Longjing Tea Village Hangzhou — Dragon Well Tea Fields, Tasting & How to Visit 2026

Q: How do I get to Longjing Tea Village from West Lake?

The easiest way is local bus 27 from the northern shore of West Lake — the fare is ¥2 (~฿10) and the ride takes about 25 minutes. Get off at the Longjing Tea Room stop (龙井茶室) or stay on to the Longjing Village terminus. Alternatively, take Metro Line 1 to Longxiangqiao station and transfer to bus 27 or 87. If you would rather not wait for a bus, a taxi or DiDi from West Lake takes 15–20 minutes.

Q: When is the best time to visit Longjing Tea Village?

Late March to early April is the best window. This is the new-leaf harvest, and tea picked before the Qingming festival (明前 míngqián, around early April) is considered the finest Longjing of the year. You can watch villagers picking leaves on the slopes and hand-roasting tea in the village. The picking season runs through to early November. For quiet and good light, arrive before 10 am, before the tour groups.

Q: How long do you need at Longjing Tea Village?

Half a day is about right. Allow 1–2 hours to walk the tea hills, an hour to sit and drink tea in a teahouse, and another hour for the China National Tea Museum and the Longjing Spring. Many people pair a tea-country morning with an afternoon at West Lake or Lingyin Temple, both of which are on the same side of the city.

What it is

Why it is worth climbing the hill to the tea fields

Picture this: you step off the number 27 bus at the end of the line, the air a touch cooler than in town, and in front of you the hillside rises in neat terraced rows of tea bushes that run up and out of sight. Somewhere among them, women in straw hats are picking the tender top leaves one by one, and on the breeze there is the smell of tea being roasted. This is Longjing (龙井), the origin of Longjing tea — Dragon Well green tea, the most celebrated green tea in China.

Longjing and its sister village Meijiawu (梅家坞) sit on the hills southwest of West Lake, where tea has been grown for over 1,200 years. The leaves here carry a protected origin name — West Lake Longjing (西湖龙井) — and the tea itself is flat, yellow-green, gently nutty in aroma and smooth rather than bitter. It has been the tea served to honoured guests since imperial times, and the Qianlong Emperor is said to have praised it personally.

What sets this apart from everything else in Hangzhou is that it is slow and quiet. No towers, no ticket queue — just tea slopes, wooden teahouses and time that seems to run more gently. You walk the fields for free, sit and drink freshly brewed tea in a house looking out over the terraces, and, if you come during the picking season, watch both the harvest and the hand-roasting happening in front of you.

Longjing tea fields, Hangzhou — terraced green-tea bushes climbing the hills behind West Lake in neat rows — The terraced fields at Longjing — green hills that have grown Dragon Well tea for over a thousand years

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Entry

Tea fields free

Pay only for teahouse / tea / Longjing Spring

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Sitting for tea

~¥40–120 (~฿200–600)

Per person, tea and snacks, in a teahouse

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Bus

Number 27 from West Lake

¥2 (~฿10) · ~25 min · ride to the terminus

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Best harvest season

Late Mar – early Apr

Pre-Qingming (明前) tea is the finest

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Time needed

Half a day

Fields + tea + museum

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National Tea Museum

Free entry

Longjing branch, on the bus route

What to see

5 stops that make a half-day worthwhile

All within walking distance, or one or two more stops along bus number 27.

1

The terraced tea fields, Longjing

龙井村 · free to walk · the hills behind the village

The heart of it all is the tea slope rising up the hill in terraced rows, with narrow footpaths threading between the bushes so you can climb up, photograph and look back over the village — all for free. Mornings before 10 am are quiet with the best light. Come during the harvest and you will see pickers working their way across the whole slope.
2

Meijiawu village (梅家坞)

Meijiawu · over a hundred teahouses · quiet lanes

A second tea village set in a western valley, quieter and more spread out than Longjing's main village. Teahouses line the lanes, so you can sit for tea right among the fields — ideal if you want to escape the tour crowds. Pair it with Longjing in a single trip; the two villages are only a few minutes apart by road.
3

Village teahouses

茶室 · ~¥40–120 per person · tea and snacks included

The real draw of Longjing is sitting down to freshly brewed tea in a wooden house by the slopes, made with leaves picked from the hill behind. A good teahouse charges roughly ¥40–120 per person, including refills and a few snacks. Always ask the per-person price, and the price per gram if you plan to buy leaves, before you sit — and pick a place with genuine reviews on Dianping or Google.
4

China National Tea Museum

中国茶叶博物馆 · free entry · Longjing branch

China's only national tea museum tells the story of tea's history, how it is grown and roasted, and the culture of tea-drinking from ancient times to today. The building sits among the tea fields and is free to enter — a good place to start before walking the slopes. It is on the number 27 bus route, at the China National Tea Museum stop.
5

Longjing Spring & the 18 Imperial Tea Bushes

龙井泉 · 十八棵御茶 · small but full of legend

The Longjing Spring ("Dragon Well") gave the village its name, a natural spring ringed by small pavilions. Nearby are the "18 Imperial Tea Bushes" (十八棵御茶), said to have been planted at the order of the Qianlong Emperor during a visit. It is a small photo stop that adds a story to the tea trip. A few spots charge a small entry fee — check on the day.

What to do here

Walk the fields, drink the tea — and watch it roasted by hand

🌿 Walking the tea fields

The main activity, and the most free, is climbing the tea slope along the small paths that run between the bushes. The view from higher up looks back over the village and the fields in ribbons of green. A relaxed walk takes 1–2 hours; wear shoes that handle a slope. Come in late March or April and you will see villagers picking across the whole hillside at once.

