This section is dedicated to take away all your "I wish someone had told me that before I went!" experiences. This way, you can spend less time settling in, and more time making new friends in your chosen hostel. We share our insider knowledge of tips, tricks and important things to look out for in Hangzhou.
This beautiful and prosperous city has become one of China’s most prominent communities on the southern terminus of the Grand Canal, but Hangzhou is probably best known for its West Lake. Hangzhou will host the 2022 Asian Games, and in 2016, the community hosted the eleventh G-20 summit.
Hangzhou offers a wonderful climate for visitors looking to explore the outdoors, with four distinctive seasons and relatively mild winters. Typhoon storms sometimes strike in the areas around the city, but seldom impact Hangzhou itself. These are generally confined to the southern coast of Zhejiang.
Accommodations here range from hotels and hostels to luxury resorts and bed and breakfasts. Hostels in Hangzhou offer a perfect opportunity for visitors to explore the many historic relics and natural beauty of the area – in fact, Hangzhou is known as one of the most beautiful and scenic cities in all of China. And despite much recent urban development, the community has retained most of its cultural heritage.
One of the more popular attractions here is West Lake, a cultural landscape that has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The area covers more than 8,000 acres and includes many of Hangzhou’s more notable sites – historic pagodas, cultural sites, and stunning lakes and hills like Phoenix Mountain.
In addition to West Lake, visitors staying at a hotel or hostel in Hangzhou can check out a number of other places of interest, including the Xixi National Wetland Park, Hangzhou Botanical Garden, Hangzhou Zoo, Jade Spring, Longjing tea fields, and the residence of Hu Xueyan.
There is an airport here, the Hangzhou Xioashan International Airport, which has an extensive domestic route as well as overseas flights. From the airport, tourists visiting Hangzhou can take a taxi or bus to reach their accommodations and to get to the many attractions in the area.
Written by local enthusiast for Hangzhou hostels
Jakob Lombardi
