West Lake

西湖

“Beautiful in both light and heavy makeup.” Su and Bai Causeways, Three Pools Mirroring the Moon and Leifeng Sunset make West Lake the prototype of Chinese landscape gardens, worthy of World Heritage status. Everything in Hangzhou revolves around it.

West Lake covers about 6.4 square kilometres and is surrounded by mountains on three sides. In 2011 it was inscribed on the World Heritage List as the West Lake Cultural Landscape of Hangzhou. The Ten Scenes of West Lake form the main route for sightseeing. Spring Dawn at Su Causeway features a 2.8 km embankment with six stone bridges, and both cycling and walking along it are classic experiences. Broken Bridge Snow is at the east end of Bai Causeway, where Xu Xian and the White Lady met in The Legend of the White Snake. It is also the busiest photo spot. The other scenes are Autumn Moon over Calm Lake, Lotus Breeze at Quyuan, Viewing Fish at Huagang (free, with red-fish ponds and a peony garden), Orioles Singing in the Willows, Leifeng Sunset (Leifeng Pagoda, admission RMB 40; you can climb it for views over the lake, and it is most beautiful at sunset), Three Pools Mirroring the Moon (an island reached by boat, with boat and entry tickets costing about RMB 70 in total; its design appears on the back of the one-yuan banknote), Evening Bell at Nanping (Jingci Temple), and Twin Peaks Piercing the Clouds. A recommended one-day route starts at Broken Bridge, follows Bai Causeway to Gushan Hill (Xiling Seal Society and the Gushan branch of the Zhejiang Provincial Museum, both free), then continues to Quyuan, south along Su Causeway, to Huagang, Leifeng Pagoda, and finally Nanshan Road. Nanshan Road has cafés and the China Academy of Art, and the music fountain show runs at 19:00 and 20:00. You can rent a hand-paddled boat (about RMB 180 per hour) or an electric boat at Hubin, Broken Bridge or Huagang piers, or take an electric sightseeing cart around the lake (RMB 10 per segment). The lake itself is free to enter and needs no reservation. Only Leifeng Pagoda, Three Pools and Yue Temple charge admission. Getting there: take Metro Line 1 to Longxiangqiao station (for Hubin), or Longxiangqiao or Line 3's Huanglongdong station. Loop buses marked with “游” also serve the lake. Holidays are very crowded, so walk Bai and Su Causeways between 6 and 8 am. Locals favour the plane trees on Beishan Street and Baoshan Hill, where Chuyang Terrace offers sunrise views for free. In summer, use sun protection, since there are many mosquitoes by the lake.

West Lake

Opening hours

Nearby sights

Places to eat nearby