Hangzhou: Heaven on Earth Day Trip from Shanghai including West Lake Cruise
Shanghai, China
- 10 hours (approx.)
- Pickup offered
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Discover the rich cultural tapestry of Hangzhou, a city shrouded in history and natural splendor, on a full-day tour from Shanghai. Accompanied by an accomplished guide, gain fascinating insight into China’s most esteemed tea at Meijiawu Tea Village; cruise on the idyllic and inspirational West Lake; and marvel at the alluring architecture of the Six Harmonies Pagoda. Explore the historical highlights and cultural delights of the UNESCO World Heritage-listed city on this all-inclusive tour, during which lunch, round-trip transportation and entrance fees are complimentary.
- Full-day tour of Hangzhou, from Shanghai
- Visit the iconic Six Harmonies Pagoda (Liuhe Pagoda)
- Watch a traditional Chinese tea ceremony at Meijiawu Tea Village
- Take a boat cruise on Hangzhou's magnificent West Lake
- Walk around Flower Harbor and admire Red Carp Pond
- Enjoy the informative commentary of your knowledgeable guide
- Includes lunch, boat cruise, entrance fees, transportation, and hotel pickup and drop-off
What's Included
- Lunch
- West Lake Cruise
- Hotel pickup and drop off from the city center
- Air-conditioned vehicle
- English-speaking tour guide
- Admission tickets
- Gratuities
Meeting and Pickup
Pickup points
Select a pickup point
Operating hours.7:30 am
Itinerary
After pickup from your Shangahihotel in a comfortable, air-conditioned coach, relax during the scenic 3-hourdrive to the splendid city of Hangzhou. Listen as your knowledgeable guide setsthe historical scene and offers insight into the 2,000-year history of thecity.
On arrival, begin yourexploration at the Six Harmonies Pagoda (Liuhe Pagoda), a majestic masterpiecethat towers at a height of 196 feet (60 meters). Admire the distinctarchitecture and the picturesque surroundings before visiting an informativemuseum beside the pagoda.
Next, venture to Meijiawu TeaVillage to discover some of the world’s finest tea varieties; capture photographsof the verdant sprawl of plantations then experience the art of a traditionaltea ceremony for important insight into Chinese culture. Revitalize with a traditionallunch then head to the luscious landscapes surrounding West Lake, a beautifulbody of water that has inspired poets and artists from around the world.
Board a boat and cruise theshimmering surface, admiring the temples, pagodas and mountains that pepper theshores. Disembark at Red Carp Pond to absorb the botanical beauty of thegardens, and then trace a picturesque trail through an area named 9 Creeks and18 Gullies. See meandering streams and quaint refuges while listening to anengaging narrative about the region’s rich heritage.
When your enriching excursiondraws to a close, relax during the smooth journey back to your Shanghai hotel,where the tour concludes.
On arrival, begin yourexploration at the Six Harmonies Pagoda (Liuhe Pagoda), a majestic masterpiecethat towers at a height of 196 feet (60 meters). Admire the distinctarchitecture and the picturesque surroundings before visiting an informativemuseum beside the pagoda.
Next, venture to Meijiawu TeaVillage to discover some of the world’s finest tea varieties; capture photographsof the verdant sprawl of plantations then experience the art of a traditionaltea ceremony for important insight into Chinese culture. Revitalize with a traditionallunch then head to the luscious landscapes surrounding West Lake, a beautifulbody of water that has inspired poets and artists from around the world.
Board a boat and cruise theshimmering surface, admiring the temples, pagodas and mountains that pepper theshores. Disembark at Red Carp Pond to absorb the botanical beauty of thegardens, and then trace a picturesque trail through an area named 9 Creeks and18 Gullies. See meandering streams and quaint refuges while listening to anengaging narrative about the region’s rich heritage.
When your enriching excursiondraws to a close, relax during the smooth journey back to your Shanghai hotel,where the tour concludes.
