Hangzhou Travel Guide — Best Time, Things to Do & Where to Stay

Why Hangzhou

Hangzhou, the capital and most populous city of Zhejiang Province, is located in the south-central portion of China's Yangtze River Delta. Situated at the southern terminus of the historic Grand Canal and the head of Hangzhou Bay, the city center spans the eastern and northern shores of West Lake, positioned just north of the Qiantang River. Its wider administrative area extends from the coastal plain in the east to the mountainous border with Anhui Province in the west.

Recognized as one of the ancient capitals of China, Hangzhou is renowned for its cultural heritage and features three UNESCO World Heritage Sites: the West Lake Cultural Landscape, the Grand Canal, and the Archaeological Ruins of Liangzhu City. Human history in the surrounding region traces back thousands of years to the neolithic Hemudu and jade-carving Liangzhu cultures. The location was formally established as a county under the Qin Dynasty before later serving as the capital for the Wuyue Kingdom and the Southern Song Dynasty.

West Lake forms the centerpiece of the local environment, bordered by hills to its north and west. Notable features around the lake include Baoshi Hill, home to the Baochu Pagoda, and a 2.8-kilometer causeway constructed during the Song Dynasty using dredged lake mud under the direction of the poet-governor Su Shi. Elsewhere in the city, historical points of interest include the Phoenix Mosque, built by a Persian settler during the Song era, and the tomb of the scientist Shen Kuo in the Yuhang district. Visitors to the Qiantang River can also witness its famous tidal bore, an annual phenomenon occurring around mid-August of the lunar calendar that produces waves up to 12 meters high.

Throughout its history, Hangzhou developed into a major commercial and administrative hub. During the Tang Dynasty, governor Bai Juyi restored the lake's dykes and planted trees along the waterfront. In the Yuan Dynasty, foreign visitors such as Marco Polo and Ibn Battuta documented the city's vast canal traffic, painted wooden vessels, and prosperous trade networks.

Hangzhou experiences a humid subtropical climate with four distinct seasons. Summers are long, hot, and humid, while winters are chilly, cloudy, and drier, with occasional snowfall. The local weather is influenced by monsoon plum rains in June and peripheral storms from late-summer typhoons. Today, Hangzhou is a prominent economic and research center, housing the headquarters of major technology and industrial firms and hosting major global gatherings such as the 2016 G20 summit and the 2022 Asian Games.