Hangzhou Peak Season: Maybe Not.
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Oh my goodness, overcrowding really affects the travel experience! Let me share with you my experiences in Hangzhou, hoping it'll be helpful to all of you, especially those who are not familiar with China.
- We left Beijing and arrived in Hangzhou on Thursday evening. Just as we were heading for the accommodation near Prince Bay (a scenic spot near West Lake), we already felt the overwhelming crowds along the way. The traffic was extremely congested.
- Early Friday morning, we headed to Prince Bay Park.
- What a surprise! It was packed, full of people! Right on the day when elementary school students had their spring trip (organized by schools for students to have fun in spring), that scene was just as lively as a fair!
- Everyone says the tulips at Prince Bay are just beautiful, but since we came from Beijing, where there are also popular places like the Botanical Garden or Zhongshan Park during spring to admire tulips, in all honesty, I didn't feel the "Woaahhh, absolutely stunning!" feeling when seeing them at Prince Bay.
- Add to that, the sheer number of people, and I immediately had a feeling that this journey might go wrong.
- We quickly departed from Prince Bay Park after spending less than one hour and continued on directly to West Lake.
- As famous as it is, West Lake is Hangzhou's landmark lake. Although it was super crowded as well, thankfully, the lake is large enough so the scenery looks truly beautiful, better than Prince Bay Park.
- Strongly recommended! We rented a small rowboat at Sudi (a famous long embankment of West Lake) and chose the route to reach Wuguitan (a serene part of West Lake waters).
- For about two hours, the boat swayed, and as we went deeper, it got less and less crowded.
- The newly grown leaves on each side formed an emerald-green reflection.
- Occasionally, wild geese flew past, really interesting! Those two hours of boating were the highlight of our journey!
- In the afternoon, looking for a place less crowded, we moved to Yanggongdi (another embankment on the shore of West Lake).
- This decision was spot-on! Yanggongdi was much less crowded.
- Compared with the grandeur seen at West Lake, the view might be less impressive in size, yet with many tall and lush green trees, plus some exceptionally serenely shaded trails, this feel attracted me more than cherry blossoms and peach blossoms. The sunset over West Lake in the late afternoon was also pretty cool.
- Overall, the experience around West Lake was fairly enjoyable. But compared with Beijing, whose Fragrant Hill is an extremely renowned imperial garden with its Yanchun Lake inspired by West Lake, the novelty may be somewhat weakened when watching West Lake.
- However! It's still very different between the climate of the North and South of China. To the Northern China (e.g., Beijing), the climate is drier, then southward to those areas like Hangzhou, the climate becomes much more humid. Like Wuguitan or Maogabu (Both belong to the greener, more unspoiled, less crowded areas of West Lake), that kind of landscape of water villages were rare to see in the North, and therefore, personally I'd prefer those less crowded, and relatively quieter activities around West Lake.
- On the second morning, I visited Lingyinsi (a super famous temple in Hangzhou). My God, it was still overwhelmed with people!
- Then we decided to avoid the crowds and head to the neighboring Yongfusi, where it was much less crowded and the scenery was nice too.
- In the afternoon, I explored the Zhejiang Museum.
- The museum is quite large, but the exhibits seemed insufficient, and even after viewing everything, the historical weight I imagined did not linger in my memory.
In summary:
Hangzhou was indeed a beautiful place with charming mountains and clear waters, suitable for living here for a while, wandering leisurely and appreciating the beauty and charm gradually. If merely visiting on weekend, this would be quite nice. However, like us, coming far away precisely to play, and coincidentally encountering peak tourist season, the experience would have been significantly compromised.Specific reminder for foreign friends! (Travel Experience & Warning)
- Avoid peaks in crowds, the key!
- Issue: During holidays such as Spring Festival for flower viewing, the summer holiday, National Day Golden Week, etc., the popular spots are swarming with people, greatly affecting your happiness and efficiency in sightseeing. Like my experience, the inconvenience due to traffic jams, queuing, and viewing crowds, can severely lessen the pleasure of sightseeing.
- How to resolve:
- Try avoiding peak periods: If possible, choose non-holiday or off-season dates.
- Rising early: Mornings usually are less crowded in most attractions.
- Finding alternatives: Instead of going to crowded but famous attractions, like shifting from crowded Lingyinsi, to the calmer Yongfusi, or choosing areas around West Lake other than the highly visited Duoluo Bridge, like the Yanggongdi or Wuguitan mentioned before. Get yourself prepared and search for local favorites or some rarely visited but good-looking spots beforehand.
- Regarding Chinese characteristic comparison:
- Background: China is vast, with differences in natural landscapes and man-made landscapes between the South and North. Some northern tourists (like myself) might think southern scenes seem similar to Beijing's royal gardens, like the Fragrant Valley.
- Suggestion: If you've visited similar tourism sites in other regions of China before, lower your expectations and immerse yourself in the unique atmosphere produced by the local climate, vegetation, and lifestyle. These details, like the foggy and mist-like waters, dense and flourishing trees in Hangzhou, which cannot be experienced in the dry climate of the North, would be a lot more interesting.
- Museum Visit Notice:
- Reminder: Most cities have provincial museums, but their collection quality and features vary. Focus their collections on local history and culture. If there's a specific period of history or type of artifacts you're curious about, make sure to check what's highlighted in the museum's collections and special exhibition before your visit to avoid disappointment.
I hope these tips will help you! Next time, whether you avoid peak periods or opt for lesser-known, serene spots with beautiful sceneries, either should be a good choice!
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I'm heading to Hangzhou for the Qingming Festival and plan to spend about half a day at West Lake. Could any locals recommend some spots that are less crowded but still offer beautiful views? I'll be with two seniors (both 65) and we'd love to go for a boat ride.
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I think West Lake will be even more packed during Qingming. You might be better off exploring the Yanggong Causeway area instead.
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Staying at one of the state guesthouses near West Lake would be very comfortable.
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Too expensive!
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I'm with you, I love West Lake when it's lush and green too. But for that, you'd really need to come next month at the earliest. Right now, West Lake isn't looking its best. The flowers haven't fully bloomed, the trees aren't green yet, and even Yanggong Causeway is quite bare. It's far from its peak beauty. April-May and October-November are when it's absolutely gorgeous.
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That's right. I went to Tianmu Mountain in mid-April once, and it was incredibly green.
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Do we need to book the hand-rowed boats in advance, or can we just get one when we arrive? We're planning to go on a weekday in mid-April.
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No booking needed, but you'll likely have to wait for a boat if it's crowded.
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That's a very fair assessment. And the spots you mentioned are quite unique. It's true, when visiting West Lake, you should avoid the major hotspots. It's just shoulder-to-shoulder crowds and a terrible experience.
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Exactly.
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I wouldn't dare go near West Lake or Xiang Lake on a weekend, especially if the weather's nice.
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Given Zhejiang's climate, pretty much any park should be beautiful.
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There's hardly an off-season.
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It's beautiful all year round.
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Hangzhou is so beautifully green in early April! Though, these past few days, the leaves on the trees along Yanggong Causeway haven't quite emerged yet.
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True, right now it's mostly about the flowers.
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I never go to Taiziwan Park during tulip season. At most, I'll cycle over to Santaishan Road for a stroll.
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From what I recall, I can't think of a time I've been to Hangzhou when it wasn't crowded, and I always avoid public holidays.
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It's less crowded in winter. I went a few days before Chinese New Year last time; it was freezing and even snowed.