A thousand-year monastery in the morning, a lake and a bowl of whisked tea in the afternoon
A gentle day: three temples, a vegetarian lunch in the hills, then a boat on the lake. The seven and a half hours are mostly walking, not driving.
Anyone hoping for a big-ticket sight — nothing here is monumental, everything is pleasant.
Lingyin needs a separate entry ticket from Feilai Peak. We pre-book both, but the queue for the temple gate is still a queue.
Meet at the KFC by the Lingyin Temple entrance, under the “Keyue Coffee” sign
Local time (GMT+8). Lingyin requires an advance ID-linked reservation; same-day booking is not possible.
Under the “Keyue Coffee” sign by the KFC. The guide hands out reservation codes and headsets
About an hour: more than 300 cliff figures from the Five Dynasties through the Yuan, with the laughing Buddha and the eighteen arhats clustered along the Cold Spring stream
About an hour: the 24.8 m camphor-wood Shakyamuni in the main hall, plus the Medicine Buddha, Avatamsaka and Jigong halls and the 500 arhats
Built up the hillside and far quieter than Lingyin. The buffet lunch in the temple grounds is included
Meet by the Su Dongpo memorial, walk part of the causeway, then board at Huagang pier for Leifeng Pagoda, Bai Causeway and Broken Bridge seen from the water
Tulips and cherry blossom at Taiziwan in spring; in the tea house, taste Longjing and paint on the foam with tea paste
The teahouse sits on the lake, leaving the evening open
About 5 km on foot, with gentle steps at Lingyin. The tea whisking is the part children remember — best from about eight years old.
$105 per person on the group tour, or from $256 per vehicle for a private car with driver and guide. The group price includes the driver, guide and admission; the private price is for the whole vehicle, whatever the party size.
It runs 09:00 to 16:30 — about 7.5 hours from pick-up to drop-off, including the drive. If you are catching a train or flight the same evening, book it for after 18:00.
Lingyin Temple entrance. Your driver and guide meet you there; the exact spot is confirmed the day before travel.
Reserved entry to Feilai Peak, Lingyin and Yongfu temples; West Lake cruise ticket; Vegetarian buffet in the temple.
Transport to the meeting point; Dinner.
Two days. We do not accept same-day or next-day bookings because the car, guide and admission have to be arranged in advance. Cancellation is free up to 7 days before the tour; inside that it steps to 20% (6–3 days) and 60% (2–1 days), and nothing is refunded on the day itself.
Take a boat out to the Three Pools Mirroring the Moon — the island is the view on the 1-yuan note, and the pavilions and water terraces are worth the detour. Best on a clear day.
来西湖必坐游船登三潭印月！乘船荡漾湖面，上岛可近距离打卡人民币背景取景地，亭台水榭一步一景。
On the water you pass the Bai Causeway and Leifeng Pagoda, and the light does half the work for your photos. Calm, unhurried, and the best way to understand the shape of the lake.
坐上西湖游船，清风拂面，沿途能欣赏白堤、雷峰塔，近距离打卡三潭印月，湖光山色尽收眼底，拍照很出片。
Hills on three sides, water in the middle, temples and gardens around the rim. It works in sun and in drizzle — the classical version of the lake is the misty one.
西湖风光秀美，山水相映，古迹众多。晴雨景色各有韵味，充满江南气息，适合悠闲散步。