1
West Lake (Xi Hu)
1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Included
2
Meijia Dock
1 hour • Admission Ticket Free
3
Pagoda of Six Harmonies
1 hour • Admission Ticket Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Infants must sit on laps
- Most travelers can participate
- Minimum Departure: 3 Persons
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 999 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
3.3
based on 115 reviews
charjimkeeton, Sep 2024
A little too far from Shanghai, but glad to have seen this part of China. We knew there would be a lot of drive time and there was. That left the time to visit the sites short. We did not have an opportunity to climb the temple and that part of the trip amounted to walking to the base of the temple and into a couple of exhibit rooms, and right back out to the car. Similarly, the Lake part of the trip was a quick walk through the park to the boat experience (nice) and then back to the car. More time in the park would have been good. A detour to a tea company presentation/sales pitch was included and the time would have been better spent at the temple or park. The guide was informative and spoke very good English (majored in it at college). If you want to include this part of China in your trip when in Shanghai, know that there is a lot of driving time. The guide and driver provided a good long day (9.5 hrs) and we got to see a part of China we wanted to see.
Ray_Z, Apr 2024
Wonderful show! We truly loved the show, it adds a modern twist to the ancient tradition of acrobatics! Our tour was very friendly, amicable, and attentive to all our needs. The evening with a wonderful dinner, and a new part of Shanghai that we had not explored.
hilly1232015, Aug 2019
We were very pleased with the excellent service from our guide Tom, he communicated well in English and provided an interesting commentary of this amazing area. The only issue was sitting in traffic for a couple of hours. Understand this is unavoidable in these huge cities, one must put up with the delays to China's beautiful countryside. Pleasantly surprised at the clean cities, roads and the huge tree planting taking place every where on can see.
Matthew_P, Jul 2019
The tour was fair, they brought you to Hangzhou but at times the tour became rushed. In particular the boat ride on Hangzhou was a one way transportation ferry as opposed to the antique tour boats other tours use.
Hangzhou itself however is BEAUTIFUL, I just wish the tour arranged to spend more time in the lake park.
Pallavita_S, Jul 2019
The tour itinerary was good however the guide (Tom) was a disappointment. I have gone on tours previously through viator in the China region and with the same tour company (Han Tan Tours) and have had the most fabulous guides before so i was excited to see that this tour was also through Han Tan Tours. However this one was nothing like before - Tom was only interested in ticking the boxes, he gave no history or fun titbits and only focused on facts like numbers (height/depth/how large a city is etc etc) - he gave us no time in any place to just enjoy it on our own. Despite having reached Hangzhou earlier than expected, he took us to the West lake, showed us the pond with fishes and then made us wait for the ferry and the ferry took us across the lake and dropped us where the tour bus was waiting so we didn't actually get to walk around the lake or enjoy the sites on our own at all. Ideally he should have allowed us 30-45 mins to wander around the lake before taking the ferry. This was the case in every place and highly disappointing - we were rushed into the tea garden with the focus on doing the tea ceremony and getting us to the shop, no time to see the gardens. At the Pagoda of Six Harmonies, we insisted on going up the Pagoda on our own else he would have rushed us out (again no walk around the park there). He just seemed to be in this tearing hurry spoiling the whole tour for us. The lunch wasn't that great either - we were seated in a side room with uncomfortable seats and torn table cloths!
Eliana_A, May 2019
I really love meeting small villages and Im a tea lover, so I was very excited to visit a tea field. Unfortunately it wasn’t harvest season, but still was great to be there. Alina guided us through it all, including the temple, the lake and the boat trip, telling us about the history of the places and counting us the local legends and folkores.
Anita M, Apr 2018
Our tour guide Frank made some conversation but al preoccupied on his phone. Hangzhou is beautiful but your very rushed. Appears they want to get home quick. Tea plantation amazing but more sales pitch no time to walk the tea terraces they want you to buy. Lunch less than average.do tour on your own
LOIS B, Oct 2017
My tour guide was very knowledgeable and personable and I was fortunate to have him for all my tours in Shanghai and I received all that was promised.
