Planning a trip to Hangzhou
Like Suzhou, Hangzhou is perfectly tourist-friendly and is possible to see on your own. There have been on-again, off-again plans for the building of a magnetic levitation train from Shanghai to Hangzhou, which, if ever completed (at press time, plans were on again, with the line to be built between 2010 and 2014), will reduce the train traveling time from 1 1/2 hours to around 40 minutes. In the meantime, however, you can book a taxi for the day through your Shanghai hotel (Hangzhou is a 2-3 hr. ride via the Hu Hang Expwy.) or better yet, and faster, venture there completely on your own by train (1 1/2 hr.).
Getting There
The majority of Hangzhou-bound trains leave throughout the day from the Shanghai South Railway Station (Shanghai Nan Zhan) (tel. 021/6317-9090) in the southern part of town (reachable by Metro Lines 1 and 3). There are a few Hangzhou-bound trains that leave from Shanghai Railway Station, but the times are less convenient and the journey takes longer than from South Station. The D5685, D3105, D5551, and D5689 bullet trains all depart the South Station between 7am and 8am and arrive in Hangzhou around 90 minutes later. If you plan to stay overnight, the D5557 leaves Shanghai at 6:35pm and arrives at 8:04pm while the D5681 departs at 7:03pm and arrives at 8:21pm. Return train D5680 leaves Hangzhou at 6:24pm and arrives at South Station at 7:42pm, and the D5672 leaves at 8:50pm and arrives at 10:12pm. Soft-seat train tickets range from ¥54 to ¥75, plus a typical ¥20 service charge if purchased from hotel tour desks. A daily express direct train D310 also leaves Hangzhou at 8:15pm and arrives in Beijing at 7:44am.
For the most up-to-date information on Hangzhou train schedules, check the website travelchinaguide.com (www.travelchinaguide.com). The Hangzhou Railway Station (Hangzhou Huoche Zhan) (tel. 0571/5672-0222 or 0571/8782-9983) is in the eastern part of town. The no. 7 or no. K7 bus connects the station to downtown and the Shangri-La Hotel for ¥2, while a taxi should cost around ¥12 to West Lake.
There are also buses traveling between Shanghai and Hangzhou, but they are a lot less convenient than trains. A direct bus (¥100) to Hangzhou leaves from Shanghai Pudong International Airport (tel. 021/6834-5743 or 021/6834-6467) and runs between 9:30am and 7pm.
Hangzhou also has an airport (tel. 0571/8666-1234 or 0571/8666-2999; www.hzairport.com; airport code HGH) with a newly built international terminal (Terminal A) about a 30-minute drive from downtown, with international connections to Amsterdam, Hong Kong, Macau, Seoul, Singapore, Bangkok, Osaka, Tokyo, Taipei, and to Beijing and other major Chinese cities, but not Shanghai. A taxi into town costs around ¥130 while an air-conditioned airport bus (tel. 0571/8666-2539; ¥20) runs to the railway station, the Merchant Marco Hotel (nearest stop to the Shangri-La Hotel), and the Wulinmen CAAC ticket office in town.
If you want to see Hangzhou on a group tour, the Jin Jiang Optional Tours Center, Changle Lu 191 (tel. 021/5466-7936), in Shanghai offers a convenient, if expensive, 1-day group bus tour with an English-speaking guide and lunch, departing Shanghai around 8am every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, and returning in the late afternoon. The price is ¥850 for adults. The same tour operator can also arrange a private 1- or 2-day tour (on any day) with a guide, air-conditioned car, lunch, and door-to-door service for significantly more. The top Hangzhou hotels recommended in this guide can also organize half- or full-day city tours.
Getting Around
The city surrounds the shores of West Lake, with modern Hangzhou spread to the north and east. The lake is best explored on foot and by boat, while sights farther afield will require a taxi or bus. Taxis cost ¥10 for 3km (1 3/4 miles), then ¥2 per kilometer until 10km (6 1/4 miles) and ¥3 per kilometer after that. There is a ¥1 gas surcharge on all trips. Air-conditioned buses cost ¥2, while tour buses with a Y prefix (youke) cost ¥3 to ¥5. Bus no. K7 runs from the railway station to Lingyin Si via the northern shore of the lake (Beishan Lu) and the Shangri-La Hotel, while bus no. 27 runs along Beishan Lu to Longjing Cun (Dragon Well Village), and bus no. Y1 makes a loop of the lake starting from Lingyin Si. Bicycles are available for rental at public leasing points around the city, but it's a bit of a hassle as you have to first purchase a stored value card at Longxiang Qiao 20 (tel. 0571/8533-1122), with proof of ID and a ¥300 deposit. Water taxis (tel. 0571/8802-4368; ¥3) also ply a small section of the Grand Canal in the northern part of town from Wuling Men (Wuling Gate/Westlake Cultural Square) north to Gongchen Qiao and Canal Cultural Square around Xiaohe Lu, stopping at Xinyifang along the way. Hangzhou has a tourist information hot line (tel. 0571/96123).
