China Guide
Jiangsu and Zhejiang
Arrival
Hangzhou's airport is 15km north of town, and connected by CAAC bus (¥5) to the main CAAC office on Tiyuchang Lu.
The train station is 2km east of the city centre. Reaching the lake from here on foot takes about forty minutes; otherwise, take bus #7 direct to the lake or #151 as far as Yan'an Lu. A few trains stop only at the remote east train station; from here, bus #48 goes to the northeastern lakefront.
Buses use a number of stations ringing Hangzhou. Eastern arrivals and departures to Shaoxing and Fuzhou use the east bus station in the northeast of town, which is connected by bus #K35 to the centre of town. The north bus station (bus #155 runs the 9km to the centre) serves Shanghai and Jiangsu, though frequent private buses on these routes use the train-station square. Huangshan services use the west bus station on Tianmushan Lu (bus #49 travels the 8km to the centre). Wenzhou and Fujian Province buses leave from the southeast bus station, a five-minute walk south of the main train station on the corner of Dongbao Lu and Qiutao Lu.
Since the Grand Canal has been so important for Hangzhou, it would seem appropriate to arrive here by boat – and there are still daily passenger services connecting Hangzhou with Suzhou, arriving in the morning and leaving in the early evening. The dock is on the Grand Canal north of the city centre, accessible on bus #155.