I live in Hangzhou. I’ve been here over ten years, and I still find new corners of this city every week. Most of my guests come from Shanghai — they’ve done the Bund, they’ve seen the skyscrapers, and now they want something different. Green mountains. Tea fields. A temple where nobody speaks above a whisper. If you’re looking for a West Lake itinerary that goes beyond the tourist rush, you’re in the right place.
China’s high-speed rail makes short trips from Shanghai easy. Shanghai to Hangzhou is 45 minutes. You can leave after breakfast and be walking along West Lake before lunch.
Here are three routes I recommend, depending on what you’re after. Each one starts from Shanghai and covers 3–5 days. I’ve walked, driven, and guided every kilometer of these.
Route 1: Hangzhou & Moganshan (3–4 Days)
Best for: First-time visitors to Zhejiang. Nature lovers. Anyone who wants a mix of city and mountain.
This is my home turf. If you only have a few days, start here.
Day 1: Hangzhou — The Quiet Side of West Lake
Arrive at Hangzhou East (杭州东站) from Shanghai — about 45 minutes by train. Skip the tourist-packed eastern shore. Instead, head to Wuguitan (乌龟潭), a tucked-away corner of the lake where locals walk their dogs and old men practice calligraphy with water brushes on the stone path. I volunteer for the local bird survey, and this is where I go to count egrets in the morning.
In the evening, walk through Hefang Street (河坊街). It’s touristy, yes — but the side alleys have real Hangzhou: herbal medicine shops, hand-pulled noodles, and a woman who makes dragon beard candy from scratch.
Want someone to show you these spots? My West Lake walking tour covers the hidden corners most visitors walk right past.
Day 2: Hangzhou — Tea & Temples
Morning: hike through the Longjing Tea Plantations (龙井茶园). The terraces are beautiful year-round, but spring (March–April) is when the picking happens — you can watch workers hand-pick the leaves and buy tea directly from the farmers.
Afternoon: Lingyin Temple (灵隐寺). One of China’s biggest Buddhist temples, tucked into a forested valley. Get there after 3 PM when the tour groups thin out. The Fei Lai Feng rock carvings next door are worth the extra 20 minutes.
Day 3: Moganshan — Bamboo & Mountain Air
Train from Hangzhou to Deqing (德清站), 20 minutes. Then a taxi up to Moganshan (莫干山). This was the summer retreat for Shanghai’s foreign elite in the 1920s — old stone villas hidden in bamboo forests. The hiking trails are well-marked and the air is noticeably cooler than the city below.
Stay overnight in one of the renovated guesthouses. The bamboo forest at dawn is something I never get tired of.
Day 4 (Optional)
Morning walk, then train back to Shanghai via Deqing.
Route 2: Fuchun River & Qiandao Lake (4–5 Days)
Best for: Photographers. People who want scenery that looks like a Chinese ink painting — because it literally inspired one.
Day 1–2: Tonglu & Fuchun River
Train from Shanghai to Tonglu (桐庐站), about 1.5–2 hours. The Fuchun River (富春江) has been famous since the Yuan dynasty — a painter named Huang Gongwang spent three years painting its landscape, and the scroll is still considered one of China’s greatest artworks.
Take a boat ride on the river. The water is green, the hills are steep, and in the early morning mist it really does look like the painting. Visit Yaolin Wonderland (瑶琳仙境) — a massive karst cave system that stays cool even in August.
Day 3–4: Qiandao Lake — Thousand Islands
Bus or taxi from Tonglu to Qiandao Lake (千岛湖), about 1–1.5 hours. The name means “Thousand Islands Lake” — 1,078 islands scattered across water so clear you can see 7 meters down. Take a boat cruise, or rent a bicycle and ride the lakeside road. The lake is surrounded by forested hills, and the air quality is some of the best in eastern China.
Day 5 (Optional)
Morning by the lake, then bus back to Hangzhou or direct to Shanghai.
Route 3: Zhoushan Islands (4–5 Days)
Best for: Beach people. Spiritual seekers. Anyone who wants to eat seafood caught that morning.
Day 1: Ningbo to Putuoshan
Train to Ningbo (宁波站), 2–2.5 hours from Shanghai. Then bus + ferry to Putuoshan (普陀山) — one of China’s four sacred Buddhist mountains. It’s an island, so the only way in is by boat. The temples are beautiful, the beaches are clean, and the whole place feels different from the mainland — quieter, older, slower.
Day 2: Putuoshan — Full Day
Visit Puji Temple (普济寺), climb Foding Mountain (佛顶山) for the view, and spend the afternoon on Hundred Step Beach (百步沙). If you’re here in summer, the water is warm enough to swim.
Day 3–4: Dongji Island
Ferry from Putuoshan to Dongji Island (东极岛) — check ferry schedules in advance, they’re limited. This is as remote as eastern China gets. Fishing villages, dramatic cliffs, and some of the best sunrises I’ve ever seen. Fresh seafood for every meal. No skyscrapers in sight.
Day 5 (Optional)
Ferry back to Zhoushan, bus/train to Shanghai via Ningbo.
Which Route Should You Pick?
| Hangzhou & Moganshan | Fuchun & Qiandao | Zhoushan Islands | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Days | 3–4 | 4–5 | 4–5 |
| Vibe | City + mountain | River + lake | Island + sea |
| Best season | Spring (tea picking) or autumn | Summer | Summer |
| Difficulty | Easy | Easy–moderate | Moderate |
| My pick for first-timers | ✅ |
If it’s your first time in Zhejiang, do Route 1. Hangzhou is the heart of this region, and you’ll understand why people have been writing poems about West Lake for a thousand years.
If you’ve been to Hangzhou before, Routes 2 and 3 show you a completely different side of the province.
Getting Around
All three routes use China’s high-speed rail network. Book tickets on 12306 (the official app) or Trip.com. Trains run frequently and are almost never late. From Shanghai, you can reach any of these starting points in under 2.5 hours.
Within each destination, I recommend taxis or ride-hailing (DiDi app). Public buses work but eat into your limited time.
Want a Guide?
I run private tours in Hangzhou — walking tours along West Lake and car tours across the wider region. If you’re planning one of these itineraries and want a local to show you the parts that aren’t in the guidebooks, get in touch.
For Route 2 or 3, my Hangzhou Comfort Day Tour covers the best of Hangzhou in one day — temple, tea, boat ride included.
Pima is a Hangzhou-based private tour guide, birder, and ten-year resident of Zhejiang. She runs walking tours and car tours, and has personally explored every route listed above. Contact Pima →