Do I need to book West Lake (西湖) (Hangzhou) in advance?
No — walk-up works. Passport accepted.
Full booking rules →Do I need to book Lingyin Temple & Feilai Feng (灵隐寺) (Hangzhou) in advance?
Yes — advance booking is required. Passport accepted.
Full booking rules →Do I need to book Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City (Liangzhu Ancient City Park) (Hangzhou) in advance?
Yes — advance booking is required. Passport accepted.
Full booking rules →Official booking →Do I need to book Liangzhu Museum (良渚博物院) (Hangzhou) in advance?
Yes — advance booking is required. Passport accepted.
Full booking rules →Official booking →Do I need to book Zhejiang Provincial Museum (浙江省博物馆) (Hangzhou) in advance?
No — walk-up works. Passport accepted.
Full booking rules →Official booking →Do I need to book China National Tea Museum (中国茶叶博物馆) (Hangzhou) in advance?
No — walk-up works. Passport accepted.
Full booking rules →Official booking →Do I need to book Songcheng (Songcheng Romance Park) (Hangzhou) in advance?
No — walk-up works.
Full booking rules →Official booking →Where do I buy Xixi National Wetland Park (西溪国家湿地公园) tickets?
Use the official channel only: http://www.xixiwetland.com.cn/.
Official booking →Do I need to book Hefang Street (河坊街) (Hangzhou) in advance?
No — walk-up works. Passport accepted.
Full booking rules →Do I need to book Longjing Tea Village (龙井村) & the tea terraces (Hangzhou) in advance?
No — walk-up works. Passport accepted.
Full booking rules →Do I need to book Grand Canal & Gongchen Bridge (京杭大运河·拱宸桥) (Hangzhou) in advance?
No — walk-up works. Passport accepted.
Full booking rules →Can I pay with a foreign card (Visa/Mastercard) in Hangzhou?
Yes — foreign Visa/Mastercard work in Hangzhou, typically linked to Alipay or WeChat Pay for everyday spending. Carry a little cash as a backup.
Do hotels in Hangzhou accept foreign passports?
It varies in Hangzhou — mid-range and chain hotels usually register foreigners, while cheaper local guesthouses may not. Confirm foreign registration when booking.
What should foreigners know about hotels and registration in Hangzhou?
Stay where they can register foreign guests with the police; mid-range chains do it routinely.
What's the main thing to know before visiting Hangzhou?
Lingyin just went free — but you must reserve. The headline change for 2026: as of late November 2025, Lingyin Temple and the Feilai Feng grotto grounds are free. They used to cost ¥45 plus ¥30 bought at the gate. The catch is a mandatory real-name, time-slot reservation through the official Alipay or WeChat mini-program '杭州灵隐飞来峰'. Your passport works for the real-name step, so foreigners can book directly — but there is no English website checkout, and walk-ups without a slot get turned away on busy days. Book the day before, pick an early slot, and the carvings will be near-empty.
Any tourist traps or surprises to watch for in Hangzhou?
Holiday math. On national holidays West Lake absorbs hundreds of thousands of visitors a day and the lakeside path becomes a slow march. If your dates touch Golden Week, see the lake at 6-8am and spend midday in the tea hills instead: same scenery, a tenth of the people.
What should I eat in Hangzhou?
Order the local three. Longjing shrimp (tea-leaf stir-fried), dongpo pork (braised belly named for the poet-governor), and West Lake vinegar fish. The first two travel well to any decent restaurant; the fish is divisive, so order one for the table, not per person.
Where do locals eat in Hangzhou, and what else is worth trying?
Lakeside view tax. Restaurants with a lake view charge roughly double for the same dishes you'll get two streets inland. Pay it once for sunset if you like, then eat where the Hangzhou office workers do, around Hefang street's side lanes, not on the postcard strip itself.
Does West Lake need a ticket or reservation?
No — the lake and its causeways are free public space, open all hours. Individual paid sights around it (pagodas, gardens, boats) are optional add-ons you can decide on the spot.
Is Lingyin Temple still ticketed?
No. Since late November 2025 both the temple and the Feilai Feng grotto grounds are free, reversing the old ¥45 + ¥30 gate tickets. The trade-off is a mandatory real-name, time-slot reservation via the official Alipay or WeChat mini-program '杭州灵隐飞来峰'; your passport works for it. Book a day ahead and pick an early slot.
How many days does Hangzhou need?
Two covers the classics: a West Lake loop plus Lingyin Temple, then the Longjing tea hills the next morning. Add a third for the canal district, the Liangzhu UNESCO site and the wetlands if you want quiet.
Is Hangzhou easy without Chinese?
Among the easiest big stops: heavy English signage around the lake, metro to most sights, and mobile pay everywhere via Alipay (Hangzhou is its hometown). The tea villages are the one place to have your translation app ready. The main friction now is reservations — Lingyin and Liangzhu run through Chinese mini-programs, though passport-based real-name booking works.
Rules change. We re-check these facts on a schedule and date-stamp every page — but always confirm on the official channel before relying on a time.