still hold the world record of 9 meters (30 feet).

Liuhe Ta, Six Harmonies Pagoda, was once a seven-storey stone pagoda, but later a 13-story wooden pagoda was built around the outside enclosing the wooden structure. The top level, accessed by a spiral staircase in the stone pagoda, offers a fine view of the surrounding mountains, the Qiantang River and Qiantang River Great Bridge, which is the largest double-decker (road above, rail below) bridge built by China. The ceiling of each level is carved and painted with flowers, birds and animals in an elegant and delicate style.

After our tour of the Six Harmonies Pagoda you will be taken back to your hotel. The night can be spent at your own leisure, but you might want to check out the city’s numerous delightful teahouses. In addition, there are numerous bars and pubs throughout Hangzhou.

Hangzhou-departure (B)

After breakfast you will be taken to the either the Hangzhou airport or train station, and you will travel on to your next destination, ending your tour. To combine your visit to Hangzhou with a visit to Shanghai, check out our Shanghai Expo world Tour page.