Nine Considerate Tips for Traveling to Hangzhou During the May Day Holiday – Save this list!
1️⃣ During the May Day holiday, avoid visiting the West Lake area during the day as it's extremely crowded. It's recommended to go early in the morning when there are fewer people and the morning light is soft, which is great for photography. During the day, you can visit the areas around West Lake, such as Nine Creeks in Misty Forest, Yunqi Bamboo Pathway, and Longjing Tea Village. The scenery deeper in West Lake is more beautiful, the paths are quiet, it's not crowded, and you can listen to the sound of springs and the chirping of birds and cicadas, gaze at the vast tea plantations, savor the fragrance of Longjing tea, and enjoy a lovely time walking or cycling.
2️⃣ You can take a bus directly to Nine Creeks in Misty Forest and start hiking up the mountain. Take the bus down from Longjing Village, or you can walk all the way up, which takes about four to five hours round trip. We once rode bikes from Leifeng Pagoda all the way up, and halfway, we had to push our bikes for a bit. Going downhill was like lightning with continuous braking, and it only took 20 minutes to get back to Leifeng Pagoda, haha.
3️⃣ If it's a sunny day, don't miss the sunset over West Lake; it's incredibly beautiful. The tourist boats and painted boats on the lake are dyed red by the sunset, resembling an oil painting. You can bargain for the price of a manually rowed boat, and in the evening, you can cut the price in half, which is much cheaper than in the morning.
4️⃣ For internet-famous streets like Hefang Street, it's best to casually stroll around in the evening or early morning. It's not a big deal if you don't go, as it's commercialized and crowded, making it less comfortable to visit. Instead, I recommend visiting old streets like Wuliu Lane, Chengtou Lane, Dama Lane, and Shiwuku Lane to see Hangzhou's old buildings, full of local life and authentic local snacks, which are especially wonderful.
5️⃣ The scallion pancakes in Dama Lane cost five yuan each, which is much more authentic than the internet-famous ones that cost ten or twenty yuan. The Bao Mei pastries in Chengtou Lane, Pian Er Chuan, water-fried buns, wontons, and tofu pudding from time-honored brands cost only a few yuan and are delicious. Su Qin's home-cooked dishes like white-cut chicken and braised bamboo shoots are authentic Hangzhou cuisine, and you can get several dishes for just a few dozen yuan, which is tasty and a great value. The green dumplings, osmanthus cakes, and zongzi in Shiwuku Lane are so good that they make my mouth water just thinking about them.
6️⃣ As for accommodation, it depends on your budget. If you're looking for something nicer, you can stay near West Lake at places like Dahua or Xinxin. If you want to visit Lingyin Temple, you can stay nearby. In the city center, I recommend Zancheng Hotel, an old brand, which is convenient for eating, playing, and taking public transport. Additionally, Hupao is a great location for a holiday, quiet and elegant, with an excellent surrounding environment, suitable for friends who like peace and quiet.
7️⃣ When visiting Hangzhou during the holiday, especially if it's your first time, don't go to the internet-famous shops. You won't get the essence of Hangzhou's cuisine, which is all in the residential areas. Just wander around the residential areas, and you can't go wrong with inconspicuous shops with many locals sitting inside. There are no price traps, so go ahead and eat boldly. For a big meal, you can choose famous time-honored brands like Ziyi Hall, Jinsha Hall of Four Seasons, Xin Rong Ji, or more ordinary places like Xin Bailu and Grandma's Home.
8️⃣ Hangzhou's pastries are also very good, suitable for personal enjoyment or as gifts for friends and family. Zhi Wei Guan, Cai Zhi Zhai, and Nan Song Hu Ji are all good choices, with a wide variety, and quality assurance. I've bought from them many times and have rarely been disappointed.
9️⃣ A special reminder for those coming to Hangzhou during May Day: do not drive to the scenic spots. Do not drive, do not drive, as parking is very hard to find. By the time you find a parking spot, it might be two hours later. It's recommended to take a taxi or the subway. You can drive in the suburbs, but it's highly discouraged to drive to urban scenic spots.
Qinghefang Street is one of the popular commercial areas in Hangzhou, and the shops along the street are old buildings and antique. There are many local snacks, specialty shops, tea houses, etc., plus Wushan back, and close to the food street Gaoyin Street, both tourists and locals often come to visit. Snacks and shopping are not too big in this commercial pedestrian district, and the variety of goods is very complete. It can be regarded as the epitome of Hangzhou characteristics. Local specialties can basically be found here. When you encounter local snacks such as Dingsheng cakes, butter cakes, dragon mustard sugar when shopping, you may wish to buy them to taste, as well as the well-known Zhang Xiaoquan scissors, Wang Xingji fans, etc., it is not bad to buy a handful for souvenir. In addition to snacks and shopping, Qinghefang Street has many venues worth seeing, of which Hu Qingyutang is not to be missed. It occupies a conspicuous position on the street, and there are many people who come here to see a doctor and catch medicine on weekdays. The medicine museum in Hu Qingyu Hall is available for visit. The patio is planted with labels, like a large classroom, and similar to the Huichun Hall on the east side of the block. In addition, the Zhu Xuren Copper Carving Art Museum near Anrong Lane is also worth a visit. Museum doors and windows, furniture, etc. are all copper, gold shining eyeballs.
A nice pedestrian street full with all sorts of local food and delicacies..we even found a Halal shop there which serves beef pancakes(must try)..not a alot of shopping stores but a paradose for foodies
清河坊街景区,与南宋御街垂直方向,可以一并打卡。这里有鼓楼,胡庆余堂药店,南宋御街陈列馆,凤凰寺等。美食排档俱全,来个煎包和猪肝面做晚餐,爽歪歪。
The second time I came here, I saw the night view of Hefang Street. There were quite a lot of people at night. All kinds of snacks, Hefang Street and Southern Song Dynasty Imperial Street were together.
Qinghefang is worth a visit, it is really delicious, the taste is very authentic, delicious.
Hefang Street is more charming and charming at night, because of the lighting embellishment. Some came out of the window, some came out of the alley, and some were shining on the food, strong and weak, soft and rigid, the lights were confused, and people were also in another state, and they were unknowingly relaxed a lot. Maybe this is why many people like to come to this street to visit the night market, even the snoring of small roadside vendors can attract your attention. Of course, Hefang Street is most famous for having many centuries-old shops, such as the famous Huichuntang in China. The best way to visit Hefang Street is not to panic, a store and a store to see, slow down, carefully enjoy the dazzling goods, feel the wonderful world, experience the vigorous fireworks of the old street.