Hotels in Hangzhou, China

A little about Hangzhou...

Hangzhou is a sub-provincial city located in the Yangtze River Delta in the People's Republic of China, and the capital of Zhejiang province. Located 180 kilometres (112 mi) southwest of Shanghai, as of 2004 the entire Hangzhou Region or Prefecture-level city had a registered population of 6.5 million people.

The urban agglomeration of the Hangzhou metropolitan area has a resident population of 3,931,900 as of 2003, of which 2,636,700 are legal residents, of which there are 1,910,000 residents in the urban core six districts. As one of the most renowned and prosperous cities of China for much of the last 1,000 years, Hangzhou is also well-known for its beautiful natural scenery, with the West Lake as the most noteworthy location.

Hangzhou is serviced by the Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport, which has direct flights to Japan, Thailand, Korea, and Singapore, regional routes to Hong Kong and Macau, as well as numerous domestic routes. Located just outside of the city in the Xiaoshan district, it is one of the major secondary international airports in China.

A convenient route to Hangzhou for foreign visitors is to first fly into Shanghai's Pudong airport, and then take bus to Hangzhou using the Shanghai-Hangzhou-Ningbo Expressway. Driving time from the airport to Shanghai is about 2.5 hrs (about 85 RMB one way), Suzhou is about 1.5 hrs, Wuxi is about 2 hrs, Ningbo is about 1.5 hrs and Wenzhou is about 3.5 hrs.

Airport buses leave for Wulin Men (downtown Hangzhou) (15 RMB one way) and Xiaoshan (also 15 RMB one way) every 15-30 minutes. There are also airport buses to prefectures further away near Hangzhou such as Yiwu (30 RMB one way).

Hangzhou Railway Station and the significantly less modern Hangzhou East Railway Station serve the city centre, from which one can catch a train to Shanghai and almost anywhere in China. There are many trains going to or passing Hangzhou from Shanghai. It normally takes about 2 hours from Shanghai (200 km) to Hangzhou by train (Cost is about 40 RMB).

Trains leaving Hangzhou reach more than 20 cities directly, including Beijing (1650 km), Shanghai (200 km), and Xi'an (1550 km).

Train tickets can be purchased at the Wulinmen Ticket Office (No. 199, Wulin Road) or Huansha Road Ticket Office (No. 147, Huansha Road).

A Shanghai-Hangzhou Maglev Train Line has been proposed. North, east, south and west long-distance bus stations offer regular large and small coach services to towns within Zhejiang province and surrounding provinces.

Public transport within Hangzhou city is primarily in the form of an extensive public (trolley) bus network. As the city area is so flat, bicycles were traditionally very popular and are still popular with the less well-off residents, though many now use electric bicycles and scooter (Motor cycle)s. Taxis are also very common. With its line of the newest Hyundai Elantras and Volkswagen Passats, and tight regulations (compulsory A/C, handicap service, lake-blue appearance etc.), the city's taxi service is rated amongst the top in the country.