The best time for quiet and light is before 10 am, before the tour groups arrive. The air on the slopes is cooler than in the city and there are far fewer people.

🍵 Sitting for tea in a teahouse

Drinking fresh Longjing, brewed with leaves from the slope behind the house, in a wooden teahouse that looks out over the fields — that is the experience people come to Longjing for. Sitting for tea costs around ¥40–120 per person (~฿200–600), including unlimited refills and a few snacks. Genuine West Lake Longjing is flat, yellow-green, with a roasted-nut aroma and a smooth finish.

Before you sit, always ask clearly: what is the price per person, and if you want to buy leaves, what is the price per gram or per 500g (jin). Choose teahouses with displayed prices and genuine reviews on the apps.

🔥 Watching the picking and roasting (seasonal)

Longjing is roasted by hand in a hot wok — the roaster uses their palm to press and turn the leaves against the hot metal, halting oxidation and flattening each leaf into its signature shape. During the picking season, late March to early November (peaking before Qingming in early April), you have a good chance of seeing both the harvest on the slopes and the roasting happening in the village.

Tea picked before the Qingming festival is called míngqián (明前) and is the finest and most expensive of the year, because it is the first tender flush after winter.

⚠️ An honest warning about tea-shop scams: Longjing is a known spot for aggressive tea shops and "come and sit" invitations — some price absurdly, and touts approach tourists for a "tea ceremony" where the bill can run into the thousands or even tens of thousands of RMB. The simple rules: decline strangers who approach you mid-walk with no menu or visible prices · ask the per-person and per-gram price before you sit · choose teahouses with genuine reviews on Dianping/Google · and if you want loose-leaf tea as a gift, buy from a shop with clearly displayed prices, or buy in the city, where it is often cheaper.

Getting there

How to reach Longjing Tea Village

The village sits on the hills behind West Lake, with no direct metro — but bus 27 carries you up to the end of the line easily.

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Bus number 27

From the northern shore of West Lake

¥2 (~฿10) · ~25 min · alight at Longjing Tea Room (龙井茶室) or the Longjing Village terminus — the easiest and cheapest way

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Metro Line 1 + bus

Alight at Longxiangqiao station

Then transfer to bus 27 or 87 up the hill — useful if coming from the city centre

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Taxi / DiDi

~15–20 min from West Lake

Order through the DiDi app, pay by Alipay/WeChat · handy in a group or if you would rather not wait

Planning your time: Spend the morning at the Longjing tea fields (go up before 10 am to beat the crowds), then come down in the afternoon for West Lake or Lingyin Temple, both on the same side of the city and connected by bus. For the full picture of what to see, browse the Hangzhou attractions guide.

Pair it with

Where to go next near the tea fields

Longjing is on the same side as West Lake and Lingyin Temple — easy to string together in one day.

West Lake

The heart of Hangzhou, a UNESCO World Heritage site — lakeside walks, boat tours and sunset over the water

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Lingyin Temple

A great Chan Buddhist temple founded in 328 AD, with a giant camphor-wood Buddha — paired with Feilai Feng

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Xixi National Wetland Park

China's first national wetland park — electric boats through quiet waterways, an easy half-day

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Longjing Shrimp

A Hangzhou signature — river shrimp stir-fried with fresh Longjing tea leaves, delicately fragrant

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Hangzhou Café Guide

From hillside teahouses to city cafés — where to sit and slow down in Hangzhou

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Hangzhou Food Guide

Dongpo pork, West Lake vinegar fish, beggar's chicken and the local dishes worth trying

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Frequently asked

FAQ · Longjing Tea Village practical

Is Longjing Tea Village free to visit?

Yes. Walking the tea fields and strolling through Longjing and Meijiawu villages is free, with no admission charge. You only pay if you sit down to drink tea in a teahouse (around ¥40–120 per person, snacks included), buy loose-leaf tea to take home, or enter a specific paid spot such as the Longjing Spring. The China National Tea Museum (Longjing branch) is also free to enter.

How do I get to Longjing Tea Village from West Lake?

The easiest way is local bus 27 from the northern shore of West Lake — the fare is ¥2 (~฿10) and the ride takes about 25 minutes. Get off at the Longjing Tea Room stop (龙井茶室) or stay on to the Longjing Village terminus. Alternatively, take Metro Line 1 to Longxiangqiao station and transfer to bus 27 or 87. A taxi or DiDi from West Lake takes 15–20 minutes.

When is the best time to visit Longjing Tea Village?

Late March to early April is the best window. This is the new-leaf harvest, and tea picked before the Qingming festival (明前 míngqián, around early April) is considered the finest Longjing of the year. You can watch villagers picking leaves on the slopes and hand-roasting tea in the village. The picking season runs through to early November. For quiet and good light, arrive before 10 am, before the tour groups.

How long do you need at Longjing Tea Village?

Half a day is about right. Allow 1–2 hours to walk the tea hills, an hour to sit and drink tea, and another hour for the National Tea Museum and the Longjing Spring. Many people pair a tea-country morning with an afternoon at West Lake or Lingyin Temple, both on the same side of the city.

How do I buy Longjing tea without being overcharged?

Longjing village has some tea shops that price aggressively, and touts who invite tourists to a "tea ceremony" where the bill runs into the thousands or even tens of thousands of RMB. The simple rules: decline strangers who approach you mid-walk with no menu or visible prices; choose teahouses with genuine reviews on Dianping or Google; always ask the per-person price and the price per gram before you sit down; and if you want loose-leaf tea as a gift, buy from a shop with clearly displayed prices, or buy in the city, where it is often cheaper.

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