China
Hangzhou
The city Marco Polo described as "the most beautiful and magnificent in the world" — and one that remains a paradise eleven centuries later.
The city Marco Polo described as "the most beautiful and magnificent in the world" — and one that remains a paradise eleven centuries later.
Few compliments have traveled as far through time as the one Marco Polo paid Hangzhou in the 13th century: "the most beautiful and magnificent city in the world." Eleven centuries on, it still lives up to it.
Just over an hour from Shanghai by high-speed train, Hangzhou uniquely blends classical China with the China of the future. On one hand, West Lake, with its centuries-old causeways, temples and tea-covered hills — a landscape shaped and embellished for over a thousand years by poets and governors. On the other, a city that today is home to global tech giants like Alibaba, proof that tradition and modernity can coexist without friction.
Strolling around West Lake, wandering through the Longjing tea plantations, or visiting one of the country's most important Buddhist temples are experiences that explain why, generation after generation, Hangzhou keeps winning over its visitors — just as it won over Marco Polo himself more than seven hundred years ago.
Hangzhou was the capital of the Wuyue Kingdom in the 10th century and later capital of the Southern Song dynasty between 1127 and 1279, becoming one of the most prosperous cities in the world at the time, with a population and standard of living that astonished foreign visitors.
The Venetian traveler Marco Polo is said to have visited in the 13th century and described it as the most magnificent city he had ever seen, with its canals, bridges and the bustling life around West Lake. That lake, in fact, was shaped over the centuries by poet-governors such as Su Dongpo and Bai Juyi, who built the famous causeways that still bear their names and remain the favorite promenade of locals and travelers alike.
In 2011, West Lake was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, recognizing a unique cultural landscape forged over more than a millennium. In recent decades, Hangzhou has added a new chapter to its history as the global headquarters of Alibaba and other tech giants, cementing its place as one of China's most dynamic economic engines.
A selection of what no Viavora itinerary skips.
The heart of Hangzhou and one of China's ten classic views, a naturally formed lake transformed over the centuries through successive dredging and beautification works ordered by governors and poets. Its centuries-old causeways, floating pavilions and gardens have inspired poetry and painting for over a thousand years — so much so that Marco Polo, after visiting it, described it as "the most beautiful and magnificent city in the world," a compliment that still feels warranted today.
Rebuilt in 2000 on the foundations of the original tower, which collapsed in 1924 after centuries of erosion and the looting of its bricks — considered good-luck charms by locals — it now offers privileged views over West Lake from its upper viewing deck. It is also linked to "Legend of the White Snake," one of China's most beloved love stories, in which a snake spirit becomes trapped beneath the pagoda for her love of a mortal.
Built in the 11th century by the poet-governor Su Dongpo himself, one of the great literary figures in Chinese history, using the mud dredged from the lake at his own order. The causeway crosses the water between weeping willows and seasonal lotus flowers, ideal for a leisurely evening walk that blends nature, poetry and history in a single route, just as Su Dongpo himself envisioned nearly a thousand years ago.
The hills surrounding the lake produce Longjing, or "Dragon Well," China's most famous green tea and considered one of the finest in the world, grown on these slopes for over twelve hundred years. Visiting the plantations, watching the traditional hand-roasting process in hot woks, and taking part in a tea ceremony with the farmers themselves is a must for tea lovers and a unique way to understand why this variety is so prized.
One of China's most important Buddhist temples, founded by an Indian monk in the year 328 after he was struck by the beauty of the setting, with over 1,700 years of unbroken history. Surrounded by dense forest and featuring more than 470 Buddhist carvings cut directly into the limestone of the nearby Peak Flown from Afar, the temple blends nature and spirituality in a setting that still draws pilgrims and visitors alike.
A pedestrian street with over a thousand years of unbroken commercial history, lined with traditional pharmacies, century-old teahouses and local craft stalls keeping alive trades that have long disappeared elsewhere. Perfect for feeling the everyday pulse of Hangzhou, it lets you shop for authentic souvenirs while sampling local specialties straight from the street stalls.
Marco Polo described Hangzhou in the 13th century as "the most beautiful and magnificent city in the world."
The Longjing green tea grown on its hills is considered the finest green tea in China and one of the most prized in the world.
West Lake has been redesigned and beautified by poet-governors over more than a thousand years of history.
Hangzhou is the global headquarters of Alibaba, the e-commerce giant that has transformed how millions of people shop.
The "Broken Bridge" (Duan Qiao) on West Lake is the setting for a famous Chinese love legend, "Legend of the White Snake."
Hangzhou hosted the G20 summit in 2016, international recognition of its role as one of China's economic and technological engines.
A private guide, a boat ride on West Lake and a tea tasting at the source of Longjing.
Hangzhou is one of the most special stops on our China Grand Tour.
