Getting Around Hangzhou — Metro, Bus to Lingyin, DiDi, Bikes & How to Pay (2026)

Q: How do I pay for the Hangzhou metro?

Several options: (1) Alipay QR — open the app, tap Metro or Transport, scan at the gate; fastest for tourists. Foreign visitors can link a Visa, Mastercard or JCB card via Alipay's international mode to activate the QR. (2) WeChat Pay — same idea via City Service. (3) Single-journey token from a machine in the station, with English menus. (4) The rechargeable Hangzhou Tong card (杭州通), which also works on buses.

Q: Can I use Google Maps in Hangzhou?

Google Maps can show a basic map (with a VPN) but its public transit data for mainland China is unreliable or absent. Use Amap (Gaode / 高德地图) or Apple Maps instead — both have accurate, up-to-date data for the metro and buses, and neither needs a VPN.

Before you go

A walkable lake, and a metro for everything else

Hangzhou gives visitors a two-layer gift. The first layer is West Lake itself, which you tour entirely on foot or by bike — no transport needed at all. The second is a 12-line metro with more than 260 stations, one of the largest systems in China, carrying you from Xiaoshan Airport and the high-speed rail stations to your lakeside hotel for ¥2–9 a ride.

Two things to know before you step on. First, every entrance has a bag X-ray security check — not just at rush hour, always — so budget a couple of extra minutes per entry. Second, and this one matters for planning: no metro line reaches Lingyin Temple or the Longjing tea fields directly. You'll need a bus or a DiDi for those, and we cover exactly how below.

This guide pulls together every way to get around Hangzhou: the fast, cheap metro; bus 7, the key to Lingyin Temple; metered taxis and DiDi for when you have luggage; and the shared bikes that let you ride the lake for a few yuan. A little preparation and the trip flows from your first step. Set up Alipay first — details in the Alipay & WeChat Pay guide.

The main event

The Metro — fast, cheap, bilingual

Your first choice for longer hops across the city and to the airport. Clean trains, English signage throughout, and fares of ¥2–9 every ride.

Hours are roughly 06:00–23:00, though this varies by line and terminus — last trains on a few of the longer lines leave earlier, so check the posted timetable if you're heading back late. Fares are distance-based, starting at ¥2 for the first 0–4 km, with most central rides at ¥3–5 and a ¥9 ceiling. A single ticket is valid for 240 minutes.

West Lake, Hangzhou — Leifeng Pagoda and green hills mirrored in calm water — Line 1 puts you at Longxiangqiao station right on the Hubin shore of West Lake — about a five-minute walk from the exit to the musical fountain.

Key lines

Routes visitors use most

Line	Route	Key stops
Line 1 (the spine)	Xianghu ↔ Linping	Longxiangqiao (West Lake / Hubin) · Hangzhou East (HSR) · Hangzhou City Station · Ding'an Rd
Line 7	City centre ↔ Xiaoshan Airport (HGH)	Wushan Square (near Hefang Street) · Xiaoshan Airport
Line 4	North ↔ south (along the Qiantang River)	Qianjiang New City (riverside CBD) · connects Line 1 at Jiangjin Rd
Line 5	West ↔ east	Western districts · interchanges with Lines 1/2/4
Line 2	SW ↔ NE	Fengtan Rd · Qianjiang Rd · connects Line 1 at Fengqi Rd
Line 19 (express)	Airport ↔ Hangzhou West / Future Sci-Tech City	Express link between the airport and Hangzhou West station, few stops, fast

Railway station tip: Hangzhou has two main high-speed rail stations — Hangzhou East (杭州东) is the big hub with the most departures, linked by Lines 1 and 4, while Hangzhou City Station (杭州站, "Chengzhan") is more central but has fewer trains. Trains to Shanghai (~45–60 min) or Suzhou mostly leave from Hangzhou East. See the China high-speed rail guide for tickets and timing.

Paying for the metro

Four ways to pay — pick what suits you

📱

Alipay QR

Easiest for visitors. Open Alipay, tap Metro or Transport, scan at the gate. No token, no card. Link a foreign card and set this up at home.

💬

WeChat Pay

Same concept via WeChat City Service. Open WeChat, find Metro, scan at the gate. Works on every line.

🎫

Single-journey token

Buy from machines inside every station. English menus, takes coins and notes. A good fallback if Alipay isn't set up yet.

💳

Hangzhou Tong card

The rechargeable Hangzhou Tong card (杭州通) works on metro and buses. Buy and top up at station service windows — handy if you'll ride buses a lot.

Honest summary: Alipay is worth setting up even if the metro were your only reason, because it also handles buses, taxis, DiDi, shared bikes, restaurants, and nearly every shop in the city. Read the step-by-step setup in the Alipay & WeChat Pay guide before you travel.

