西湖

Why this place

West Lake has been landscaped, painted and written about for a thousand years, and it is the reason Chinese gardens look the way they do: causeways, pagodas, willow banks and framed views were all worked out here first. It is a UNESCO cultural landscape, and it is still free to walk around.

What to see

• The Su Causeway and Bai Causeway, and the lake at dawn before the crowds
• The Three Pools Mirroring the Moon and the Lesser瀛洲 island
• Lingyin Temple and the Feilai Feng carvings, in the hills behind the lake
• The Leifeng Pagoda and the view back over the water
• The Longjing tea villages, just above the lake's western shore

What to eat

• West Lake fish in vinegar, cooked whole and served sweet-sour
• Dongpo pork, and Longjing shrimp fried with the local tea leaves

How to plan

One full day on foot or by bicycle, plus a morning in the tea hills.

Best time

March–May and October–November; plum blossom in February, lotus in July

Practical tips

• Walk the lake before 8am — after that it belongs to tour groups; the full circuit is about 15km