---
title: "How Should Taiwan Travellers Do Hangzhou? A 3-Day Itinerary, Free Admission and Zhejiang Beyond"
description: "Hangzhou is about an hour from Shanghai by high-speed rail, and three days covers West Lake, Lingyin and Hefang Street. But West Lake charges no admission at all, so its place on the waiver list adds nothing — the real savings are Xixi Wetland and Qiandao Lake. Zhejiang has more listed attractions than any other province (134, with 19 5A sites), and Hangzhou ranks only fourth within it. Wuzhen is absent; Xitang and Nanxun are both on the list."
type: "guide"
published: "2026-08-21T00:00:00"
updated: "2026-08-29T06:42:25.938148Z"
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# How Should Taiwan Travellers Do Hangzhou? A 3\-Day Itinerary, Free Admission and Zhejiang Beyond

_Last Updated: 2026-08-29 | Reading Time: 6 min_

Tags: Attractions, Hangzhou, Itineraries, Planning, Taiwan

## Table of Contents

- How Should Taiwan Travellers Do Hangzhou? A 3-Day Itinerary, Free Admission and Zhejiang Beyond
- Key takeaways
- What do Taiwan travellers need for Hangzhou?
- Which Hangzhou attractions are free? Start with West Lake
- A three-day Hangzhou itinerary
- Want a water town? Wuzhen is out; Xitang and Nanxun are in
- Zhejiang is where the year's allowance should go
- Travelling from Shanghai
- What does a Hangzhou trip cost?
- Frequently asked questions
- Conclusion

## Related routes

- [China, End to End](https://www.lyriktrip.com/tours/china-end-to-end-18-days) — 18d · $6,360
  - Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/lgRtYUwR.jpg
  - Stops: Beijing, Xi'an, Chuanzhusi, Jiuzhaigou, Chengdu, Zhangjiajie, Guilin, Yangshuo, Shenzhen, 北京, 西安, 川主寺, 九寨沟, 成都, 张家界, 桂林, 阳朔, 深圳, Peking, Xi'an, Chuanzhusi, Jiuzhaigou, Chengdu, Zhangjiajie, Guilin, Yangshuo, Shenzhen, Pékin, Xi'an, Chuanzhusi, Jiuzhaigou, Chengdu, Zhangjiajie, Guilin, Yangshuo, Shenzhen, Pekín, Xi'an, Chuanzhusi, Jiuzhaigou, Chengdu, Zhangjiajie, Guilin, Yangshuo, Shenzhen, Pechino, Xi'an, Chuanzhusi, Jiuzhaigou, Chengdu, Zhangjiajie, Guilin, Yangshuo, Shenzhen
- [Above the Pillars, Then Below](https://www.lyriktrip.com/tours/zhangjiajie-5-days) — 5d · $1,430
  - Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/6r6KBlWN.webp
  - Stops: Zhangjiajie, 张家界, Zhangjiajie, Zhangjiajie, Zhangjiajie, Zhangjiajie
- [After the Last Booth](https://www.lyriktrip.com/tours/canton-fair-foshan-3-days) — 3d · $840
  - Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/8ACVuoNa.webp
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- [All the Way West](https://www.lyriktrip.com/tours/silk-road-xian-kashgar-13-days) — 13d · $3,500
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- [Axis to Kitchen Table](https://www.lyriktrip.com/tours/beijing-xian-chengdu-12-days) — 12d · $4,060
  - Image: https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/2WLhk97i.webp
  - Stops: Beijing, Xi'an, Chengdu, 北京, 西安, 成都, Peking, Xi'an, Chengdu, Pékin, Xi'an, Chengdu, Pekín, Xi'an, Chengdu, Pechino, Xi'an, Chengdu

![West Lake in Hangzhou at sunrise — the lake itself charges no admission](https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/3JvkZDep.webp)

## How Should Taiwan Travellers Do Hangzhou? A 3-Day Itinerary, Free Admission and Zhejiang Beyond

\*\*Hangzhou is about an hour from Shanghai by high\-speed rail, and three days covers West Lake, Lingyin and Hefang Street\.\*\* For Taiwanese travellers it is the only leg of the classic Jiangnan route with any listed free attractions\.

But one thing has to come first: \*\*West Lake charges no admission at all\.\*\* At LyrikTrip we plan mainland itineraries, and we compared the published catalogue of 1,281 attractions line by line\. West Lake is indeed on the list — but its first\-gate ticket was already zero, so \*\*the waiver adds nothing there\*\*\. The real savings are Xixi Wetland and Qiandao Lake\.

