How do I get around Hangzhou?

Hangzhou Metro expanded from 4 lines to 12 for the 2022 Asian Games, and the network now covers most places a visitor needs to reach. Line 1 runs north-south through the commercial core along Yan'an Road, connecting Hangzhou East Railway Station to Fengqi Road and Longxiang Bridge, the two stops closest to West Lake's eastern shore. Line 19 is the airport express, running from Xiaoshan International Airport to Hangzhou East Station in about 45 minutes for roughly 25 CNY, under $4. Trains operate from around 06:00 to 22:30, with 4-8 minute frequencies during rush hours. Single-ride tokens cost 2-10 CNY depending on distance. A Hangzhou Tong transit card (50 CNY deposit) scans on metro, buses, and the public bike docks, but Alipay's transport mini-program covers all of these too, making the physical card optional.

DiDi is the only ride-hailing app that matters here. Uber sold its China operations to DiDi in 2016, and nothing else has taken hold since. Download the international version before you arrive. It accepts foreign credit cards and has an English interface that works well enough, though driver communication defaults to Mandarin. Taxi flagfall is 11 CNY for the first 3 km, then 2.5 CNY per km. A meter ride from Xiaoshan Airport to the Hubin Road hotel district on West Lake's east shore costs about 120-150 CNY, roughly $18-22. DiDi tends to run 10-15% cheaper. Watch for taxi shift change around 16:00-17:00, when drivers return to depots and refuse pickups. DiDi bypasses this problem entirely. After 23:00, both taxis and DiDi add a 20% night surcharge.

West Lake's perimeter path runs about 15 km, flat and shaded by plane trees the entire loop. Walking the eastern shore from Broken Bridge south to Leifeng Pagoda takes roughly 90 minutes, with the Su Causeway and Bai Causeway cutting across the water as shortcuts. In June the air already sits heavy and damp at 65% humidity, and by July temperatures regularly push past 35°C. Cicadas drill from every camphor tree along the Bai Causeway, and West Lake smells faintly of warm algae on still afternoons. Hellobike (green frames) and Meituan (yellow frames) dock every 200-300 meters around the shoreline and through the Hefang Street pedestrian zone. Scan with Alipay, 1.5 CNY per 30 minutes. The older municipal bike system (red frames, launched 2008) still operates, but its app is Mandarin-only and docking stations have thinned out.

Hangzhou is Alibaba's headquarters, and it runs on Alipay more than almost any other Chinese city. Street food stalls at Hefang Street, metro turnstiles, 7-Eleven counters, even the West Lake boat ticket window at Zhongshan Park Pier all expect a QR code scan. Cash still works at hotel front desks and chain stores, but smaller vendors have not handled paper bills regularly since before 2020. Since 2023, Alipay accepts international Visa and Mastercard linked through the app, so set this up before your flight. WeChat Pay offers the same linking. Between the two you will not need cash or a Chinese bank account. Google Maps does not function in mainland China without a VPN. Download Amap (Gaode Maps) before arrival. It has a partial English interface and integrates with DiDi for hailing rides from the map.