One Lake, Four Ways: The Perfect All-Day Journey Around West Lake
You can see West Lake from a single viewpoint, but to truly understand its magic, you must experience it from all of them. This route is a full-day immersion, a journey to circumnavigate its shores by bike, boat, and foot, seeing the landscape change with the light and the time of day.
Your morning begins by renting a bicycle and gliding across the ancient, willow-lined Su Causeway. In the early mist, it feels like you're cycling through a delicate ink wash painting. Mid-day, ditch the bike and hire a small, hand-sculled boat to take you to the "Lesser Yingzhou Isle," the largest island on the lake, where you can see the famous "Three Ponds Mirroring the Moon." In the afternoon, it's time for a panoramic view. Hike or take the escalators up to the top of Leifeng Pagoda for a stunning god's-eye perspective. Finally, as evening approaches, join the crowds on the Broken Bridge to watch the sun set behind the hills.
Insider Tip:
Use Hangzhou's excellent and cheap public bike-sharing system. There are hundreds of stations all around the lake. This gives you the incredible flexibility to cycle one section, drop off your bike to explore an area on foot, and then pick up another bike later on, without ever being tethered to a single rental shop.