## Key takeaways

\- \*\*⚠️ West Lake is already free\.\*\* Its place on the waiver list is worth nothing; the individually ticketed sites around the lake — Three Pools, Leifeng Pagoda, Yue Fei Temple — are separate\. \- \*\*The Hangzhou sites where the waiver genuinely saves money are Xixi National Wetland Park and the two Qiandao Lake zones\.\*\* \- \*\*Zhejiang has 134 listed attractions and 19 5A sites — more than any other province\*\* — and \*\*Hangzhou ranks only fourth within it\*\*\. \- \*\*Quzhou has as many 5A sites as Hangzhou\*\* \(four\), and almost no Taiwanese traveller has heard of it\. \- \*\*Wuzhen is not on the list\*\*, while \*\*Xitang and Nanxun — the same distance away — both are, and both are 5A\.\*\*

## What do Taiwan travellers need for Hangzhou?

\*\*The Taiwan Compatriot Permit, and no separate visa\.\*\* Hangzhou has direct flights, and the high\-speed train from Shanghai takes \*\*about an hour\*\* — far quicker than the 3\.5\-hour coach\.

If you haven't confirmed whether you count as a first\-timer, start with our \[Taiwan Compatriot Permit guide\]\(/guides/taiwan\-mtp\-permit\-guide\)\. If you were already planning Shanghai, our \[Shanghai guide\]\(/guides/taiwan\-shanghai\-travel\-guide\) explains in full why the itinerary's weight should shift towards Hangzhou\.

## Which Hangzhou attractions are free? Start with West Lake

\*\*Hangzhou has 15 listed attractions, four of them 5A: West Lake Scenic Area, Xixi National Wetland Park, Qiandao Lake Central Zone and Qiandao Lake Southeast Zone\.\*\*

That sounds good, but it needs unpacking\.

### West Lake is already free; the sites around it are not

\*\*West Lake charges no admission\.\*\* The lakeside parks, the Su and Bai causeways, Broken Bridge, the Nine Creeks trail and Longjing Village are all open free of charge\. So although it appears on the waiver list, \*\*you will not save anything through it\*\*\.

What does cost money are the individually ticketed sites within the lake area:

| Site around West Lake | Approximate price \(CNY\) |
| --- | --- |
| Three Pools Mirroring the Moon \(incl\. boat / island\) | About 70 |
| Leifeng Pagoda | About 40 |
| Yue Fei Temple | About 25 |
| Lingyin Feilaifeng \(incl\. Lingyin Temple\) | \*\*Free to the public since December 2025\*\* |

None of these fall under the "West Lake Scenic Area first\-gate ticket", so the first\-timer waiver does not apply to them\.

Prices were checked in August 2026 and vary slightly between sources; posted rates apply\. Please reconfirm the Lingyin Feilaifeng policy before you travel\.

### The real savings are Xixi and Qiandao Lake

| Hangzhou 5A site | Already free? | Waiver's real value |
| --- | --- | --- |
| \*\*West Lake Scenic Area\*\* | ✅ Yes | \*\*None\*\* |
| \*\*Xixi National Wetland Park\*\* | ❌ Ticketed | Real |
| \*\*Qiandao Lake Central Zone\*\* | ❌ Ticketed \(incl\. boat\) | Real |
| \*\*Qiandao Lake Southeast Zone\*\* | ❌ Ticketed | Real |

The remaining eleven 4A entries include the Grand Canal Hangzhou section, Hefang Street Historic District, Longmen Ancient Town, Damingshan, Qingshan Lake and the Xianghu resort area\.

\*\*There is only one way to judge this: check the normal price first, then talk about the waiver\.\*\* Appearing on the list does not mean you save — the same pattern showed up in Xiamen \(Jimei Aoyuan was already free\) and Beijing \(park tickets were already trivial\)\. West Lake is the most extreme case of all\.

## A three-day Hangzhou itinerary

![The wooded valley approach to Lingyin Temple — free to the public since December 2025](https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/8NHh5hNL.webp)

\*\*One day for West Lake, one for Lingyin and its surroundings, one for the old streets and the city\.\*\*

| Day | Itinerary | Free |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | \*\*West Lake\*\*: Su Causeway, Broken Bridge, Quyuan Fenghe → Wulin night market | West Lake free \(not via the policy\) |
| 2 | \*\*Lingyin Feilaifeng\*\* \(incl\. Lingyin Temple\) → Xiaohe Straight Street | Free since Dec 2025 |
| 3 | \*\*Hefang Street\*\* \(Hefang Historic District\) → Hubin in77 → depart | Hefang ✅ |
| Extension | \*\*Xixi National Wetland Park\*\* \(half day\) or \*\*Qiandao Lake\*\* \(full day\) | Both ✅ \*\*genuine savings\*\* |

Stay near West Lake or a tube station — Hangzhou's main sights ring the lake, and staying close saves a lot of travel time\.