Other options

Buses, Taxis, DiDi and Shared Bikes

Lingyin Temple, Hangzhou — ancient temple halls amid wooded hills on the west side of West Lake

Key to Lingyin

Public buses — line 7 matters most

公交车 · ¥2 · straight to Lingyin Temple

Here's the thing to know first: no metro line reaches Lingyin Temple or the Longjing tea fields. The easiest, cheapest answer is bus 7, which runs from Hangzhou City Station past the lakeshore to the Lingyin stop for just ¥2. Or take Line 1 to Longxiangqiao and transfer to bus 7 there.

Around the lake itself there are also West Lake sightseeing buses (the Y2/Y9 and tourist loop routes) that circle the shore and stop at highlights like Su Causeway and Leifeng Pagoda — useful when you've walked a lot and want to rest your legs.

Bus 7: Hangzhou City Station → lakeshore → Lingyin Temple · ¥2

To Longjing: a local bus or DiDi from the lake's west side

Payment: Hangzhou Tong · Alipay · exact-change cash

🚕

Metered Taxis & DiDi

出租车 / 滴滴出行 · English app, Alipay pay

Hangzhou taxis are metered, with a flag-fall of around ¥13–16 for the first 3 km, then roughly ¥2.3–2.7 per km. DiDi — China's ride-hail app — starts a touch lower at around ¥11 and shows you the fare before you confirm. Its interface is in English, you can type destinations in English, and payment links straight to Alipay.

Tip: street-hailed taxi drivers rarely speak English, so keep your destination in Chinese characters on your phone — or just use DiDi, which removes the need to speak at all. It's the right call when you have luggage, when it's raining, or for the temples and tea fields the metro doesn't reach.

Taxi: flag-fall ~¥13–16 · ~¥2.3–2.7/km · night surcharge

DiDi: from ~¥11 · download & link Alipay before you fly

Payment: Alipay · WeChat Pay · cash

Su Causeway, Hangzhou — a long willow- and peach-lined walkway crossing West Lake

Cycle the lake

Shared Bikes

共享单车 · Hellobike / Meituan · ¥1.5 a ride

This is how locals tour West Lake. Shared bikes are everywhere in Hangzhou; the main brands are Hellobike and Meituan Bike. Just scan the QR code on the bike through your app — Hellobike is built right into the Alipay menu, so there's no separate download. It costs around ¥1.5–2 per 15–30 minutes.

The routes along Su Causeway and Bai Causeway are flat, breezy and dotted with old stone bridges and lake views — one of the best things you can do in Hangzhou, for the price of a coffee. Read the lakeside walking and cycling routes in the West Lake guide.

Cost: ~¥1.5–2 per 15–30 min · pay via Alipay/WeChat

How: scan the QR on the bike · park in marked zones

Best: Su Causeway / Bai Causeway in the early morning

Broken Bridge, Hangzhou — a stone bridge on West Lake famous from the Legend of the White Snake

On foot

Walking the Lakeshore

步行 · the best way to see West Lake · free

An honest truth: the heart of Hangzhou is best seen on foot. West Lake is ringed by connected promenades, old bridges and gardens. From Longxiangqiao station you can walk to the Broken Bridge, along Bai Causeway and out to the island in the lake comfortably in half a day.

Tip: start from the Hubin (east) shore in the morning, then use a shared bike or sightseeing bus for the stretches when you tire. For the old town, Hefang Street is a walkable district near the lake — ride Line 7 to Wushan Square.

Start at: Longxiangqiao (Line 1), Hubin shore

Popular walks: Bai Causeway · Su Causeway · the full loop ~10–15 km

Best: early morning or sunset — fewer people, better light

Airport access

From Xiaoshan Airport into the city

Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport (HGH) is about 27 km east of West Lake, and there are several ways in. Metro Lines 7 and 1 now reach the airport — Line 7 takes about an hour from the airport to Wushan Square in the centre for ¥4–8, with a change to Line 1 for the West Lake / Wulin side. Airport Express buses run to the lakeshore and railway stations for ¥20–30 in roughly 60 minutes, and a taxi or DiDi is ¥120–150, around 50 minutes. There's no maglev here.

For first-timers: if you've just landed with luggage, a taxi or DiDi straight to your hotel is simplest (¥120–150). Travelling solo or watching the budget? Line 7 plus Line 1 is great value and dodges the traffic. See lakeside hotels with real prices in the 10 best hotels in Hangzhou, and plan the whole trip from the Hangzhou city guide.

