Westlake's 10 scenic views

(1) Dawn on the Su Causeway in Spring (苏堤春晓)*


(2) Curved Yard and Lotus Pool in Summer (曲苑风荷)

(3) Moon over the Peaceful Lake in Autumn (平湖秋月)*

(4) Remnant Snow on the Bridge in Winter (断桥残雪)

(5) Leifeng Pagoda in the Sunset (雷峰夕照)

(6) Two Peaks Piercing the Clouds (双峰插云)

(7) Orioles Singing in the Willows (柳浪聞鶯)

(8) Fish Viewing at the Flower Pond (花港观鱼)*

(9) Three Ponds Mirroring the Moon (三潭印月)*

(10) Evening Bell Ringing at the Nanping Hill (南屏晚钟)

Shanghai-to-Hangzhou Train Schedule (effective 1 July 2010)

From Shanghai South Railway Station to Hangzhou Station

D5685  07:20  08:43
D5689  07:44  09:12
D5657  09:30  10:48
D5663  11:45  13:03
D5667  13:07  14:25
D5665  13:12  14:35
D5655  15:04  16:30
D5675  16:40  17:58
D5687  17:47  19:19
D5681  19:03  20:21
D5683  20:03  21:35

From Hangzhou Station to Shanghai South Station

D5654  07:40  09:08
D5658  10:07  11:25
D5686  10:59  12:23
D5660  11:32  12:50
D5668  13:21  14:44
D5690  13:27  15:00
D5670  14:55  16:18
D5676  15:55  17:27
D5678  17:25  18:43
D5680  18:23  19:41
D5672  20:40  21:58

Taking the train from Shanghai to Hangzhou

This is the cheapest and safest way to travel to Hangzhou from Shanghai. There are more than 40 trains commuting between Shanghai and Hangzhou every 24 hours. On average, it takes 2 hours station to station traveling time.

The one way ticket price varies from 20RMB (3 USD) to 100RMB (14USD), depending on the level of the train and the class of your tickets.

You can either choose Shanghai railway station (“上海“) or Shanghai South railway station （“上海南”） depending on where you depart from Shanghai. There are also two arrival stations at Hangzhou: Hangzhou railway station （“杭州”） or Hangzhou East railway station （“杭州东”）. Hangzhou railway station is closer to the major tourism sites, so if you choose to take the train, try to avoid arriving at Hangzhou East railway station if possible. It is also an old station, so the facilities are in relatively poor condition.

There are several types of the trains differentiated by the starting letter of the train number. Generally, there are four types of trains running between Shanghai and Hangzhou. The fastest and the most comfortable train you can find now is call “ Dong Che Zhu” (“动车组”) starts with the letter “D” for example “D689”. It’s very new and clean, and takes only 1 hour and 40 minutes to travel from Shanghai South railway station to Hangzhou railway station. The ones start with letter “T” for example “T797” are express trains and the ones start with letter “N” for example “N489” are fast trains. They are generally also acceptable with around 2 to 2 and half hours travel time. The ones that start with “K” (e.g. “K89”) or have no letter (e.g. “1597”) are not recommended. They normally stop in between Shanghai and Hangzhou which delays the travel. Also, most of them are old trains without air conditioning.

 

Locations of Shanghai Attractions

Google map here.

Locations of Hangzhou Attractions

Google Map here.

Famous Restaurants in Hangzhou

Louwailou Restaurant (楼外楼)

Description: Built in the 1840s by a Qing Dynasty Noble, Louwailou Restaurant is said to be the oldest restaurant in China. Many foreign VIPs have dined there while visiting Hangzhou. The Restaurant features authentic Hangzhou cuisine.

Address: 30 Gushan Road

Business Hours: daily 11:30am-2:30 pm and 4:30 pm-8:30 pm.

Recommended Dishes: The specialties include the West Lake Fish in Sweet Sour Source, the Fried Shrimps with Long Jing Tea Leaves, and the famous Beggar's Chicken.

Average Cost: CNY150

Shanwaishan Restaurant (山外山)

Description: Shan Wai Shan Restaurant is famous for its Hangzhou Cuisine and its atmosphere, there is a botanical garden near it, and customers can enjoy the tranquil environment while tasting the food.

Address: 8 Yu Quan Lu, Xihu District.

Average Cost: CNY90.

Tianwaitian Restaurant

Description: This is also a very old restaurant, first opened in 1910. Its excellent location, close to the Lingyin Temple, tasty seafood and warm service make the restaurant a very popular eating place for tourists.