With five days, add Qiandao Lake \(a day tour is easiest\) or a performance of the Songcheng show\.

## Want a water town? Wuzhen is out; Xitang and Nanxun are in

![A Jiangnan water town canal at dusk — Xitang and Nanxun are both on the waiver list](https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/bNVllJyL.webp)

\*\*Most Hangzhou guides suggest a day trip to Wuzhen — and Wuzhen is not in the catalogue\.\*\*

| Water town | Location | On the list? | From Hangzhou |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| \*\*Wuzhen\*\* | Zhejiang · Jiaxing | ❌ \*\*No\*\* | About 1\.5 hours |
| \*\*Xitang Ancient Town\*\* | Zhejiang · Jiaxing | ✅ \*\*5A\*\* | About 1\.5 hours |
| \*\*Nanxun Ancient Town\*\* | Zhejiang · Huzhou | ✅ \*\*5A\*\* | About 1\.5 hours |
| Longmen Ancient Town | Zhejiang · Hangzhou | ✅ 4A | In the city |
| Nianbadu Ancient Town | Zhejiang · Quzhou | ✅ 5A | Further |

Xitang and Nanxun match Wuzhen on distance, scale and atmosphere, and both are 5A\. \*\*For a first\-timer, swapping Wuzhen for either is pure gain — the same trip, without the ticket\.\*\*

## Zhejiang is where the year's allowance should go

![The Yunhe rice terraces in Lishui — one of Zhejiang's 19 5A sites, barely known in Taiwan](https://cdn.lyriktrip.com/s/3VaYWVZP.webp)

\*\*Zhejiang has 134 listed attractions and 19 5A sites — the most of any province\.\*\* Hangzhou ranks only fourth within it\.

\| City \| Listed \| 5A \| Notable 5A sites \| \|\-\-\-\|\-\-:\|\-\-:\|\-\-\-\| \| Lishui \| \*\*19\*\* \| 2 \| Xiandu, Yunhe Rice Terraces \| \| Huzhou \| \*\*18\*\* \| 1 \| Nanxun Ancient Town \| \| Taizhou \| \*\*16\*\* \| 2 \| Tiantai Mountain, Shenxianju \| \| \*\*Hangzhou\*\* \| 15 \| \*\*4\*\* \| West Lake, Xixi, Qiandao Lake Central and Southeast Zones \| \| \*\*Quzhou\*\* \| 15 \| \*\*4\*\* \| Gengong Fuguo, Jianglang Mountain, Nianbadu, Qingyang Cultural Village \| \| Shaoxing \| 13 \| 1 \| Lu Xun's Hometown · Shen Garden \| \| Wenzhou \| 10 \| 1 \| Yandang Mountain \| \| Ningbo \| 9 \| 0 \| — \| \| Jiaxing \| 7 \| 2 \| Xitang Ancient Town, South Lake \| \| Zhoushan \| 4 \| 1 \| Mount Putuo \|

### Quzhou, Taizhou and Lishui: little-known in Taiwan, rich in 5A sites

\*\*Quzhou has as many 5A sites as Hangzhou\*\* — Gengong Fuguo, Jianglang Mountain, Nianbadu Ancient Town and Qingyang Cultural Village\. And since one of Hangzhou's four \(West Lake\) counts for nothing under the waiver, \*\*Quzhou's real value is arguably higher\.\*\*

Taizhou has Tiantai Mountain and Shenxianju; Lishui has Xiandu and the Yunhe Rice Terraces; Wenzhou has Yandang Mountain; Zhoushan has Mount Putuo\. Hardly any of these register in Taiwan — and they are precisely where this policy delivers the most value\.

\*\*Practical suggestion\*\*: if you have already done Hangzhou and still have waiver time left, Zhejiang has 119 more sites to explore\.

