Take a Hangzhou Water Spring Tour in 2025!

As the weather warms and spring flowers bloom, most areas are coming back to life, presenting a vibrant scene! The spring scenery by the lake, the green grass, the blooming flowers, and the vitality of nature allow people to experience life and energy, attracting friends to follow the footsteps of spring and search for the most beautiful scenery in nature. So the question is, what's the most enjoyable way to explore Hangzhou? Uncle Cricket suggests a Hangzhou Water Spring Tour, featuring fourteen bridges and a three-yuan boat ticket. It's amazing, give it a try! We're talking about the Hangzhou "Water Bus Route 7." The ticket is 3 yuan, and the route runs from the Water Bus Meihuabei Station to the Water Bus Baziqiao Station. Children under 1.3 meters tall ride free. Minors over 6 but under 14 years old, or those taller than 1.3 meters (including 1.3 meters) but no taller than 1.5 meters, require a half-price ticket. Passengers 1.5 meters and taller (including 1.5 meters) need a full-price ticket. Payment methods include cash, D/T on public transportation IC cards, e-wallets, city senior citizen travel cards, Alipay, and UnionPay financial IC cards. Now, in the spring of 2025, take Water Bus Route 7 to enjoy the spring scenery, a water bus tour to see the flowers along the river. From Meihuabei to Baziqiao, you can pass through 14 bridge arches. As the temperature rises, cherry blossoms, magnolias, peach blossoms, crabapple blossoms, and other flowers bloom in succession. Weeping willows gradually turn green, and the shade deepens. Looking around, it's a scene of "smoky willows and painted bridges, wind curtains and emerald screens." Amazingly, on Water Bus Route 7, you can enjoy the scenery from the boat while people on the bridges watch you. The surrounding high-rise buildings become a giant backdrop for a misty Jiangnan scene, like a filter of overlapping history, making you almost forget you're in the bustling city. The waterway is the Donghe River, which has flowed for thousands of years since the Tang Dynasty. For a long time, it served as the city's water transportation lifeline, and vibrant marketplaces gathered on both sides of the bridges along the river. In the third year of Xian Tong of the Tang Dynasty (862 AD), Hangzhou governor Cui Yan presided over the excavation of the Donghe River. In the Song Dynasty, the Donghe River got a very down-to-earth name: Caishi River. The river was originally outside the east city wall, serving as a moat for Lin'an City. At the end of the Yuan Dynasty, Zhang Shicheng built the city wall, expanding it three miles eastward, bringing the Caishi River into the city, making it an inner city river. In the Ming Dynasty, it was called the Dongyun River, and after the Qing Dynasty, it gradually became known as the "Donghe River." Because it's in the bustling city, transportation becomes an issue. How can people on both sides of the Donghe River easily cross? The answer is bridges. From Meihuabei to Baziqiao, there are 14 bridges in total: Doufu Bridge 1, Doufu Bridge 2, Doufu Bridge 3, Anle Bridge, Jianmin Bridge, Zhangjia Bridge, Chunyou Bridge, Jiefang Bridge, Wan'an Bridge, Caishi Bridge, Taiping Bridge, Fengqi Bridge, Baoshan Bridge, and Baziqiao Bridge. The most interesting one is the "Doufu Three Bridges." Who are they competing with in wealth? Actually, folklore says the name Doufu Bridge is related to Qin Hui. It's said that Wang Zuo built Anle Bridge on the Donghe River, which was convenient for residents on both sides and won popular support. Qin Hui was jealous, so he built three bridges side by side east of Anle Bridge, intending to compete with Wang Zuo in wealth, hence the names Doufu Bridge 1, 2, and 3. But the people didn't buy it and mocked Qin Hui, calling the three bridges "Doufu Bridge" (Tofu Bridge). It has become a historical anecdote! If you have more time, you can also visit the Wuliuxiang Historic District [Meihuabei Station starting point] and the Gu Gushan Gate [Baziqiao Station terminal]. The former is an old Hangzhou community, free to visit. "Many small bridges in the water alleys, every house pillows the river" describes this place, a place that can take you back to the old days in a second. Wandering through it, you'll see that the Wuliuxiang Historic District has preserved traditional houses and alleyway buildings from the late Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China, full of the charm of old Hangzhou. In spring, the breeze blows, willow branches sway gently, with the river and the old houses on the opposite bank as the backdrop, it's very charming! The latter is one of the eight ancient city gates of Hangzhou, also free to visit, and it still connects to the Grand Canal! In spring, the canal continues to function as a waterway, and the snow willows on both sides bloom and emit fragrance, allowing you to experience a different kind of beauty. It's a great place to relax and enjoy nature! Simply put, adding the Wuliuxiang Historic District and the Gu Gushan Gate before and after the boat ride makes the Water Spring Tour more enjoyable and comfortable! Also, Water Bus Route 7 runs in both directions, meaning you can go from Meihuabei to Baziqiao, or vice versa, from Baziqiao to Meihuabei. Hangzhou Water Bus Route 7 Practical Information: Tickets are 3 yuan. Operating hours are 8:40 am to 6:00 pm [Meihuabei to Baziqiao]. First-time visitors can take Subway Line 1/Line 5 to Chengzhan Station, Exit D, and walk 200 meters to the Wuliuxiang Historic District, then to Water Bus Route 7 - Meihuabei Station. So, are you interested in the Hangzhou Water Bus Route 7 Water Spring Tour? Feel free to leave a comment and discuss!