West Lake, the Full Loop
A bridge with a love legend, causeways built by poets, and the sun setting behind a golden pagoda — the day that explains why Hangzhou has been written into poetry for a thousand years.
Start on the north shore of West Lake around 8:30 am at the Broken Bridge (断桥) — a small stone bridge that is not actually broken. It earned the name because, on a snowy day, snow on the sunlit half melts first, making the bridge look split in two. This is the setting of the "Legend of the White Snake," a love story every Chinese household knows. Mornings are quiet here and best for photos and a slow walk.
From the Broken Bridge, continue along the Bai Causeway (白堤), a long embankment the Tang poet Bai Juyi had built more than a thousand years ago, running out toward the mid-lake hills. Willows and peach trees alternate along both sides (at their best in spring). The far end rises to a small hill with a view over the whole lake.
After lunch by the lake, take a pleasure boat out to Xiaoyingzhou Islet (小瀛洲) — a small island ringed by water, with three little stone pagodas standing in the lake (the "Three Pools Mirroring the Moon" scene that appears on the ¥1 banknote). The ride is cool and breezy and shows you angles of the lake you cannot reach on foot. Allow about 1.5 hours including time on the island.
Back on shore, walk or cycle the Su Causeway (苏堤), a 2.8-kilometre embankment built by the poet Su Dongpo during his term as Hangzhou's governor. Six stone bridges punctuate its length, and it is one of the prettiest lakeside walks anywhere. Late afternoon, with the light softening, is the time to do it slowly.
The southern end of the Su Causeway brings you to Leifeng Pagoda (雷峰塔) on Sunset Hill. Ride up the pagoda (there are lifts inside) between 5 and 6:30 pm and you will catch the sun dropping behind the lake, with Baochu Pagoda visible on the far shore. This is one of the classic "Ten Scenes of West Lake," known as "Leifeng Pagoda in Evening Glow." From April to October the pagoda stays open until 8 pm, so you make the last light comfortably.
Come down and take the metro or a taxi to Hefang Street (河坊街) near Wushan Hill, on the south side of the lake — a pedestrianised old street lined with Longjing tea shops, centuries-old Chinese medicine halls, local snacks and street food. By night the lanterns light the whole street up, making it the perfect place to find dinner and walk it off to close out the day.