## Travelling from Shanghai

\*\*Shanghai to Hangzhou takes about an hour by high\-speed rail\*\* — and that reshapes the whole Jiangnan route:

\| City \| Province \| Listed attractions \| \|\-\-\-\|\-\-\-\|\-\-:\| \| Shanghai \| Shanghai \| \*\*0\*\* \| \| Suzhou / Wuxi / Nanjing \| Jiangsu \| \*\*0\*\* \| \| \*\*Hangzhou\*\* \| Zhejiang \| \*\*15\*\* \|

\*\*Of the five classic Jiangnan cities, only Hangzhou qualifies\.\*\* Weight the itinerary towards Hangzhou and Zhejiang rather than Suzhou\.

First\-time visitors also have an earlier decision to make — which port to enter through\. The details are in our \[Shanghai guide\]\(/guides/taiwan\-shanghai\-travel\-guide\)\.

## What does a Hangzhou trip cost?

\*\*Ticket spending over three days can be very low, because West Lake and Lingyin are both free\.\*\* The money goes on flights, accommodation and optional shows or boat rides\.

| Item | Notes |
| --- | --- |
| Transport | About an hour by rail from Shanghai; metro within the city |
| Accommodation | Near West Lake or a metro station |
| Free sights | West Lake, Nine Creeks trail, Longjing Village, Lingyin Feilaifeng \(from December 2025\) |
| Optional | Songcheng show CNY 320–580, Grand Canal night cruise about CNY 100, Three Pools about CNY 70 |

\*\*Hangzhou has the lowest ticket cost of any city in this series\*\* — not because of the waiver, but because so much of it is free to begin with\. Prices checked August 2026\.

## Frequently asked questions

\*\*Does West Lake charge admission, and does the waiver help there?\*\* West Lake Scenic Area is free to enter; the lakeside parks, causeways and Broken Bridge all have no entry charge\. It appears on the first\-timer waiver list, but since the main\-gate ticket was already free, the benefit is nil\. The real savings are to be had at Xixi Wetland and Qiandao Lake\.

\*\*Is Wuzhen on the waiver list?\*\* No\. A line\-by\-line comparison shows Wuzhen is absent from both published catalogues, while Xitang \(Jiaxing\) and Nanxun \(Huzhou\) — both in Zhejiang and both 5A\-rated — are included\. For a water town, those two are the better choice\.

\*\*How many listed attractions does Zhejiang have?\*\* 134, including 19 5A sites, more than any other province\. They are spread across Lishui \(19\), Huzhou \(18\), Taizhou \(16\), Hangzhou \(15\), Quzhou \(15\), Shaoxing \(13\) and Wenzhou \(10\) — Hangzhou ranks only fourth\.

\*\*How long does it take to get from Shanghai to Hangzhou?\*\* About an hour by high\-speed rail\. It is also the only leg of the Jiangnan route with listed attractions: Shanghai, Suzhou, Wuxi and Nanjing all have none, while Hangzhou has 15\.

\*\*Are three days enough for Hangzhou?\*\* Yes\. One day for West Lake, one for Lingyin and its surroundings, and one for the old streets covers the city well\. Adding Xixi Wetland or Qiandao Lake means you will need five days — Qiandao Lake requires a full day on its own\.

\*\*Does Lingyin Temple charge admission?\*\* According to a December 2025 announcement, Lingyin Feilaifeng — including Lingyin Temple, Yongfu Temple and Taoguang Temple — is open free to the public, with real\-name booking and timed entry\. That announcement dates from 2025; reconfirm before travelling\.

## Conclusion

Hangzhou is worth the trip, but one line sums up the waiver here: \*\*the thing you most want to see, West Lake, was never charging you anyway\.\*\*

The genuine savings are Xixi Wetland and Qiandao Lake — and the place genuinely worth reshaping an itinerary for is \*\*Zhejiang beyond Hangzhou\*\*: 134 attractions and 19 5A sites, the most in the country, of which Hangzhou holds only 15\. Quzhou, Taizhou and Lishui, names barely known in Taiwan, are where this year's allowance should go\.

If you are planning a Jiangnan route: \*\*weight it south into Zhejiang, not west into Jiangsu\.\*\* To confirm eligibility and how much of the year remains, see our \[Taiwan Compatriot Permit guide\]\(/guides/taiwan\-mtp\-permit\-guide\); with more than three months left, \[Tibet\]\(/guides/taiwan\-tibet\-travel\-guide\) gives the highest return per site, and with only weeks left, \[Xiamen\]\(/guides/taiwan\-xiamen\-travel\-guide\) has the lowest barrier\.

Free admission is subject to on\-site policy and booking requirements; prices and access policies may change, and official announcements govern\.

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