Cheap Flights to Hangzhou

Hangzhou, the capital of the Zhejiang Province in the people’s republic of China, is increasingly becoming a captivating tourist destination owing to its fabulous green environs. The city is located at the tip of the Hangzhou Bay, which is an inlet to the East China Sea, separating the sub-provincial city of Ningbo and the municipality of Shanghai. Hangzhou is the city with the most populace in the Zhejiang Province, and has proven to be one of the most prosperous and renowned cities of China. Apart from its breathtaking landscapes and rich culture, Hangzhou has been rated by Forbes as the best commercial city in mainland China. The population of the metropolitan area of Hangzhou is 21.102 million people spread over an area of 34,585 square kilometers, as of the 2010 Chinese consensus.

Tip: Hangzhou is known to be a “cashless” city, where almost all transactions are known to happen without physical cash. Though as a tourist you need not worry, cash still works. You could always look into what are the popular monetary transaction apps currently being used there to avoid visiting the ATM constantly. 

History of Hangzhou:

Hangzhou has rich and vibrant history that can be traced back to over 2,200 years to the Qin Dynasty. During the period of 907 to 978 AD, in the time of the Five Dynasties and the Ten Kingdoms, Hangzhou was considered the capital of the Wu-Yue Kingdom, and then became the capital of the Southern Song Dynasty from the period of 1127-1279 AD. Hangzhou was widely considered a superior prefecture, and being centrally located over a fertile rice-growing area and the site of the most illustrious Silk industries in China made Hangzhou a very wealthy prefecture. The Chinese government has graced Hangzhou with the designation of a “Historic and Cultural City”, as it has been considered as one of China’s seven ancient capitals. 

Tip: Exploring and understanding a few key phrases in Mandarin will help absorbing the rich culture Hangzhou has to offer with great ease, especially when visiting its Museums and tourist sites. 

Hangzhou Flights and Airport details: 

The Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport (HGH) is the principal airport that services the city. It is considered to be the 10th busiest airport in China. This airport was opened to traffic on the 30th of December, 2000. The airport, which houses two domestic and one international terminal, along with its cargo and passenger runways, covers a total area of about 370000 square meters. Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport services a lot of traffic from countries ranging from the United States, countries within the European Union, the Asian countries to mention a few. Direct Flights to Hangzhou are most commonly available from other cities within the country. A plethora of international airlines, the likes of Cathay Pacific Airways, Air Asia, Jet Airways, SilkAir, Scoot, China Southern Airlines, Hong Kong Airlines, Singapore Airlines among many others offer cheap flights to Hangzhou, and in some cases direct flights to Hangzhou.  

Tip: Located at approximately 27 Kilometers east of Downtown Hangzhou, the quickest way to get to Hangzhou Xiaoshan International Airport is known to be the Shuttle Bus, and the estimated travel time is 50 minutes from the city center.

Areas to stay:

The Hangzhou City center is known to be the one-stop-shop for all things tourism-related. It has been considered to be the heart of the city, and the West Lake is what Hangzhou City is built around. There are several scenes attractions to go to, markets and shopping centres, needless to say a wide variety of options for the authentic Chinese cuisine to satiate your palette. Another popular area to stay is around West Lake.  The Scenic Area of the West Lake is in itself large, and has several luxury and budget hotels located in the vicinity. The neighborhood of Shangcheng is known to be a popular choice of stay, owing to its quiet and pristine neighborhood.

Notable places to visit and things to do:

For the nature lover, there are a number of places to go sightseeing, numerous parks and causeways that would bring out the serene calm of Hangzhou. The West Lake is a UNESCO World Heritage site, surrounded by forested hills on the northern and eastern sides, the West Lake with its shimmering waters instantly adds calm and composure to an otherwise busy mind experienced best by traveling on hand-paddled boats. The Prince Bay Park, laden with picturesque trails and waterfalls, is another popular site to behold. 

For the lovers of History, there is the Lingyin Temple. Its expanse and sheer beauty leaves the beholder awestruck and in wonder, with its approach trail lined with carvings of Buddhist statues into cave-rock. The Chenghuang Pavilion provides one of the best views of the city, whilst itself being symbolic of Chinese architecture.

Getting around in Hangzhou:

One of the best ways you could explore a place you haven’t visited before, is walking. It’s the absolute basic, yet best way to absorb every little detail and the essence of the environment. Another suggested and affordable option is Biking. Biking has become very popular in Hangzhou. Many of the streets have bike lanes, and there are several quick and easy services that let you rent a bike by the hour, which makes getting around very convenient. Hangzhou is not a very large city, so it won’t be very expensive to get around in a Taxi. There are taxis available at most transportation hubs and tourist sites. Buses are the most common mode of transportation in Hangzhou, though not the easiest for those who don’t speak or understand the language. The most convenient way for tourists to travel by bus would be by getting hold of smart cards, and getting hold of city maps to get acclimatized to city routes. 

Tip: 3-4 Days would be sufficient to make them stay in Hangzhou worthwhile, though depending on specific interests you might want to extend by a few more days. 

Getting reliable travel information can be taxing and confusing, owing to the sheer amount of information that is available today. Although, you can ease your travel planning and the time taken to do so by downloading our Trip.com app, where we bring ease and continuity with the planning process and information gathering for all your travel needs. This app is an all-encompassing travel utility with its secure payment gateways to streamline your booking needs in a matter of minutes, regular updates with the best deals, confirmed reservations in customer reviewed and recommended hotels, round-the-clock customer service to name a few. Even in the midst of your travel, the app can help you with location-based suggestions and last-minute train bookings. Have a pleasant trip to Hanzhou and make the most of it with Trip.com.