Albert L, Oct 2017
Tour guide was excellent.
. Car was so bad. For long distance tour, the car wasn't suitable. the seats were so uncomfortable, very hard.
Air Conditioner wasn't working. The driver opened the window.
Can you imagine, For such long distance tour, you have to sit in the car like that ?
LeslieYesenia_A, Oct 2017
Amazing tour with a Frank. He is very knowledgeable and gave us great information on the three tours I took with him.
Amir G, Sep 2017
Very low level tour
The car was not clean and smelled of cigarettes, the air conditioner did not work.
There were insufficient explanations.
A 15-minute boat ride and no explanation.
A lunch that would shame any average restaurant. The place looks like a moving movie theater. It does not look like it has been cleaned or replaced with table cloths for a long time.
The Pagoda tour was a low-level round around the pagoda and that's it.
A tour of the tea factory did not include explanations of how to grow tea and focused only on marketing and selling local products.
It's a pity that the long journey time back and forth over 6 hours could be done by train and put in more content.
This tour is not worth the money and a pity about time.
alexander_k, Sep 2017
I am giving this tour a one star as I feel it was not just a waste of money it was also a waste of valuable time that I could have spent on something else while in Shanghai. The Heaven on Earth is a big overstatement. There was not really much to see. The West Lake is nice, but not nice enough to drive 3 hours in each way, there is literally one decent pagoda to see near the lake. We were picked up at our hotel at 8AM and then drove for three hours to Hangzhou. The city itself is nothing special at all, so the only thing to see there is a lake surrounded by a park. We spent about 30 minutes on the water and then were taken to a very ordinary restaurant to eat basic Chinese food for lunch. After lunch, we were taken to a mandatory sales presentation loosely disguised as a Tea Ceremony. There was no ceremony, just a quick medium to high pressure sales pitch for tea and tea derivatives.
About the drive: the driver drove like a maniac, constantly changing lanes, cutting in front of other cars while constantly fiddling with his phone texting and talking without a headset, but mostly texting.
The tour guide was very non-engaging, spoke very little. A good tour guide can speak the entire drive maybe giving some info about the area or things we passed on the way. She did none of those things and was not prepared for that as she didn't even have any kind of loudspeaker with her.
If you really want to see Hangzhou, take a high-speed train and then take taxi to West Lake and get a lake tour one of many tour boats crossing the lake. You will save valuable time and money.
I was fooled by huge number of glowing reviews of the tour. I know have doubts about the authorship of those reviews.
Joan M, Jul 2017
It turned out to be a private tour for me. July is a slow time for group tours in this area, so the tour guide told me.
The driver that picked me up from my hotel and returned me at the end of the day was great. He was very efficient, professional, spoke English fluently and answered my questions as we drove along.
The guide, whom I assume was used to having more people, was uninvolved or rather, more involved with his cell phone. I wasn't really enjoying the tour much and so decided the skip the last part. Unfortunately, I ended up sitting at the train station for four hours alone, as all previous trains were booked full.
ALOK K, Nov 2016
It was supposed to be a day trip with bullet train to maximise time efficiency and enhance experience of travel in the famed bullet trains.
It was a surprise to learn that the travel to Hangzhou from Shanghai was arranged in a A/C coach in which travel time was 3 hrs one way. No where in the voucher was this aspect mentioned and the rates charged talked about transportation in A/c coach which typically would be understood to mean within city travel.
Even for the lunch - which is a part of the package - the tie up is not with any quality restaurant but with a group booking eating place that serves limited quality irrespective of number of guests 1 plate of each item to be shared between the tourist having lunch. Pointed out about the same ,extra was being offered at add on costs- which is a complete rip off.Not seen it happening anywhere else.
