What's a good 3-day itinerary for Hangzhou?

Day 1 stays on West Lake's eastern shore and the old city south of it. Start at Broken Bridge (Duanqiao) by 7 AM, when fog sits on the water and the only sounds are bicycle bells and cormorants. Walk south along Bai Causeway to Gushan Island. The Zhejiang Provincial Museum there has been open since 1929 and charges no admission. Its Southern Song celadon collection is the best in the country, worth 45 minutes minimum. Rent a public bike at any Gushan dock, about ¥1 per hour via Alipay, with stations every 300 meters, and ride the Su Causeway's 2.8 kilometers south. Lunch at Louwailou on Gushan, open since 1848. Order West Lake Vinegar Fish (醋鱼, around ¥88) and Dongpo Pork (东坡肉, ¥58). Both are sweeter than you expect. That's the point. Leifeng Pagoda at 3 PM gives the best lake panorama from five floors up. The original tower collapsed in 1924. The 2002 rebuild sits over the excavated base, visible through glass floors. End at Hefang Street by 5 PM. The osmanthus cakes (桂花糕, ¥5 to ¥10 per piece) from the street vendors are better warm.

Day 2 heads west into the hills. Taxi from the lakeside to Lingyin Temple, about 5 kilometers and ¥20. Lingyin was founded in 328 AD and still functions as a working monastery. Arrive by 8 AM. Incense smoke hangs thick between the camphor trees, and monks chant in the main hall at 8:30. Entry is ¥30 for the scenic area plus ¥75 for the temple itself. The Feilai Feng grottoes outside the main gate hold over 300 stone Buddhist carvings from the 10th to 14th centuries. Some are worn smooth by eight hundred years of hands. The laughing Maitreya from the Song dynasty is the one everyone photographs. Head south to Longjing Village by taxi, about 4 kilometers and ¥15. Longjing Dragon Well tea sells here at the source for ¥200 to ¥800 per 250 grams depending on the spring picking date. Pre-Qingming harvest (明前, early April) costs more and tastes grassier, with a roasted chestnut scent rising from the cup. The China National Tea Museum (opened 1991, free entry) is 1.5 kilometers north along Longjing Road.

From the tea museum, walk 2 kilometers south to Hupao Spring (虎跑泉). The trail drops through bamboo forest where the air temperature falls 3 to 4 degrees and the light goes green. The spring water has a mineral sweetness that is different from tap. Locals line up every morning to fill jugs. Try the coin test at the main pool. Surface tension holds a yuan coin flat on the water. Dinner back near the lake at Zhiweiguan on Yan'an Road, serving Hangzhou dumplings since 1913. The cat's ear noodles (猫耳朵, ¥28) are thumbnail-sized pasta shells in a clear pork broth with shredded ham. Day 2 totals about 8 kilometers of walking plus 15 minutes of taxi.

Day 3 splits between the Qiantang River and Xixi Wetland. Take the metro south, then a taxi to Liuhe Pagoda (六和塔), built in 970 to calm the tidal bore that still rushes up the Qiantang every September and October. The 60-meter octagonal tower is 13 stories. Entry is ¥20. Climb for the river view. By noon, head northwest by metro or taxi to Xixi Wetland National Park, 11.5 square kilometers of reed marshes and persimmon groves. The ¥80 boat ticket covers a 2-hour loop through six ponds. Egrets stand motionless in the shallows. The air smells like wet earth and wild mint. Lunch inside at Xixi Qiushushan Zhuang. The fish head tofu soup (鱼头豆腐汤, ¥68) uses fish from the wetland ponds. Back to Hubin Road by 4 PM for a final dinner at Grandma's Home (外婆家), facing the lake. Tea-smoked chicken (茶香鸡) and stir-fried lotus root run about ¥60 to ¥80 per person.

The three days total about 28 kilometers on foot, plus metro and taxi. The West Lake loop is flat. The Lingyin and Hupao trails gain 100 to 150 meters of elevation. June temperatures sit around 22 to 30°C with 65 to 75% humidity and afternoon rain likely on 2 of your 3 days. Carry a packable rain jacket. Alipay and WeChat Pay handle nearly every transaction in Hangzhou. Cash is rarely accepted at smaller vendors, which surprises most visitors. Download both apps and link a Visa or Mastercard before departure. Metro single rides cost ¥2 to ¥8. The full three days, including meals, entry fees, and transport, come to about ¥800 to ¥1,000 per person, roughly $120 to $150 at 6.77 CNY per dollar.