The West Lake Core — The Lake, Leifeng Pagoda & Hefang Street
The Bai Causeway at dawn, a cruise to the island on the ¥1 banknote, the Su Causeway in the afternoon, Leifeng Pagoda at sunset, and street food on a Qing-dynasty lane after dark.
Leave the hotel early — aim to be at the lake by 8 am, when a thin mist still hangs over the water and the crowds are thin. Start on the north-east shore and walk the Bai Causeway (白堤), a long path that crosses the lake lined with alternating willow and peach trees. At the far end is Broken Bridge (断桥), the setting for the Legend of the White Snake, with a small island just beyond it.
West Lake is a UNESCO World Heritage site, the subject of Chinese poetry for over a thousand years, and free to enter all the way around. The best way to take in the views is a lake cruise out to the islet called Three Pools Mirroring the Moon (三潭印月) — the three small stone pagodas that appear on the ¥1 banknote. The loop takes about an hour.
After lunch by the lake, walk the Su Causeway (苏堤) — a 2.8-kilometre dyke that the poet Su Dongpo had built a thousand years ago, running north to south straight through the middle of the lake, with six arched bridges and shade trees the whole way. If your legs start to flag, rent a bike and ride the lakeshore instead (public bikes are everywhere, unlocked by scanning Alipay).
The afternoon's destination is Leifeng Pagoda (雷峰塔) on a hill at the south side of the lake. The original was built in AD 975 and collapsed in 1924; the current tower is built over the excavated ruins and has a lift to the upper levels. Time your climb for around 4:30–5:30 pm to watch the sun set over the whole of West Lake — the last light catches Baochu Pagoda across the water and the wooded hills around the shore. Locals call this view "Leifeng Pagoda in Evening Glow", one of the Ten Scenes of West Lake.
Come down from the pagoda and take a short bus or DiDi ride to Hefang Street (河坊街) at the foot of Wushan Hill — a Qing-dynasty pedestrian street, free to enter and at its liveliest after dark. Red lanterns line both sides, and you will find the historic Chinese medicine hall Huqingyutang (胡庆余堂), open since 1874, alongside fan shops, silk shops, Longjing tea sellers and rows of street-food stalls. Try the black-sesame sweets and the fishball soup, and watch the sugar artists shape animals from molten sugar on the spot.
For dinner, try one genuinely local Hangzhou dish — Dongpo pork (东坡肉), pork belly braised in soy and Shaoxing wine until the fat is almost translucent, named after the poet Su Dongpo, or West Lake vinegar fish (西湖醋鱼), freshwater fish in a sweet-and-sour sauce. Popular, well-priced chains like Grandma's (外婆家) and Green Tea (绿茶) serve both for ¥60–120 per person. See the Hangzhou food guide for more.
