Home
China guides

China guides

Country-level guides: when to go, where to go first, visas and transit, and how the high-speed network fits together.

Verdict · 9 min read Is Hangzhou Worth Visiting? West Lake is free and Lingyin Temple just became free too, but a new booking rule means you can no longer show up on…
Route plan · 6 min read Hangzhou to Shanghai by Train: Fares, Times, and When to Stay Over The fastest run is 42 minutes, and most trains take close to an hour for about ¥53–73 in second class. Here's the station-by-station breakdown,…
Food · 6 min read What to Eat in Hangzhou: Four Dishes Worth Ordering West Lake fish, Dongpo pork, and tea-infused shrimp, priced at the restaurants that actually serve them — and the touristy street where you shouldn't…
Guide · 9 min read Day Trips from Hangzhou: Which Ones Actually Fit in a Day Wuzhen, Xitang, Moganshan and Qiandao Lake, measured against the clock, not the marketing copy — two of the four hold up as a genuine…
Guide · 10 min read Best Time to Visit Hangzhou: Month by Month Spring brings the causeway bloom and the tea harvest, and also the year's heaviest rain. Here is what the temperature, rainfall and crowd numbers…
Guide · 8 min read Where to Stay in Hangzhou: Four Neighbourhoods Compared Hangzhou's hotel stock splits into four workable bases that trade lake proximity against price and transit — the real math on each, not a…
Guide · 9 min read Things to Do in Hangzhou Beyond the Headline Sights Six Harmonies Pagoda, the Grand Canal, quiet hillside trails, and two evening shows — sorted by who each one actually suits, with one attraction…
Itinerary · 8 min read Hangzhou Itinerary: 4 Days, Including the Day Worth Adding The 3-day Hangzhou route stays the backbone. Day four should be Six Harmonies Pagoda and the Qiantang riverside — not the 5-hour round trip…
Itinerary · 11 min read Hangzhou Itinerary: 3 Days, Stop by Stop A three-day Hangzhou itinerary sequenced by geography rather than fame — West Lake's free-and-ticketed core, the Lingyin Temple reservation trap, the Longjing tea hills,…
Verdict · 8 min read Is Chongqing Worth Visiting? An Honest Answer Chongqing's admission fees are nearly free — the real cost is time, heat tolerance, and whether pandas are actually the point. Here's the flat…
Transport · 6 min read Chengdu to Chongqing by Train: Times, Fares and the Route The Chengdu-Chongqing leg is fast and frequent, but online fare and timetable listings for it disagree more than for any other route on this…
Food · 6 min read What to Eat in Chongqing Chongqing's hotpot runs oilier and hotter than Chengdu's, and the ordering rules differ too. Here's how to eat well in Chongqing, from the classic…