Hangzhou Tour from Shanghai: Bullet Train, West Lake, Temple

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.99 (246 reviews) 99% rated it 5 stars

Free cancellationTravelers' pick

1/19

Duration10h–11h

GroupPrivate

LanguagesEN · CM

PickupAt your hotel

Your guide builds the itinerary with you on the train ride over.

A private day trip from Shanghai to Hangzhou by bullet train, with a guide who meets you at your hotel and customizes the route based on your interests. The tour includes a 45-minute boat ride on West Lake, a visit to Lingyin Temple, a walk through Meijiawu tea village, and local lunch; you return to Shanghai the same day. The all-inclusive package adds West Lake boat entry and one attraction ticket; the lunch-only option lets you choose which sites to visit beyond the core stops.

10h–11h

Step-by-step itinerary

Hangzhou day trip from Shanghai

Meet guide at hotel lobby
Take 1-hour bullet train to Hangzhou
Walk around West Lake
Enjoy 45-minute boat ride on West Lake
Visit Longjing green tea farm and have local lunch
Walk along tea farm and see tea mountains
Visit Lingyin Temple
Return to Shanghai by bullet train
Guide escorts back to hotel

The Experience

Your guide picks you up at your Shanghai hotel and takes you to the bullet train station. The 1-hour ride to Hangzhou is part of the plan—use it to talk through what you want to see. Your guide will suggest stops and adjust the day around your interests, so the itinerary is not fixed before you board. Once you arrive in Hangzhou, you walk along West Lake and take a 45-minute boat ride across it; your guide shares local history and stories as you move through the water.

After the lake, you head to Meijiawu tea village, where you have lunch at a local restaurant on the tea farm itself. You can walk the tea mountains and see how the landscape is planted and harvested. Then comes Lingyin Temple, one of Hangzhou's most visited sites. If you have been to Hangzhou before or want to swap in a different attraction—Hefang Street, Leifeng Pagoda, Yuewang Temple, Liuhe Pagoda—your guide can reroute the afternoon instead.

The return bullet train departs in the late afternoon, and your guide escorts you back to your Shanghai hotel. The whole day runs 10 to 11 hours from pickup to drop-off. Your private car waits throughout, so there is no switching between transport types or waiting for group departures. If you book the all-inclusive package, West Lake boat entry and one attraction ticket are covered; if you choose lunch only, you pay for those separately at each site.

What’s included

Round-trip bullet train tickets, private guide in English or Chinese, private air-conditioned car throughout the day, hotel pickup and drop-off in downtown Shanghai, local lunch at the tea village, and a 45-minute boat ride on West Lake (all-inclusive package only); West Lake boat entry and one attraction ticket are included in the all-inclusive package, while the lunch-only option covers everything except those two.

Good to know

Easy physical levelWheelchair accessibleStroller friendlyInfant seats available

Operated by Amazing Shanghai Trip

Is this one for you?Book the all-inclusive package if you want the boat ride and temple entry handled upfront; choose lunch only if you prefer to decide on the spot which attractions to pay for separately. Either way, the private guide and car mean you are not waiting for group departures or switching between transport types during the day.