Overall charge for the package and its delivery there is a huge gap and a feeling of being taken on a ride. Caution for other who trust that benefit of tourist is being protected and there is honest transparency in the packages being created. I have seen Bullet train package being offered at 138 wherein I had paid 169 and still got trapped on 6 hours of commute on 1 day trip.
JOHN B, Oct 2016
It was a rainy day and we were the only two on the tour but our guide Frank and the driver gave us a good trip in a new Buick van. Hangzhou is a beautiful city in the tea growing region and it was impressive to see the new highways and rail lines along the way. Did the West Lake boat trip in the rain and stopped at an impressive pagoda built by an emperor around the year 950.
Antonio S, Aug 2016
Good trip, bad driver he rode as he would be in a rally
Helen H, Jul 2016
The guide was very helpful and informative. The travelling by bus from and to Shanghai took more than half the time. The boat cruise on the lake was pleasant. I would have liked more time to walk around the park by the lake despite the weather being hot.
jose w, Jun 2016
The driver was reckless and the trip was unsafe.
The guide explained very little, his English was good but did not seem to know enough, he slept on the way back.
The trip should be done by bullet train and not by bus, it takes 3 hours.
We payed for a tour, not a drive back and for plus lunch!/
Irina_K, May 2016
It was ok, the lake was beautiful, everything was very well organized, but I would have liked to hear more about history of the city. It's way overpriced.
CLAYTON F, Nov 2015
Do not waste your money and more important your valuable vacation time in this tour. It is a 3 hour ride to and from Hangshou. When you get there you get about a 45 minute boat ride, lunch and then spend about 10-15 minutes at the pagoda. No tea ceremony. What a waste of a valuable day.
wallercj, Oct 2015
this tour takes you to some beautiful places - tour guides need to slow down so international tourists can enjoy the sights better
Tentay L, Oct 2015
My family and I had a great experience during our Hangzhou tour. Our tour guide Frank gave us an overview of Hangzhou. He was on time and was patient with explaining and giving all the facts about the tour. Overall, it was a really great tour. I recommend this agency very much. High five.
Karmen M, Sep 2015
Little bit expensive and unfortunately very crowded.
Hayley K, Sep 2015
Excellent tour. Very beautiful lake, boat tour was stunning, pagoda was interesting and miss joy was very informative. Would be good if the tour was slightly longer as its a 3 hour drive each way but worthwhile nonetheless.
C G, Sep 2015
The service is great and my guide tom was great too, but i think that everything was made with a little rush and i couldn't enjoy the city as i wanted to.
Jennifer M, Sep 2015
The lake in Hangzhou is very beautiful and on the day I was there it was misty and gave the impression of a Chinese painting. The tour was well-designed, and the travel agency you use is excellent with very well-informed guides and very safe drivers. The only downside is the long time sitting in a bus - it takes 3 hours there and 3 hours back.
John C, Jul 2015
A Long drive to see not very much. The guide was very good
Cynthia H, Jun 2015
This was the first time I took a tour anywhere. The tour was great. Our guide, Rita, was full of great information and incite. We were able to see various sites in one day but never felt rushed.
I would recommend this tour for anyone who wants to see a glimpse into green tea growing, West Lake, and a neat Pagoda.
Seraphina E, May 2015
Hangzhou is a long drive from Shanghai - about 3 hours, but it is worth the trip. The West Lake was lovely and whilst it would have been nice to walk around, time was constricted, so going on a boat ride instead was a quick, nice and convenient way to view the lake and the stunning scenery. Lunch was OK - not the best. The trip to the China National Tea Museum was good fun - tasting green tea! Visiting Liuhe Pagoda was a nice way to end the day.
Holly G, May 2015
The majority of the day was spent in the bus. The scenery was pretty and I'm glad that we saw it, but it would have been much better over a couple of days.
From $169.00
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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