What the flight is like —and getting into the city
At 4 to 4.5 hours, the Bangkok–Hangzhou leg is long enough to feel like a proper trip but short enough that there is no jet lag — Thailand and China share the same time zone, so you step off the plane on the same clock. Because the route is almost all low-cost, four-plus hours is a fair stretch in a tighter seat. If you are travelling as a family or with heavy bags, it is worth pre-buying a seat and your baggage allowance at booking — it is usually far cheaper than paying at the airport.
When you land at Xiaoshan Airport (HGH), about 27 km east of West Lake, getting into the city is easier than at many Chinese airports because the Metro runs right into the terminal — you are not reliant on a taxi queue.
Three options cover the trip from HGH into the city. Metro Line 1 and Line 7 run right into the terminal for ¥4–8 in about 50–70 minutes: Line 1 heads toward Wulin Square downtown, where you change for Longxiangqiao — the closest station to West Lake — while Line 7 runs toward Qianjiang New City and Hangzhou East station. The airport shuttle bus costs ¥20–30 and takes about an hour to the West Lake area and railway stations. A taxi or DiDi runs ¥120–150 and takes about 50 minutes — easiest if you have heavy bags or are in a group.
Thai passport holders currently enter China without a visa for tourism — confirm current conditions at our visa-free guide before you fly. Download and set up Alipay before departure and link your card: Hangzhou is the home city of Alibaba and runs almost entirely on QR-code payments, including Metro gates and buses. Standard roaming SIMs work, but Google, Instagram and most Western apps are blocked — if you need them, set up a VPN before you enter the country (it cannot be downloaded once you are inside the firewall).