Comfortable and Cost-effective Family Travel Guide for Hangzhou City and Qiandao Lake

Overall itinerary:
Day 1: Nanjing to Hangzhou (4 hours), visit West Lake and Qiantang River night view, stay in Hangzhou
Day 2: Hangzhou to Qiandao Lake, visit the southeast lake area of Qiandao Lake and Qilong Lane, stay in Qiandao Lake
Day 3: Leisure day at Qiandao Lake, visit the popular lighthouse, return to Nanjing

Day 1: Nanjing to Hangzhou (4 hours)
Hangzhou: West Lake, Leifeng Pagoda, Qiantang River night view, stay in Hangzhou
West Lake Guide
Parking: Zhejiang Provincial People's Hall Parking Lot (affordable price, 7 RMB/hour; about 700 meters or 10 minutes walk to West Lake), navigate to Zhejiang Provincial People's Hall Ground Parking Lot.
✅West Lake route: Broken Bridge in Snow—Bai Causeway (about 1 km, 20 min walk)—Gushan (Museum/Art Museum/Gushan Park)—take a boat from Zhongshan Park Pier (choose leisure boat, get on the island)—Three Pools Mirroring the Moon—(boat towards Huagang Fish Viewing Pier to exit the island)—Huagang Fish Viewing Pier—Leifeng Pagoda (about 10 minutes walk). The boat ride, walking, and scenery are all great. Favorites are Three Pools Mirroring the Moon and Heart-to-Heart Pavilion. On the way to Leifeng Pagoda, stop by Jia Shao Noodle Restaurant for lunch and a short rest.
Tickets: West Lake is free to enter, some internal attractions require tickets: Three Pools Mirroring the Moon (20 RMB), Leifeng Pagoda (40 RMB). Leifeng Pagoda has an elevator, offering panoramic views of West Lake and the city.
Rest a bit at the hotel in the afternoon, stay at: All Seasons Hotel Hangzhou Qianjiang New City Civic Center Branch
🏙 Evening Qianjiang New City night view
✅Best viewing spots: Qianjiang New City Main Balcony, City Balcony

Day 2: Hangzhou to Qiandao Lake (must get on the island before 9:15), visit the southeast lake area of Qiandao Lake and Qilong Lane, stay in Qiandao Lake
✅Tianchi and Huangshanjian are very beautiful and great for photos
Southeast Lake Area (about 6 hours total), 💰ticket + boat fare 185 RMB/person, route: Osmanthus Island → Tianchi Island → Huangshanjian
Osmanthus Island: Monkey Island, many monkeys.
Tianchi Island: has a clear Tianchi Lake, and the koi fish here are big and fat. The island also has a suspension bridge, Bird Island, etc. Manage your time well. TIPS: buy food on-site at Tianchi to feed and take photos.
Huangshanjian: the landmark of Qiandao Lake, offering a panoramic view of the "All Under Heaven" island group. Cable car costs about 50 RMB/person (long queue). We chose to hike up, the scenery along the way is nice, about 20 minutes to the top. Then took the cable car down.
Qilong Lane: overall not very impressive, better to visit Beer Town at night for some fun.
Accommodation: Fang Xiaoyi Loft Lake View Apartment, very cost-effective, great scenery, and convenient dining nearby.

Day 3: Morning walk—Beer Town—Lighthouse—Return trip
Morning oxygen intake is amazing.
Beer Town: the legendary little Europe of Qiandao Lake, the town is not big, one hour is enough to stroll around.

Post by Emily_Murphy77 | Sep 19, 2025