Navigation

Which map app actually works in Hangzhou

This matters more than people expect. Google Maps' public transit data for mainland China is unreliable — even with a VPN, route guidance for the metro and buses is frequently wrong or simply absent. Two apps give accurate, real-time transit directions without any workaround:

🗺️

Amap (Gaode / 高德地图)

The app most Chinese residents use

Amap has accurate, live data for every metro line, bus route, and intercity train in China. You can search destinations in English, and the transit planner gives step-by-step directions down to which exit to use. Download it from the App Store or Play Store before you arrive — no VPN required to use it.

Tip: Download before departure — some app stores in China require a VPN to access.

🍎

Apple Maps

iPhone users already have this

Apple Maps in China uses Amap's data as its backend, which means its transit directions for the Hangzhou metro are accurate. On an iPhone this is the path of least resistance — no extra app, no VPN, and it fits your existing Maps workflow.

Android note: Google Maps transit doesn't work well in China — install Amap instead.

If you want LINE, Instagram, Gmail or full Google Maps while in China, you'll need a VPN installed and tested before you fly — most VPN websites are blocked once you're inside the country. See the full breakdown in the China internet, VPN and eSIM guide.

West Lake, Hangzhou at night — lights reflected on the water with a pagoda silhouette on the shore — Planning a late evening out? Check the last train time for your return line before you leave the hotel — DiDi covers the gap when the metro closes.

One thing to do first

Set up Alipay before you board your flight

If there is one preparation that makes a difference, it's this: open Alipay, link your Visa or Mastercard through the international mode, and find the Metro and Hellobike features in the app before you leave home. Once you land in Hangzhou you won't be hunting for anything — one app scans you through the metro gate, unlocks a bike, hails a DiDi and pays for dinner.

One more practical note: plan your Lingyin Temple / Longjing tea day carefully, because the metro doesn't reach either — you'll transfer to bus 7 or take a DiDi, so allow travel time and dodge the busy weekends. The lake itself, by contrast, you can walk and cycle freely without touching any vehicle.

For first-time visitors: staying on the Hubin (lakeside) shore or around Wulin Square gives you the easiest walk to the water and the metro, so you're not riding across town every day. Browse stays and real prices in the 10 best hotels in Hangzhou, or for something special, 6 luxury hotels by West Lake.

Common questions

FAQ · Getting around Hangzhou

Which metro station is closest to West Lake?

Take Line 1 to Longxiangqiao (龙翔桥), the closest station to West Lake. It's about a 5-minute walk (~250 m) from the exit to the Hubin lakeshore, where you'll find the musical fountain and waterfront parks. Coming from Hangzhou East railway station, Line 1 runs straight there with no change. See lakeside routes in the West Lake guide.

How do I pay for the Hangzhou metro?

Several options: (1) Alipay QR — open the app, tap Metro, scan at the gate; fastest for tourists. Foreign visitors can link a Visa, Mastercard or JCB card via Alipay's international mode. (2) WeChat Pay — same idea via City Service. (3) Single-journey token from station machines, English menus. (4) The rechargeable Hangzhou Tong card (杭州通), also valid on buses. Full setup in the Alipay & WeChat Pay guide.

Does any metro line reach Lingyin Temple?

No metro line runs to Lingyin Temple directly. The easiest and cheapest way is bus 7 (¥2): take Line 1 to Longxiangqiao and transfer to bus 7 to the Lingyin (灵隐) stop, or ride bus 7 the whole way from Hangzhou City railway station. A DiDi or taxi is also convenient — the temple sits on the west side of West Lake, not far out. More in the Lingyin Temple guide.

How much do DiDi and taxis cost in Hangzhou?

Hangzhou taxis are metered, with a flag-fall of around ¥13–16 for the first 3 km, then roughly ¥2.3–2.7 per km. DiDi starts a little lower at around ¥11 and shows you the fare before you confirm. The DiDi app has an English interface, lets you type destinations in English, and links payment to Alipay. A surcharge applies at night.

Can I use Google Maps in Hangzhou?

Google Maps can show a basic map (with a VPN) but its transit data for mainland China is unreliable or absent. Use Amap (Gaode / 高德地图) or Apple Maps instead — both use accurate, real-time data for the metro and buses, and neither requires a VPN.

How do I rent a shared bike to ride around West Lake?

Shared bikes are everywhere in Hangzhou; the main brands are Hellobike and Meituan Bike. Scan the QR code on the bike through Alipay (Hellobike is built into the Alipay menu) or WeChat with a payment method linked. It costs around ¥1.5–2 per 15–30 minutes. The routes along Su Causeway and Bai Causeway are flat and scenic, and cycling is how locals tour the lake.

Hangzhou City Guide

Hotels, sights, West Lake, Lingyin Temple, neighbourhoods and more

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West Lake

Walking and cycling routes · Broken Bridge · Su Causeway

See →

Alipay & WeChat Pay Guide

Link a foreign card, set up before you travel

See →

Lingyin Temple

Ancient Buddhist temple and Feilai Feng — reached by bus 7

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