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Travel to Hangzhou

Flying to Hangzhou

There are no direct flights to Hangzhou from the UK. The fastest routes are via Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou or Hong Kong. Airlines offering through tickets include Air China, Cathay Pacific and China Southern. The same airlines offer indirect flights from the USA. Autumn is a good time to find cheap flights.

Flight times

From London - 16 (including stopover); New York - 19 (including stopover); Los Angeles - 19 hours (including stopover); Toronto - 20 hours (including stopover); Sydney - 14 minutes (including stopover).

Travel by road

A Chinese driving licence is required to drive in China, but to get one of those you must have a Chinese residence permit, rather than just a tourist visa. 

Traffic drives on the right and the minimum driving age is 18. The speed limit in China is 30-60kph (19-37mph) on city roads and 100-120kph (62-75mph) on expressways. Road signs are in both Chinese and English in major cities, but only in Chinese in more remote areas. Foreign visitors wishing to travel by car within China are generally advised to hire a car with a local driver.

Emergency breakdown services

There is no national breakdown service in China.

Routes

The main route from Shanghai to Hangzhou is the G60, while the G25 connects the city with Nanjing to the north.

Coaches

Hangzhou's intercity bus routes are extensive, but all four main bus stations are outside the city centre. The East Bus Station, on Genshanxi Lu, is the most comprehensive with frequent services to many major cities including Shanghai (1 hour). It also has direct buses to Shanghai's two airports.

Services from the North Bus Station, on Moganshan Lu, include Nanjing (1 hour). The West Bus Station, on Tianmushan Lu, has buses to Huang Shan mountain (5 hours), while the South Bus Station, on Qiutao Lu, offers buses to Wenzhou (9 hours). 

Time to city

From Shanghai - 2 hours 15 minutes; Nanjing - 3 hours 30 minutes; Beijing - 14 hours; Guangzhou - 13 hours.

Travel by Rail

Services

Hangzhou benefits from a modern high-speed bullet train link from Shanghai.

Hangzhou has two operating railway stations. The main one, Hangzhou Railway Station, is on Jiangcheng Lu and is used by most intercity trains. The other one is Hangzhou East Station, on Xinfeng Lu. A third station, the Hangzhou South Railway Station is currently closed for renovations. Construction is scheduled to be finished by June 2018.

Booking tickets online is tricky if you don't understand Chinese. You can buy train tickets in stations or through CITS (tel: +86 10 6522 2991; www.cits.net). You should make reservations in advance, although you cannot book more than 10 days in advance. The useful website www.travelchinaguide.com/china-trains has an English-language timetable and lets you book tickets, for a hefty fee.

Operators

State operator China Railways runs all train services in China. The bullet train service between Shanghai and Hangzhou takes a little over an hour and runs several times a day.

Overnight trains to Beijing leave from Hangzhou Railway Station every evening.

Journey times

From Shanghai – 1 hour 15 minutes; Beijing - 5 hours; Suzhou - 2 hours; Nanjing - 1 hour 15 minutes.

A digital image at https://illuminoto.com

Book Accommodation

Featured Hotels

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Four Seasons Hotel Hangzhou at West Lake

Pricey but amazingly beautiful, the Four Seasons Hotel features a spectacularly pleasant staff. The exclusive arrival via boat combined with the spectacular restaurant and spa offer a truly tranquil experience. The perfect place for any occasion from business to pleasure.

 

Wyndham Grand Plaza Royale Hangzhou

One of the best value hotels in the heart of Hangzhou city, The Wyndham Grand Plaza Royale isn’t far from the beautiful West Lake. Onsite parking, WiFi, a business centre, bar and swimming pools (both indoor and outdoor) are available.

 

Hangzhou International Youth Hostel

Hangzhou's best youth hostel is on the eastern lakeshore in an area dotted with bars, cafes and clubs. There's a variety of basic but well-kept rooms including singles, doubles and dorms. Staff members speak good English and there are all the usual hostel facilities such as laundry room, self-service kitchen and Wi-Fi.

Hangzhou Xihu State Guesthouse

This large resort, set in stunning gardens on the quieter west side of the lake, has historically been the lakeside retreat of China's Communist Party elite. Spread across eight buildings, there are 178 rooms, a golf course, meeting facilities, tennis courts and an indoor pool.

Crystal Orange Hotel

Trendy Hangzhou hotel housed in a cool colonial-style building with cute balconies and set back across the road from the eastern lakeshore. Very popular so book ahead.

The New Hotel (Xinxin)

Don't be fooled by the name, this place goes back almost 100 years and is housed in three attractive European-style buildings on the northern lakeshore. Standard rooms are ordinary, but there are some nice lake-view options if you pay more.