Address: 2 Tianzhu Road

Business Hours: Daily 7am – 9 pm.

Directions: Outside Peak Flown from Afar Park (Feilai Feng) entrance

Die-Die-Must-Try Hangzhou Cuisine

(1) West Lake Fish in Vinegar Gravy (西湖醋鱼)

West Lake Fish in Vinegar Gravy is a famous dish with traditional flavor. It is cooked with live grass carp. The fish need to be put in the cage to hunger it for two or three days, to let go the trash in its bowels and the smell of soil. The fire need to be strictly controlled when cooking it. In the 1950s, the best West Lake Fish in Vinegar Gravy was at Lou Wai Lou.

(2) Braised Dongpo Pork (东坡肉)

It is said that Braised Dong Po Pork was firstly made by the great litterateur Su Dongpo (Su Shi), he helped people in the flood on Xuzhou when he was the governor. In order to thank him, citizens send him plentiful pork when knowing that he was fond of that. Su Dongpo accepted the gifts and cooked them in his special way. He sent the cooked pork to citizens, they were deeply moved by Su Dongpo. This tasty dish was then called Braised Dong Po Pork. Braised Dong Po Pork Restaurants are Lou Wai Lou, Zhi Wei Guan, Huang Fan Er and Wai Po Jia.

(3) Beggar's Chicken (叫花鸡)

It is said that this dish was first made by a beggar. One day, the beggar got a chicken but he can't cook it since he has neither cooking equipment nor seasonings. Finally he wrapped the chicken in mud and baked it. To his surprise, the chicken was very tasty with his cooking method. A restaurant heard this and made some improvement to this dish, the dish was thus named. Several hundred years has passed, the cooking process was well developed and this dish has then become one of the most famous Hangzhou cuisines. Beggar's Chicken Restaurants are Lou Wai Lou, Zhi Wei Guan and Tian Wai Tian.

(4) Fried Shrimps with Long Jing Tea Leaves (龙井虾仁)

This dish was originated from Imperial Palace. It is said that Emperor Qian Long got some best Long Jing tea when he was on the royal progress. He brought the tea back to the Palace and the imperial cook made a dish with Long Jing tea and shrimps. When tasting the dish, Emperor Qian Long was very happy and he rewarded the cook. Later, there is a dish called Fried Shrimps with Long Jing Tea Leaves in Hangzhou Tian Wai Tian Restaurant. The dish is fragrant with both smell of Long Jing tea and shrimps, it had been one of the best Hangzhou cuisines from then on. Best Fried Shrimps with Long Jing Tea Leaves Restaurants are Lou Wai Lou, Tian Wai Tian, Shan Wai Shan and Huang Fan Er.

(5) Chun Cai Soup (西湖莼菜汤)

(6) Oil Rapid Shoot (油焖春笋)

Shanghai-cum-Hangzhou Itinerary

21 July 10 (Wed)
1:15 am    Depart Changi Airport on SQ xxx.
6:35 am    Arrive @ Pudong Int'l Airport.
7:00 am    Board Meglav (磁浮列车) to Longyang Road Station in town.

Ride the fastest commercially operating train in the world. With a top speed of 268 mph (431 km/h), the German-built magnetic levitation train takes less than 8 minutes to cover the 19 miles (30 kilometers) between its only 2 stations.

8:00 am    Arrive at Raddisson Century Park Hotel.
1199 YING CHUN ROAD, PUDONG
SHANGHAI, China 200135
Phone: 86 21 51300000
浦东迎春路1199号, 浦东, 上海 200135, 中国
上海证大丽笙酒店座落于浦东大拇指广场内，该广场集精品店与娱乐场所于一体.
8:30 am    Freshen up and Breakfast.
10:30 am  Yuyuan Garden (豫园).

This classical Chinese garden was built in 1577 during the Ming dynasty. It is made up of six scenic areas: The Grand Rockery (features peaks, cliffs and gorges), Heralding Spring Hall, Inner Garden (ornamental ponds and pavilions), Jade Magnificence Hall, Lotus Pool and the Ten Thousand Flowers Tower.

1:30 pm    Temple of the Town God (城隍庙).

Although this temple was created about 600 years ago, what you see is relatively new as it was completely rebuilt and restored in the 1990s - much of the area was destroyed during the Cultural Revolution. Don't miss the large surrounding marketplace and snack street, there are many interesting eats to discover in the traditional Ming and Qing dynasty-style buildings that house numerous food stalls.

