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

Private Routes

18d $6,360 China, End to End August 2026 Read Article 5d $1,430 Above the Pillars, Then Below August 2026 Read Article 3d $840 After the Last Booth August 2026 Read Article 13d $3,500 All the Way West August 2026 Read Article 12d $4,060 Axis to Kitchen Table August 2026 Read Article

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. If you were already planning Shanghai, our Shanghai 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:

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

Prices were checked in August 2026 and vary slightly between sources; posted rates govern. Please re-confirm the Lingyin Feilaifeng policy before you travel.

The real savings are Xixi and Qiandao Lake

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

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

Stay near West Lake or a metro station — Hangzhou's main sights ring the lake, and staying close saves a lot of transit 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

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

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

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: unknown 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) is worth 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. Almost none of these register in Taiwan — and they are exactly where this policy is worth the most.

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

Coming 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-timers have an earlier decision to make too — which port to enter through. The details are in our Shanghai 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.

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 charges nothing; the lakeside parks, causeways and Broken Bridge are all free. It is on the first-timer waiver list, but since the first-gate ticket was already zero, the benefit is nil. The genuine savings are Xixi Wetland and Qiandao Lake.

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

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

How long is 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 are all zero, while Hangzhou has 15.

Are three days enough for Hangzhou? Yes. One day for West Lake, one for Lingyin and its surroundings, one for the old streets covers it well. Adding Xixi Wetland or Qiandao Lake calls for five days — Qiandao Lake needs a full day.

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 report is from 2025; re-confirm 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; with more than three months left, Tibet gives the highest return per site, and with only weeks left, Xiamen 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.