Hangzhou: Living Guide
Have you been considering moving to another city? Hangzhou may be the place for you! Read on for more information on this beautiful city to see what it has to offer.
The Basics
Hangzhou is the largest city and capital of Zhejiang Province. Just an hour by speed train from Shanghai Hongqiao and around an hour to get to Ningbo.
Hangzhou has long humid, hot summers and very cold winters. It’s located on the beautiful West Lake and is surrounded by some beautiful mountain ranges and tea terraces. There are also some beautiful temples and historical sites all over Hangzhou.
There is definitely nightlife and your standard expat hangouts, however the nightlife is not on the same level as somewhere like Shanghai! However, the expat community is close-knit and overall incredibly friendly.
Bread, cheese, and other Western food is available and fairly easy to find, and the foreigner favourite clothes stores such as Zara, H&M and Pull&Bear are dotted around the city.
Getting Around
The metro is currently getting larger and is beginning to cover most areas. You can now also reach the airport by Line 1 or Line 7 metro! Since the city is hosting the 2022 Asian Games they are fast-tracking improving the roads, expanding the metros and cleaning the rivers to get ready for a number of visitors!
Hangzhou also has excellent railway stations for high speed and regular trains; Hangzhou, Hangzhou East, Hangzhou South and Yuhang. Didis and taxis are widely accessible as expected. However, Hangzhou traffic is notoriously dreadful so when going places this should be taken into consideration!
City Highlights
West Lake
The most obvious and goes without saying, a must-do activity is to walk/cycle around West Lake. It’s truly beautiful and there will be many super friendly Chinese tourists wanting to take your photo! There are many places to eat or grab a bubble tea, and market stalls along the way. You may even be lucky enough to catch some couples having their wedding photos taken!
Tip: Go at sunset on a clear evening for some amazing photos!
Grand Canal
The Grand Canal is actually 1,764 kilometers long - from Hangzhou to Beijing - and is the longest manmade waterway in Ancient China. It is actually as impressive and magnificent as the Great Wall in construction and plays a huge part in China’s history. Walk along the Canal for a beautiful mix of modern and traditional.
Tip: The Grand Canal is beautiful day or night!
Leifeng Pagoda & Lingyin Temple
Two must-visit historical sites around West Lake! Lingyin Temple is one of the largest and wealthiest buddhist temples in China, and the Leifeng Pagoda is the oldest colorful pagoda in China.
Longjing Tea Fields
If you love tea or just beautiful views definitely visit the Longing Tea Fields, located west of west lake! You can visit the Tea Museum and wander around the fields. There are endless tea houses where you can sample a cup of the tea for just 20RMB.
Tip: Save this for a bright and sunny day - be ready for a little hiking!
Secret Bars!
You may or may not be surprised to learn that there are a few secret bars dotted around Hangzhou! But you’ll have to come here and discover them yourself.
Tip: Expats who have been here a little while may be able to help you out!
Surrounding Areas
Wuzhen Water Town
Who doesn’t love a water town in China? Wuzhen is probably the most famous one in China and is about an hour north of Hangzhou. It shows its history through stone bridges and pathways and beautiful wood carvings.
It is fairly touristy and has an entrance fee, but is worth a day or weekend trip nonetheless!
Moganshan
Just a stones throw away from Hangzhou (just 60km) is Moganshan - an incredibly beautiful and scenic mountain range. It’s perfect for a relaxing overnight stay and to get out of the city for some fresh air.
Ningbo
Why not take the high speed train from Hangzhou East to Ningbo? A historical coastal town that’s definitely worth a day trip to have a wander around.
And there you have it! We hope this gives you a better idea of what Hangzhou has to offer - we hope this gives you a little insight.