|

--|

--|

-| | Longxiangqiao (龙翔桥) | West Lake (broken bridge, musical fountain) | 3 min | Busiest station in Hangzhou. Exit C for the lake. Prepare for crowds on weekends. | | Ding'an Road (定安路) | Hefang Street, Southern Song Imperial Street | 5 min | Exit C. Walk south — you'll hit the historic pedestrian street in 5 minutes. | | Fengqi Road (凤起路) | Wushan Night Market, Damalong old market | 8 min | Take Exit B and walk east. Damalong is 3 blocks in — ask for 大马弄. | | Wulin Square (武林广场) | Wulin Night Market, Canal Pedestrian Bridge | 5 min | The city's commercial center. Shopping malls everywhere. | | Hangzhou East Railway Station | High-speed trains to Shanghai (45 min) | 0 min | Directly under the station. |

My tip: Longxiangqiao Exit C on a Saturday afternoon is what I imagine Times Square feels like. If you're meeting me for a tour, use Exit B instead — it's a 2-minute longer walk to the lake but you won't be shoulder-to-shoulder the entire way.

## Line 3 (Yellow): The Temple & Wetland Line

Line 3 opened in 2022 and immediately became the best way to reach two of Hangzhou's most important attractions.

| Station | Attraction | Walking Time | Notes | |

|

--|

--|

-| | Huanglong Cave (黄龙洞) | Gem Mountain northern trailhead | 8 min | The less-crowded way up Gem Mountain. Follow the path behind the cave entrance. | | Gudun Road (古墩路) | Xixi Wetland (north gate) | 12 min | Exit A. Less crowded than the south entrance. | | Xixi Wetland South (西溪湿地南) | Xixi Wetland (main entrance) | 5 min | The main tourist gate. More facilities, more people. |

Important: Lingyin Temple does NOT have its own metro station. See Line 7 below for the closest approach.

## Line 7 (Purple): The Lingyin Connector

Line 7 is the line I use most with guests because it gets you closest to Lingyin Temple.

Wushan Square (吴山广场) is the key station here. Exit C, then: - Walk north up the pedestrian street for 10 minutes to reach Hefang Street's south end - Take bus #7 from the stop outside Exit D — it goes directly to Lingyin Temple (15-20 min ride, ¥2)

Bus #7 from Wushan Square to Lingyin is the route I recommend to every guest. It runs every 8-12 minutes, costs ¥2, and drops you at the temple gate. The metro + bus combo takes about 35 minutes total from the city center, versus ¥35-45 for a DiDi (Chinese Uber).

Exclusive detail: I once had a guest insist on taking a taxi from Longxiangqiao to Lingyin at 9 AM on a Sunday. The 5 km trip took 47 minutes. Bus #7 has a dedicated lane on Beishan Road — it took 18 minutes when I met him there. He still brings this up in his review: "Listen to Jacky about the bus."

## Line 5 (Blue): The Grand Canal Line

Line 5 runs east-west and serves the Grand Canal area — Hangzhou's UNESCO-listed waterway that predates West Lake as a tourist attraction by about 1,000 years.

| Station | Attraction | Walking Time | |

|

--|

--| | Gongchen Bridge East (拱宸桥东) | Grand Canal, Canal Museum, Xiaohe Straight Street | 5 min | | Datong Road (打铁关) | Transfer to Line 1 | — |

Gongchen Bridge area is underrated. The historic bridge, the canal-side teahouses, and the museum complex make a perfect half-day that 95% of tourists skip. I bring guests here when they tell me they want "the real Hangzhou, not just the postcard version."

## Lines 2 & 4: The Cross-Town Connectors

Line 2 (Orange): Runs northwest-southeast. Useful for: - Qianjiang Road (钱江路): Transfer point. Also near the CBD and the light show area along the Qiantang River. - Liangzhu (良渚): The Liangzhu Museum and archaeological site — a UNESCO World Heritage site from a 5,000-year-old civilization. About 40 minutes from the center. Almost zero foreign tourists. I wrote about the history in my Longjing tea guide — the same region that produced this ancient culture now produces China's most famous tea.

Line 4 (Green): Runs east-west south of the lake. Connects to Hangzhou East Railway Station and the Civic Center area.

## How to Ride the Metro: A Tourist's Checklist

### Buying Tickets

You have four options:

1. Alipay Transport Code (best): Open Alipay → click "Transport" → select "Hangzhou Metro" → scan the QR code at the gate. Works instantly. This is what I use and what I help every guest set up on day one.

2. Physical ticket machine: Every station has machines with an English option. Select your destination station, pay (cash or Alipay/WeChat), get a single-use card. Tap in, insert at exit.

3. Hangzhou Metro Pass (24/48/72 hours): ¥15/25/35. Unlimited rides for the duration. Available at airport station and major transfer stations. Only worth it if you're taking 4+ rides per day.

4. UnionPay/foreign contactless cards: Some newer gates accept foreign bank cards with contactless. Not all gates — look for the UnionPay logo. This is improving monthly but still inconsistent. Have a backup plan.

### What to Expect

- Security check: Every station has an X-ray scanner. Put your bag through. Takes 10 seconds. Water bottles are fine. - Cleanliness: The metro is genuinely clean. No eating or drinking inside. You'll see people immediately stop sipping their milk tea when they cross the gate line. - English signage: All stations have English names and directions. Announcements are bilingual (Chinese then English). - Rush hour: 7:30-9:00 AM and 5:30-7:00 PM. Trains come every 2-3 minutes but they're packed. Avoid if you can — or embrace it as a cultural experience. - Last train: Most lines stop around 10:30-11:00 PM. DiDi is your backup.

## Metro vs Taxi vs DiDi: What to Use When

| Situation | Best Option | Why | |

--|

-|

--| | West Lake to Lingyin Temple | Bus #7 or Metro Line 7 → Bus #7 | Traffic on Beishan Road is brutal. Bus has a dedicated lane. | | Airport to city center | Metro Line 1 or 7 | ¥8 vs ¥120-150 by taxi. 50-60 minutes either way. Read my airport guide for all options. | | West Lake to Longjing Village | DiDi | No metro station near Longjing. ¥25-35 by car. | | Late night (after 11 PM) | DiDi | Metro is closed. ¥20-40 for most city-center trips. | | Group of 4 with luggage | DiDi or my private car | One ¥40 ride vs 4 × ¥6 metro tickets + dragging bags. If you're on my private tour, I handle all transport. |

## The Honest Truth

Hangzhou Metro won't win design awards. The transfer at Fengqi Road from Line 1 to Line 2 involves a 7-minute underground walk that feels like you're hiking to another province. Some station exits are still surrounded by construction.

But it's ¥2-8, it's air-conditioned, and it will get you to 80% of the places you want to visit. Combined with the occasional DiDi for harder-to-reach spots, you don't need anything else.

And if figuring out Chinese public transport sounds stressful? That's literally my job. On any private tour (from $225 for up to 4 people), I handle every transport decision — whether that's the metro, a bus, or my private car. You focus on the experience. I'll handle how we get there.

Metro lines and fares accurate as of August 2026. Hangzhou is still building new lines — Line 13 and extensions to Lines 3 and 5 are under construction. Station exits sometimes close for renovations. Always check a current map before traveling.