Hangzhou in One Day: What I Wish I Knew Before Going

The Chinese say: “In heaven, there is paradise; on earth, there is Hangzhou and Suzhou.” And after visiting Hangzhou on a one-day trip from Shanghai, I finally understood why. Here’s what I wish I had known before going this will save you time and make your day trip unforgettable. 1. Choose your stations wisely☺️ Both Shanghai and Hangzhou have multiple railway stations. Pick the most convenient one for your route. For me, it was Shanghai South Station (Shanghai-Nan). In Hangzhou, I recommend arriving at Hangzhou Central Station perfect if you only have one day and want to see the highlights without wasting time. 2. Head straight to the tea plantations🏞️ From the station, call a taxi via Didi and go directly to the tea fields. If you’re a fan of cycling, you can rent a bike at the base of the plantations but the climb is steep and time-consuming. Since we had limited time, we took a taxi all the way to the top. Accidentally, we ended up at one of the most beautiful spots I’ve ever seen: peaceful hills, chickens wandering around, dogs running freely incredibly authentic and charming. We also found a lovely teahouse with a stunning view over the plantations. If you recognize it from my video, definitely go in and try their tea - it was amazing.❤️ 3. Next stop: the legendary West Lake (Xīhú)😍 To save time, we took another taxi straight to West Lake. You simply can’t see it all in one day, so we made a small plan: First, grabbed a coffee at a charming, authentic Starbucks near the lake. Then took a short boat ride to the inner island in the middle of Xīhú. Enjoyed the views and headed back for a peaceful lakeside walk. From the lakeshore, we walked directly back to Hangzhou Central Station, which turned out to be very convenient.🙏☺️ By evening we were already back in Shanghai - and surprisingly, not even tired. Hangzhou was absolutely magical.🔆 Highly recommended, even for a one-day trip. #hangzhou #hangzhoutravel #westlake #xihu #teaplantations #chinatrip #daytripfromshanghai #explorechina #travelasia #hiddengemschina #hangzhouguide #shanghaitohangzhou #travelinspiration #tripvlog #chinaadventure