Everyone photographs West Lake — but Hangzhou’s deeper pleasures lie around it: a national wetland park navigated by punt boat, a lake with a thousand forest islands, and the southern terminus of the Grand Canal.
Xixi National Wetland Park
A 10-square-kilometre water forest minutes from downtown. Take the electric punt through reed channels, watch persimmon orchards in autumn, and eat hairy crab at the waterside farmhouses. Rent a bike for the outer dikes.
The Grand Canal (Southern End)
UNESCO-listed and still working: coal barges slide past Ming-era arches at Gongchen Bridge. Walk Xiaohe Old Street’s canalside houses at dusk when the lanterns come on — a Venice feeling without the crowds.
Qiandao Lake (Thousand Island Lake)
Two hours west, 1,078 forested islands dot a reservoir of improbable turquoise. Cable car up Meifeng Island for the classic panorama; sample the famous organic fish-head soup. Cyclists circle the whole lake on a 140km greenway.
More West-Lake-Area Picks
China National Tea Museum (free, set in the plantations), Nine Creeks walking trail through the tea hills, and the Song-dynasty-themed Hengdian alternative: Qinghefang historic street.
Practical
Spring and autumn are ideal. Hangzhou East station links to Shanghai (45 min), Huangshan (1.5h) and Ningbo. For Qiandao and the wetlands, a private MPV with driver is the efficient choice; the AI trip planner handles multi-stop Jiangnan routes.