Hangzhou
West Lake perfection an hour from Shanghai — the landscape that defined Chinese ideas of beauty for a millennium.
Best time
March–May and September–November
Suggested stay
2 days
Getting there
45–60 min high-speed train from Shanghai.
Don't miss in Hangzhou
The experiences Western travelers rate highest here.
West Lake
Causeways, pagodas and willow trees — cycle the 15-km loop or drift by boat at dusk.
Lingyin Temple
One of China's largest Buddhist temples, guarded by cliff carvings of hundreds of Buddhas.
Longjing Tea Villages
Where China's most famous green tea grows — pick, pan-fry and sip it in the terraced fields.
Keep exploring
More destinations at the same level of the journey.
Suzhou
The classical garden city — 2,500 years of canals, moon gates and scholar aesthetics, 30 minutes from Shanghai by rail.
Huangshan (Yellow Mountain)
Granite peaks above a sea of clouds — named to the New York Times' 52 Places to Go in 2025, now 2.5 h from Shanghai by high-speed rail.
Harbin
China's ice city — a Russian-built winter wonderland whose Ice and Snow Festival took over Western social media.
Yunnan
China's most diverse province — snow mountains, old towns and 25 ethnic minorities, now a favorite for returning Western travelers.