4:30 pm    Back to Hotel.
6:30 pm    Proceed to dinner.

22 July 10 (Thu)
7:00 am   Breakfast.
8:30 am   Shanghai Expo (上海世博会).
5:00 pm   Back to Hotel.
6:30 pm   Proceed to dinner.

23 July 10 (Fri)
7:00 am   Breakfast.
8:30 am   The Bund (外滩). Shoots The Oriental Pearl (东方明珠) and Pudong skyline from the Bund.
10:30 am Random walk down Nanjing Road (南京路).
About six kilometers long, Nanjing Road is the longest and busiest shopping street in Shanghai.

24 July 10 (Sat)
6:30 am    Breakfast.
7:45 am    Checkout.
8:30 am    Arrive @r Shanghai South train Station.
11:30 am  Arrive @ Hangzhou.
12:00 pm  Arrive @ Shangrila Hotel.
2:30 pm    Old Street Qing He Fang.

Hefang Street is a well-designed old pedestrian street, which is the epitome of old Hangzhou. The original street has been ruined and it recently takes on a completely new look after lager-scale of restoration. Shops selling art crafts, souvenirs, silk, teahouses, and restaurants line on both sides of the street. Many famous century-old shops including Hu Qing Yu Tang, Wang Xingji Fans can be found along the street. Hefang Street is otherwise known as the Snack Street for the diverse food it serves. The street clearly concentrates food from all around the country, while at some time highlighting the local flavors.

25 July 10 (Sun)
7:00 am    Breakfast.
9:00 am    Explore West Lake's 10 scenic views (西湖十景).
(1) Dawn on the Su Causeway in Spring (苏堤春晓)*
(2) Curved Yard and Lotus Pool in Summer (曲苑风荷)
(3) Moon over the Peaceful Lake in Autumn (平湖秋月)*
(4) Remnant Snow on the Bridge in Winter (断桥残雪)
(5) Leifeng Pagoda in the Sunset (雷峰夕照)
(6) Two Peaks Piercing the Clouds (双峰插云)
(7) Orioles Singing in the Willows (柳浪聞鶯)
(8) Fish Viewing at the Flower Pond (花港观鱼)*
(9) Three Ponds Mirroring the Moon (三潭印月)*
(10) Evening Bell Ringing at the Nanping Hill (南屏晚钟)
2:00 pm   Wuzhen Water Town.

Wuzhen is one of China’s ancient water towns, where waterways thread their way through the flagstone streets and alleys. Wuzhen in North Zhejiang Province, is a 45 minute bus ride away from Hangzhou East Bus Station.
2:00 pm   Lingyin Temple and Feilai Peak

Among the many distinctive attractions in Hangzhou Feilai Peak is a must see. It is a 700 feet tall limestone mountain completely different from the surrounding sandstone mountains. Over 330 different stone statues built during the 10th to the 14th centuries are sheltered by the caves of the mountain. There are statues of different poses at Feilai Peak and the most notable of them all however is the one of Laughing Buddha.

26 July 10 (Mon)
2:00 pm    Travel back to Shanghai.
4:00 pm    Arrive @ Shanghai.
5:00 pm    Check in @ Grand Hyatt Hotel at Jin Mao Tower (金茂大厦).

The second tallest building in China (the tallest building is its neighbour, the Shanghai World Financial Center), it contains the Grand Hyatt Hotel and offices. The highest floor (88th) is an observation deck. "Cloud 9" on the 87th floor is supposedly the world's highest bar.

27 July 10 (Tue)
8:30 am    Shanghai World Financial Centre (环球金融中心).

The tallest building in China. The Shanghai World Financial Center's most distinctive feature is the trapezoidal hole at the top of the building. It was actually originally supposed to be a circular hole - however the design was changed when some people thought the circular hole was too similar to the rising sun in the Japanese flag.

11:00 am  50 Moganshan Art District (莫干山路艺术区).

This former industrial area is now home to numerous art galleries, graphic design firms, architectural workshops and cafes.

2:00 pm   Taikang Road (泰康路田子坊).

This charming cluster of art + fashion boutique shops and trendy cafes is nestled in an old traditional Shanghainese Shikumen neighbourhood - think of it as the more down to earth, real and genuine sister of superlative Xintiandi. Many locals still live in the area and you will encounter many of them going about their daily lives.

28 July 10 (Wed)
1:00 pm   Check out
4:35 pm   Depart Shanghai.
9:45 pm   Arrive @ Changi Airport.