Things to see in Hangzhou

This region was once the centre of China's silk industry and this museum, just south of the lake, charts the history of silk culture and the clothing products that helped make Hangzhou one of nation's wealthiest and most cultured cities. Take bus Y3.
 

Set against the hillside across the road from Leifeng Pagoda, this peaceful Buddhist monastery houses a vast effigy of Sakyamuni in the main hall and, in an adjacent hall, a magnificent 1000-arm statue of Guanyin.

Located next to Lingyin Temple, this cable car wheels its way up North Peak and offers fabulous views across parts of West Lake and the surrounding tea plantations.

Close to the southwest of the lake, this 60m-high (197ft) octagonal pagoda, first built in 960 AD, overlooks the Qiantang River. It once served as a lighthouse, and was supposed to have magical power to halt the tidal bore which still thunders up the river twice a month. Behind the pagoda stretches a charming walk through terraces dotted with shrines. Take bus K4 or 504 from Nanshan Lu.

Impossible to miss, this vast lake fringed by hills is Hangzhou's richest treasure. Best accessed via the paved esplanade in front of the Hyatt Regency Hotel on Hubin Road, grab a map and take your choice between exploring in a clockwise or anti-clockwise direction (here's a clue, most local tourists go clockwise, and it can get very crowded at weekends). Allow at least one full day to enjoy the parks and temples around the lake.

Many of the most historic attractions are dotted around the Beishan Road area, while the Hubin Road esplanade is a pleasant place to sit and watch the day, or early evening, go by. Lingyin Temple Known locally as Lingyin Si (Temple of the Soul's Retreat), this is one of China's largest and most spectacular Buddhist temples. The entrance is magnificent, passing through shallow caves and grottos featuring over 400 Buddhist rock carvings, many dating from the 10th to 14th centuries. The incense-filled working temple boasts four grand halls, each more lavish and colourful than the last.

The stand-out is the 12m- (39ft-) high Hall of the 500 Arhats, which features 500 human-sized sitting Buddhist saints, each holding his own symbol, arranged in the formation of a giant swastika .