We only had 2 days in Hangzhou, and it rained heavily on the first day, so we weren’t able to go out and explore. I decided to list down the places we were able to visit and where we ate during our short stay.
Our family stayed at Nostalgia S Hotel – Hangzhou West Lake & Hefang Old Street (时光漫步S酒店 – 杭州西湖湖滨河坊街店)
Where we went to:
- West Lake Scenic Area – Su Causeway 西湖风景区-苏堤 – famous landmark in Hangzhou! It’s hard to say you’ve been to Hangzhou without seeing West Lake
- God of Wealth Temple 天下第一財神廟 – dad tried to visit this place because it was apparently going to close for renovation on the first day we went. He didn’t make it in time to go up to the temple since it was raining heavily and the steps going up were a lot. The cable car was already closed too. We’ll have to reschedule our visit when the temple is open again!!
** no pics, unfortunately </3 just the Longjing tea fields surrounding the area before you reach the temple, other pic is from Google!
- 工联CC (building full of stores) – went here to check out a store and ended up walking around the mall for a while. There’s even a Pokémon Center here if anyone is interested!
- Roads near Longxiangqiao Station 龙翔桥（地铁站) – sorry, I’m not sure what this area is called but I remember the station that I saw, there are a lot of buildings here with different stores!
- Xiaohe Zhijie Street 小河直街 – there were small stores and cafés, all really nice to look at. We didn’t buy anything except for Longjing tea, which is famous in Hangzhou
- Hefang 河坊街 / Qinghefang 清河坊 Ancient Street – another famous street for shops and snacks, but we didn’t have enough time to really roam around the area. I would love to come back here and explore if I get another opportunity!
Where we ate :
- Green Tea Restaurant Longjing Road Branch 绿茶餐厅(龙井路店) – had low expectations since this branch had stunning views, but I heard this restaurant chain is quite famous. We ended up having one of the best meals here!
- Siyinxi Tea Hotel (West Lake Lingyin Store) 四隐兮茶宿（西湖灵隐店) – wasn’t on our plan, but we needed to find shelter since it was pouring. The owners were so nice, and we were able to drink Longjing tea here.
- Dinner at Grandma’s Home (Hubin branch) 外婆家(湖滨店) – famous restaurant chain all over China. It’s good to try, but in my opinion, there are better restaurants.
all photos were taken using an iPhone 13 Pro Max / Fujifilm X-T20 18-55 mm
My dad was happy to finally visit Hangzhou and cross it off his bucket list. But personally, I think it’s okay to skip this city unless it’s also on your bucket list and you’ve always wanted to see it for yourself!
Watch my Shanghai Travel Film here!
💚, R
Read about my other Hangzhou adventures