West Lake Hangzhou: Free Walking, Boat Prices, Routes

West Lake is Hangzhou's headline sight, and one of the few big Chinese attractions you can walk around without passing a ticket gate. Wikivoyage says the lake is open 24 hours and free. The money you actually spend goes on boats and a few places inside, such as the island of Three Pools Mirroring the Moon. This page collects boat prices from three Hangzhou city-media reports, shows how 2024, 2025 and 2026 compare, and says what we could not check. Facts were read on 16 and 17 October 2026.

For the city overview see the Hangzhou and Suzhou guide. Hotels are in where to stay, Lingyin Temple on the west side is on the Lingyin page, and entry rules and payments are on the China hub.

What is free and what costs money

A 2012 article from Hangzhou News says West Lake is a 5A scenic area with no entry fee, and that 52 parks and museums (73%) in the West Lake district were free that year. That is an old figure and we did not check whether every site is still free. Wikivoyage gives the loop around the lake as about 12 km and suggests walking part of it and taking a boat to the island, rather than chasing every one of the "ten scenes", some of which it calls overrated or seasonal.

Boats on the lake, checked 17 October 2026

We found no price page on the boat company's own site. The data below comes from Hangzhou city-media reports citing the company "杭州市西湖游船有限公司" (the February 2026 report), and the ticket-selling hours change with the season. Prices are in Chinese yuan.

Where the sources differ: ticket-selling hours in each report do not match, and some are Spring Festival timetables. The 2024 report also lists night cruises and a premium lake tour priced at CNY 90 and CNY 50 that the 2025 report does not. The island ticket uses the same CNY 55 and CNY 70 in both years. Wikivoyage still carries older boat prices (CNY 45 and CNY 35), which do not match Hangzhou News and are too old, so we do not use them. Check prices at the pier ticket office before you buy.

Rowing boats: the 2025 report lists 5-seat pedal boats at Park 6 for CNY 30 per hour per boat, motor boats at Broken Bridge (断桥) for CNY 30 per half hour per boat, and 6-seat hand-rowed boats at several piers for CNY 150 per hour per boat. These come from media reports, not a price list from the boat company.

Every report warns that in special weather boats follow the West Lake water authority's orders, so boats can stop in heavy rain or strong wind.

Sights on the shore

From Wikivoyage (not official). We did not check each sight's hours and fees with an official site.

• Su Causeway (苏堤) is almost 3 km long, built in 1189 and lined with willows and peach trees, running north to south. It starts near the Shangri-La hotel on Beishan Road.
• Bai Causeway (白堤) and Broken Bridge (断桥). The causeway runs from the east end of Beishan Road to Gushan hill. Wikivoyage calls Broken Bridge a lovely, romantic viewpoint.
• Three Pools Mirroring the Moon (三潭映月). Built in the early 17th century and the largest island in the lake, per Wikivoyage.
• Leifeng Pagoda (雷峰塔). Built in 977 and rebuilt in 2000, with city views. Wikivoyage suggests viewing it from the opposite shore after sunset.
• Guo's Villa (郭庄). A private traditional garden that Wikivoyage ranks among the best in Jiangnan.

Getting there

Wikivoyage says the east shore is reached by Metro Line 1 at Longxiangqiao station or at Fengqilu station (Lines 1 and 2), and that bus K7 runs from Hangzhou railway station to West Lake for CNY 1 (an old, unofficial figure). If you stay at the Sofitel on the lake, its site writes a 5-minute walk to Metro Line 1. We did not check metro times or fares. For airport and train access see the Hangzhou and Suzhou guide.

One-day plan

Our suggestion, not official guidance. Start in the morning at the Hubin parks or Broken Bridge, walk Bai Causeway and Su Causeway, take the boat to Three Pools island in the afternoon, and finish at Leifeng Pagoda around sunset. Walking the entire 12 km loop needs the whole day. On Chinese holidays crowds are heavy and taxis are scarce.

Money and links on this page

The lake is free. Boats are bought from the boat company at the pier, not through us. The booking box here opens a provider's search page for Hangzhou tours, useful only if you want a day tour that includes West Lake. As of 17 October 2026 we have no registered affiliate link for Hangzhou and earn no commission from it yet. Boat tickets bought at the pier do not go through us.

Frequently asked questions

How this guide compares

We read China Highlights' Hangzhou guide and Travel China Guide's Hangzhou page on 17 October 2026. China Highlights recommends West Lake by boat and on foot, but gives no boat prices, hours or piers. Travel China Guide's page is a history article with no practical details. This page shows boat prices and hours by route with their source years, flags where reports disagree and says plainly that we found no price page from the boat company.

See also

• Hangzhou and Suzhou travel guide
• Where to stay in Hangzhou and Suzhou
• Lingyin Temple: free entry, booking required
• Humble Administrator's Garden, Suzhou
• China hub: entry rules, payments, internet, trains

Prices, schedules and entry rules change. Figures here are approximate as of 2026; always confirm on the official or operator page before you book. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.